Working vs. non working.....your feelings?

[star camera company]

] After spending five (and counting) days attempting to get a fairly simple antique camera working.....I’m beginning to feel defeated. Simple mechanical linkages which so far I’ve broken (and attempted repair) on two critical small pieces of tge linkage. I get it 99.5% right, then tinker with something and it’s not working again. Thankfully I’m retired and bored so this will go on until it’s working. ••••••••• All my Cameras work. This one is so rare though even as non working it is worth a spot in the collection. I’ve not found “another one” to buy. But dammit I cannot just leave it alone.....simple mechanical things easily (in theory) adjusted. No one, no “real” repair tech would likely want to tinker with it so I’m left on my own. •••••••. As I told the camera yesterday, “I have Time, I will Fix You”. It’s a camera I desperately want to USE! It’s a 1928 QRS Kamra.———-So, Can you Tolerate non working, or is Working a prime consideration?

 

[Original katomi]

Hard to answer, I don’t collect old cameras. But I do collect/use old hand tools
If it was one of my tool collection I would spend the time on getting it working or in my case a state where I could use it.
Camera wise, um um if it’s a one of a kind and I could not fix it, I probably would hang onto it whilst keeping an eye open for that one person like you who could fix it
Hope that sort of answers your question

 

[IanG]

Sometimes you need to walk away and leave it for a while, get on with something else then come back to it afresh and you may have a different approach and crack the problems.

I'll tolerate not working while I've a backlog of restorations anyway

Ian

 

[tirediron]

It's not a non-working camera in your collection; it's a non-working camera that you haven't finished repairing yet!

 

[star camera company]

......so the little thingy go under the other thingy properly on the way up , and over the little thingy on the way down, but just rides over the little bump on the little thingy that triggers the Shutter....... Geez. I need to go hold my cat.

 

[Derrel]

Time to crack open a bottle and pour yourself three fingers' worth... and then repeat, and then repeat again, by which time you will have forgotten what you were worried about.

 

[Mitica100]

I'll tackle it first, even if afraid to do so... if I succeed, great, I have a working collectible. If not, it'll be a display only. I have a few of the latter kind that I couldn't just make them work properly but they're eye candies for me.

 

[Derrel]

If it is a rare camera it doesn't matter if it works or not. If it is easily replaced by a working model then I would feel differently.

 

[star camera company]

I know my limits and never buy “parts or repair” deals but this QRS.....for $49 couldn’t resist. I think I made headway today with getting the replacement part adjusted, so the shutter fires now.

 

[webestang64]

Cool all your cameras work. For me I collect them no matter the condition.

 

[Soocom1]

Ok Ill play the Vulcan here.

Get ahold of someone with either a laser cutter or 3d printer and photovraph and then slowly rebuild.

Or as Derrl says.. Three fingers

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

If you have the time and the ability, no second thoughts : Get that beauty working!

 

[star camera company]

well Fingers Crossed looks like I may very well “have it”. Need to pull it apart a bit and adjust the shutter blades to stop a sliver light leak at times. It appears this camera will work without film spools or anything, just moving it through by sprockets and it coiling up in the Big film chambers. I just dry fired a full old roll of loose 35 film through. Should be interesting! ••••• It’s Funny, and relavent to this thread, tonight I hold this in hand in a “new light”. It’s a Camera, not a puzzling problem. ;-).

 

[Original katomi]

And the clapping starts, brill on getting it fixed

 

[star camera company]

Thanks! It looks ready to put film in. I’ve got Kodak XX, if I get a few good images, to start, I’ll be happy. Still seems to have occasional light barest sliver from the overlapping shutter blades. It will be interesting to see what that little lens does. By reflection, it looks like a triplet. The lens was made by Graf Optical Co. of South Bend Indiana.