Graflex.org

[opy01]

I picked up a pretty beat up Ciro-Flex F not too long ago and finally decided to start pulling it apart. The worst part right now is the entire front is bent so when you try to focus, the lenses are pointed slightly up. I should be able to bend all that back pretty easily and get it straight.

I finally got the shutter to open and close consistently and got the shutter speed mechanism working great. The F stop is very smooth and opens and closes just fine. One thing I am not sure about is the flash sync. I'm not sure if it is doing anything or not. I may not even worry about it since I don't plan on using a flash.

I think the biggest issue is the missing springs. The winding lever is missing the spring so the shutter is a little bit sluggish unless I physically hold the lever down. There's also a spring that I'm not 100% sure where it goes. I will have to try to upload my pictures somewhere and post them here, but if anybody has pictures of a model F with the shutter speed cover completely off, I would greatly appreciate it.

The final piece to this puzzle is the viewing screen. The only part of it that is still there is the lens on the front. The mirror is gone and the top glass is gone. I can easily make a mirror that will fit but I'm not sure where to get that top glass. Does anybody have any resources? Do I just need to get a piece of frosted glass and hope that it works?

Thanks for any input and help. I am excited to do this restore because it is one of the worst cameras I have ever worked on. If I can get the front straight again I can calibrate the focal range and throw some film in it.[/img]

[opy01]

Update:
The flash sync appears to be ok and I found some ground glass. So functionally it will work.

The fun part will be straightening the focus rods. They are both bent along with the top viewfinder lens part. I'll bend them back a little at a time using a micrometer to check each corner.

You gotta love it when someone drops a camera

[opy01]

Latest update:

I have it all back together. I had to use a small square with the corner cut put to check the shafts on the focus frame. After getting it 99% straight I put it back in the body and extended it all the way. It was still slightly off, but I was able to make those small adjustments while installed. Now it moves smooth and appears to be in focus.

For checking focus I 3D printed a 1.5mm clear resin plate and wet sanded one side to put on the back where the film goes. The next thing is setting up marks to set the camera at different distances to check the dial as wekk as using a loop to compare the top viewfinder to the film area. If both look good at all distances I will finish the leatherette and load some film.

I found a place that does leatherette pre cut for those clones (Ciroflex, Graflex etc) and ordered some. Looking forward to completing this project.