[Leica] Problems with Leica IIIC

[Andrew Morang <morang@magnolia.net>]

Dear LUG readers,

Have any of you had problems with film not being pulled taut in a 
screw-mount Leica?

I sometimes use a IIIC that my father bought new in 1949 when he lived on 
the Island of Guam.  Occasionally (often), I have noticed that one side of 
an image was badly out of focus.  The effect was random and irritating, and 
it puzzled me for along time.  I finally realized that, after I advanced 
the film, the wind knob had a lot of play and could rotate back and forth a 
few degrees.  After winding film, sometimes the knob remained fixed, but 
sometimes it clicked back a bit, apparently letting the film bow or bend 
within the film gate.  My practice now is to:

1.  advance the film.
2.  gently turn the wind knob back if there is any free play.
3.  turn the rewind knob clockwise to pull the film taut.
4.  hold on to the rewind knob while I take the exposure.

This is cumbersome.  Can any of you suggest a better solution?  Is there a 
mechanical repair?  For example, should the pressure plate be pressing the 
film tighter?  Or, should the rewind mechanism be under tension so that, as 
the film is advanced, it remains stretched against the film gate?

Thanks,
Andy Morang
Frustrated LTM Leica user from Mississippi

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