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on Jun 13, 2020 2:59:49 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 13, 2020 3:13:28 GMT by lumiworx
I just got a 2nd RTS demo model (with the 'gold' baseplate), and with this one being a parts/repair it has presented an opportunity to peek-n-poke without fear of breaking it further than it already is. This one was 'naked', but it got me investigating what to do for leatherette coverings on future skin fixes. I have yet to reskin any RTS bodies, but I've done several 137's, 139's, and several of their Yashica cousins. Not one of those has presented what I'll call an underskin on both front panels. I presume it was a way to smooth out the irregular body cover plates that don't always meet edge to edge and will show dips and creases in thinner skins when they buckle. Has anyone found a way to reshape these metal underskins, or have a replacement material that will take their place? As best I can tell this underskin is made out of extremely thin (less than a sheet of paper) spring steel, and they are mighty tough to manipulate. I doubt there's any of these available anywhere as OEM parts, and I don't have a source or the tools to build my own copies. The good news is that there isn't anything extra on the backplate, so it's as straight forward as any other body piece to re-cover. The bad news is that these look like they will be tough to get off in one piece, without it crinkling like tissue paper and be impossible to reuse. For those who haven't seen one...  And I also came across a puzzling little rattle, until I opened the film door and found the culprit making the racket. It seems there might be an explanation why some RTS users might get consistent light leaks in the lower-left corner of the frame. One drop of dried and cracked rubber cement, and out pops the light trap flap at the bottom of the film canister compartment.  More of the RTS Demo models are here: testbed.lumiworx.com/#15920151614161 |
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on Jun 13, 2020 20:20:56 GMT
Posted: Jun 13, 2020 20:20:56 GMT
Interesting to note that one of your Demo plates uses a black screw behind the lens mount instead of the gold one. All my Demo models are numbered 0800xx; none has the black screw.
Your observation on the underplate got me checking; I have a few RTS' awaiting Aki Asahi's finest leathers but only one shows those thin steel plates and the cameras are all in original (but delapidated) condition. Do you recall the problem Contax had with their early batches of the RTS which used beautiful, fine-grained pigskin leathers before some wag pointed out that might not be a good thing in certain parts of the world? I wonder if the eventual changes in leathers required a smoothing of the surface to which they attached for some of the production? There appear to be different thicknesses and finishes on some of the original leathers, long before we hit the embarrassment of the dreaded leatherette covers. The part numbers for the leather supporting plates are 131104, 131105. That film-chamber light-baffle does not appear in the late assembly charts for the RTS though the leather supporting plates do.
I have not sought to remove the underplates on those few RTS' that have had them - fortunately, they did not require attention. Had any buckled after removing the leathers, it would have been a nightmare involving epoxy-resin and multiple modelling clamps to reseat them! Good luck! Incidentally, all my RTSIIs have leather supporting plates.
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Group: Administrator
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on Jun 14, 2020 1:57:37 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 14, 2020 1:58:54 GMT by lumiworx
The latest demo model that arrived has serial # 079077, and is the one with the black screw and naked. The one I've had for a few years is # 079794, and although it does have a brass screw at the tripod hole, both the other screws (double duty as winder guide pins) have rubber surrounds on them, and are slightly larger in head size (width) and a tad longer by maybe .25mm overall. I suppose someone may have thought the winders needed less wobbly mounting and snugged up the fit with the rubber booties. Given the 700-ish difference in serials, I don't know if that's a logical leap to make or not.
The other standard RTS (v1) I have is serial # 061254, and it has the rubber grommets, and the extra metal skin section on the one side that still has it's cover. The front of the 'canister side' of the camera is missing everything... no leather cover, and no metal one. Another RTS is a Scientific/Medical 'Fundus' model with serial # 117202, and it has everything - rubber grommets, metal and leather covers.
That just leaves an RTS II, with serial # 176676, and it too has all 3... the rubber bits, and metal and leather skin.
I presumed that if the newest black-screwed demo was actually used as an in-store demonstrator, they would likely have had access to plenty of the same sized screws, and may have simply replaced one that was lost or maybe swapped out by mistake after an in-house repair. I'm not sure if there's any significance to it's color/finish at this point. All I know for certain, is that it is mighty, mighty small, with at most 3 threads, and not easy for aging eyes and fingers to replace without waving a magic wand.
The only one of these that doesn't have the little film compartment light trap flap, is the demo model with the later serial number. It looks like it's molded into the body cavity as only a small 'bump out' above the light seal line. It doesn't protrude as far as the flaps do, but certainly enough to contain a boundry for any light seal strips to rest against.
And... considering the 2 most likely used leathers would be pig or cow, it's probable that someone, somewhere, could have been offended enough to not buy them for religuos reasons, but I don't think the 'no animal skins' activists were organized yet. I do think that was a good part of the rationale to use rubber on the later body models, and bypass both the leather and the flakey coverings issues altogether.
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on Jun 14, 2020 11:14:26 GMT
Posted: Jun 14, 2020 11:14:26 GMT
Hi lumiworx,
Your comment just reminded me of a critical issue with the RTSII when removing the baseplate; that tiny screw behind the lens mount is of a slightly different length to the other two - put the wrong one in and you can end up with a locked shutter!
The difference is tiny but it's critical; I once bought a non-working RTSII (only firing at one speed) for spares and removed the bottom plate; inverted it, used the manual over-ride lever and the shutter fired. After popping in a battery and firing the manual shutter again, the electronic shutter started working again at all speeds...couldn't believe my luck. On replacing the baseplate, it continued to work - it was only some time later when a repair manual arrived that the issue of the screw was made apparent. It may not have been the cause of the problem but it's a useful tip to know. |
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