Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 3/11/02 2:08:03 PM Pacific Standard Time, gbennett@lainet.com writes: << Subj: Re: [Leica] re: Rapid Winders -TOTALLY ON TOPIC Date: 3/11/02 2:08:03 PM Pacific Standard Time From: gbennett@lainet.com (Guy Bennett) Sender: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us reply to: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Tom and/or Tuulikki, if you're reading this, what's the scoop? Guy -- Hello Guy! Tom is in the workshop. - FYI: We enclose the following user/basket instruction with every M6 Rapidwinder we ship out. How to use the Abrahamsson M6 Rapidwinder To use your Rapidwinder M6 just load the camera as usual and put on the Rapidwinder. Do not push it all the way on until you have lightly pulled on the film advance, either the lever at the bottom of the Rapidwinder or the regular one on the camera. You will feel when the drive pins catch the camera's drive and then you can push the Rapidwinder all the way on and lock it by turning the lock at the bottom of the Rapidwinder until the two dots are aligned. There is very little maintenance required of the Rapidwinder. Every 2-3 months or 150-200 rolls put a drop of oil down in the hole of the drive (it will slowly drip down on the drive). If you wish, put some oil on a cotton tip (Q-tip) and insert it in the slot at the bottom of the Rapidwinder and run it along the track. The Rapidwinder is built to take a lot of use.The housing is extremely strong. As with any mechanical device, I recommend that you use a Rapidwinder on one specific camera body and allow the body and the Rapidwinder to "wear" in. It usually takes 10-15 rolls of film to smooth out the combination body/Rapidwinder. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advice regarding the use of the "Film Roller" (plastic wheel/basket) which comes with your original baseplate: - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 98-06-21 22:51:13 EDT From: TTAbrahams@aol.com To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (LUG) I have been using my own Rapidwinders with and without the plastic Roller and never had a problem. The trick is to ensure that the film is properly located on the sprockets of the drive and of course, the small folded end of the film is stuck inside the "tulip" of the take up spool. I always found the plastic Roller a bother. It never slipped in over the "tulip" as you wanted, most of the time the spokes of it got stuck, or hit the tips of the "tulip" take up spool and required that you fiddled with it. Without the Roller, you just have to ensure that the film is located in the right position, on the sprockets, in the take up spool and push the Rapidwinder on and go shooting. I went and looked through my last 3 months of film shot and in approximately 250 rolls, I could see no difference between film Roller equipped Rapidwinders and non-Roller equipped Rapidwinders. Of course I would like to supply the Rapidwinder with the plastic Roller, but it would increase the cost of them by almost 10% and I have always been trying to keep the price of the Rapidwinder reasonable and I abhor having to increase the price/cost of it. It is a quick operation to remove the plastic Roller from the baseplate if you want to. The screw on the Rapidwinder has the same thread as the screw on the baseplate. The only reason that I had the Rapidwinder screw made was to eliminate marks on the baseplate screw, you can undo it once without marring it, and then lock in the Roller with the screw on the Rapidwinder and keep the screw on the baseplate looking pristine when you upgrade the camera years later. Tom A Tom Abrahamsson - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guy, we know many Rapidwinder-users who always move/use the basket on their Rapidwinders but we also know many who do without the baskets without any problems. As I dont use the winder - I use the Rapidgrip and the Softie on my M4P - I cannot give you a personal opinion on this. - One of the long-time Rapidwinder users pointed out a couple of years ago when this matter came up: "There is a purpose for the film basket. The film does not know whether you have a Rapidwinder or an ordinary base plate mounted. Therefore, it only makes sense to put the basket on whatever base plate you are using - Rapidwinder or Leica". More from Tom - if needed - once he is back from the workshop. All the best to you for now, Tuulikki - ----------------------- One-Off Industrial Designs Tom & Tuulikki Abrahamsson #203-1512 Yew Street Vancouver, BC V6K 3E4 Canada Tel: 604-731-0036 Fax: 604-731-0868 E-mail: TTAbrahams@aol.com www.rapidwinder.com (Rapidwinder, Rapidgrip, and Softrelease Information) - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html