Remedy for stuck bellows coupling?

[Planapo]

Guys,

I've got a problem with a bellows, it's concerning the lockable ring on the camera mount (on the rear standard). This ring coupling is used, as you know, for rotating the camera.

Now, after unlocking the screw that keeps the ring in a fixed position, the ring couldn't be twisted. Old, stiff grease I thought, and to soften it up, I gently heated this part with a hair dryer. And bingo, when it was warm, it could be easily rotated. But unfortunately now that it has cooled down, it got stuck again, not totally as before but it needs way to much torque to turn it.

So I thought I would apply some drops of a solvent in the slit between the moving and stationary parts. I thought of using WD-40, drawn up in a syringe and carefully inject a few drops to not 'soak' other parts of the bellows.

But before getting down to action, I'd like to ask for your confirmation, if that is a clever thing to do, or if you'd suggest alternatives.

Thanks in advance for your help.

--Betty

[rjlittlefield]

Betty, I think you'd be happier in the long run to get the ring completely out so that you can clean it properly. Check for a couple more small setscrews around the ring, lined up with the locking screw. Those will likely have cone-shaped tips that fit into a groove on the hidden face of the rotating ring. If you can loosen them a few turns, you should be able to gradually work the ring out.

--Rik

[Charles Krebs]

Betty,

If this is the old Pentax bellows (or the Ihagee) there is no real easy way to get "inside". You would need to first unscrew the rear bellows via the four screws accessible through the front lens opening. This will give you access to the "spring washer" that is likely gunked up with old lube. It is easily removed but be careful if you try it.... the Ihagee has one of the smallest "set screws" I've ever seen ( ) to keep the lock washer in place... very easy to lose!

While a disassembly and thorough cleaning is best, I think your initial approach is very reasonable. You might want to try a drop of slightly heavier machine oil first. Often that will "rejuvenate" older lubes to perform adequately. (It's not exactly like a wheel bearing that rotates endlessly!)

[Harold Gough]

I thought of using WD-40, drawn up in a syringe and carefully inject a few drops to not 'soak' other parts of the bellows.

Betty,

I have a couple of step-up and step-down rings I use together or separately with similar frequency on one of my lenses. Without over-tightening, one ring gets its thread locked inside the other every time. I have tried wrapping rubber bands around them and even bought a set of filter wrenches. Nothing woud get them apart other than pliers.

Yesterday I applied tiny drops of WD40. I made sure to wipe away excess immediately. They came apart with ease and, so far, no longer get locked together. I always knew there was a use for Dubyuh!

Harold

[Planapo]

Thank you for your thoughts, guys.

Rik, unfortunately I couldn't find any visible other screws on that coupling which would allow for an easy disassembling. It's as Charlie has found with the Ihagee bellows that the only screws accessibile are the ones that presumably hold the pleating on the inner side of the camera standard, and that are only visible when peeping through the lens standard and the pleating tunnel.

Charlie, you're right, actually I have the same problem with the ancient heavy Ihagee bellows, so thanks for the detailed instruction. I remember well last time when I turned that stiff coupling on the Ihagee. I grasped the Ihagee bayonet with bare fingers to turn it and wondered why that bayonet mount was suddenly covered in red, and then saw the long, bleeding cut on my thumb. Jeez, these metal edges are sharp, I didn't feel any pain at all while it cut in.
The other bellows with the stiff coupling is the Minolta Auto Bellows III which is quite similar to the Contax you are familiar with. Except that this rotatable camera mount we are talking about here is different: On the Contax it doesn't seem to be lubed at all, so there is nothing that can 'gunk up'.

Harold, good to know that the 'Dubyuh' is working. (Is that a commonly understood acronym for WD-40?) So I'm going to use it, if the heavier machine oil or Ballistol won't work. And if all this doesn't work, I will operate my way form the other side through the pleating.

--Betty

[g4lab]

Rather than using WD 40 whose thinness would probably be an advantage, if I were doing this I would use one of the teflon lubricants, such as SuperLube or TriFlow. Its a minor difference. WD 40 probably throws off more vapor.

I would hit it again with the hair dryer AFTER you get loose and leave it open so all those volatiles don't end up anywhere they don't belong. Like condensed inside lenses

[ChrisR]

My Nikon PB-4 is going the same way...

WD-40 is a good material, but not the best as a penetrating/easing oil. There are "penetrating oils" designed for the job.
There are so many around - SiliKroil and Plusgas are certainly very good, and there's "evidence" on the web that a mixture of 50/50 Automatic Transmission Fluid and acetone is absolutely wonderful.

The constituents of "grease" seem to vary hugely. The general idea is of course to replace the low molecular weight elements and therefore get the sticky stuff to move about. Acetone sounds appropriate because it's quite high polarity and low surface tension, perhaps that's why it's good in a mixture.

It could go too far of course and soak your bellows cloth

I've "failed" with some grub screws which were never intended to be removed. That's after removing all the paint with laquer remover (penetrates better than regular paint stripper), then making a screwdriver to fit the slot. If the thread-locking compound still holds, then the torque necessary can be more than the screw will stand, and a little D shaped piece comes away

Heat always helps. If you have a screw in a hole in a plate, then when heated, the gap between the two gets bigger, the plate does not press tighter onto the screw. Often you'll hear worries about differential rates of thermal expansion. Don't worry! Aluminium (bellows casting) expands twice as much as steel (screw)!
( .. and brass is nearly as "good" as Al for that.)

The force is with you!