[Leica] Re: Leica windfall

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

  Just like a human runner, if you plan to exercise that old Leica,  
warm it up a bit. Sitting in a drawer for 20 years lets the  
lubricants dry up and parts tend to stick together. If something is  
still and you force it, you may do damage.

The best suggestion is to wrap the Leica in a heating pad for an hour  
or so. The camera should be warm to the touch, not hot. This will  
lower the viscosity of the lubricants. Then try clicking the shutter  
at the moderate speeds, 1/30 to 1/100 sec. for a few dozen times.  
Slow speeds are most affected by long periods of inactivity. The slow  
speed escapement has tiny moving parts that bind easily. After you  
are satisfied that the moderate speeds work well, try setting the  
shutter at 1/15 sec. Click for a few times, then try a slower speed.  
You can tell by ear approximately how long the shutter is open. When  
the speed is set at 1 second, if you can get the shutter to close in  
less than 1 1/2 seconds, congratulations. You have almost freed up  
the mechanism.

Adjusting the higher speeds for accuracy is a bit tricky. The  
individual shutter curtain springs tend to relax over the years and  
may need to be readjusted. Timing of the Leica shutter is a   
balancing act of mechanical forces. The Leica shutter is a simple  
design but requires great precision in design and adjustment. This is  
probably why it was so difficult for imitators to copy. The spring  
tension controls not only the rate that the shutter opening and  
closing curtains move but also their relative spacing. You may have  
to adjust the springs individually to achieve approximately the right  
speeds and uniformity of exposure across the field. You can do it  
yourself but it is a fiddly task similar to adjusting the carburetors  
of an old Jaguar engine. Instructions for doing this are in the  
archives. If you don't want to bother, get the camera a CLA by a good  
shop. If the viewfinder is clear, the rangefinder works, and the  
cosmetics are adequate, then a $200 CLA is a fair price to restore a  
LTM to functionality.

Remember, get that camera warm before exercising it.

Larry Z