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03-26-2022, 05:21 AM - 5 Likes   #1
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Cousin Vito had a hard life

I came across a listing on everyone's favorite American charity site for cameras.
It was for a Brownie Hawkeye, a Voigtlander Vito, a rangefinder, and a self timer...
I bid more than I should have, but I won it...
So here's the Vito...



It appears to be an early post-war model. It doesn't have the flip-out filter, but it does have the original uncoated Skopar.
It's small... a lot like a Retinette (which makes sense considering where it was made).
I was excited that it came in a Compur Rapid shutter. They seem to work pretty well for me, and I like having 1/500 on my rangefinders.
But this one... it apparently had a bad thing happen at some point in its life.



You can see the ring is pulled away somewhat from the rest of the shutter body.
I'd like to fix it, but I'm unsure how to get the whole thing off.
I suspect it's the little ring on the inside of the camera, but I haven't yet worked out a way to get my lens spanners in there as the 35mm frame rails get in the way (curse you, rectangular film formats).
I suspect I'll need a different trick.
Alas, IANIG (I am not IsmaelG), so if anyone has any hints, I'd appreciate them.
In the meantime, here is the dirty cousin Vito with his friend Hawkeye... (which I did clean up a bit)



-Eric

03-26-2022, 12:05 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by TwoUptons Quote
Alas, IANIG (I am not IsmaelG)
Ehhhhhh, I don't think I deserve such a good reputation...

That is a beautiful camera.
I found this online. Maybe it can help in the disassembly:
Product Details | Compur Rapid Shutter Repair Manual | Leaf Shutters | Service Manuals | Learn Camera Repair

Thanks,
Ismael
03-26-2022, 02:08 PM   #3
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That's a good start, thank you. Now I just have to get it off the front of the camera
I'm really looking forward to shooting with it. I hope I can get there.

As for reputation, I think the rescues speak for themselves...

And wow, I compared the Brownie Hawkeye to the one I already had, and they are very different.
This one is much older, with metal knobs and no flash sync.
And now the one I've had for decades is jealous that its older cousin is so much cleaner...

-Eric
03-26-2022, 04:34 PM   #4
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Hello,

According to my McKeown book there are 3 Brownie Hawkeye models:
Brownie Hawkeye: 1949-1951
Brownie Hawkeye Flash: 1950-1961 which was also made in France as "Brownie Flash" (not Hawkeye)
The Hawkeye Flash model is the most common of the 3 variations.

Thanks,
Ismael

03-26-2022, 06:25 PM   #5
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OK, I got the lens/shutter assembly off the camera.
I'll note the Vito has a catastrophe of mechanics to make the shutter fire. A spring-loaded bar (not a button) presses on like three other things to change the direction of the force needed to trip the shutter release... and it all has to fold up... that's going to be a nightmare to sort...

There are a few shims on either side of the mounting plate, which seems a bit weird, but OK.

When I got the shutter off, it was pretty obvious the shutter actuation lever was inside the shutter frame (which is never good). Since the shutter dial was badly bent, I was able to poke inside with a tiny screwdriver and pull it out the way it is meant to look. That's good. When I did that, the shutter fired and unjammed itself. That's even better... in the photo below, you can see how the end of the lever is chewed up, I suspect from a folding-up accident...

Now I have a shutter with all of its speeds... except that 1 s is between 4-10 s, and you don't get to 1 s until between 1/5 and 1/10... OK, that's less good...
It needs to come apart, if for no other reason than to clean it a bit and bend that ring back into shape.

So how do you take apart a Compur-Rapid from probably 1946?



Google says you undo the screws under the Kodak nameplate... oh, wait... not a Kodak
No, you undo the three tiny screws around the front element... which also are not here...
Oh, no, you use a "friction instrument" on the front of the lens... OK, tried using a rubber stopper tool on the lens nameplate... no joy

I'm half-tempted to take a pair of channel locks to the focusing ring (OK, not really...)

In every case I've found online, getting the front element off (or the nameplate for the Kodaks) means access to screw-like things that unhook everything else, but I can't find anything like that here.
The only thing is a tiny little rectangular hole in the side of the plastic on the focusing barrel (barely visible here where 5.6 is marked), but that doesn't seem like anything connected to getting that off...

Any ideas?

-Eric
03-27-2022, 01:38 PM   #6
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Beautiful little camera. Looks like you are slowly overcoming the challenges. Maybe you should lightly tap around the edges and see if you can crack it open like a two minute egg. 😃
09-27-2022, 12:03 PM   #7
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COmpurs are easy to maintain, look in LearnCameraRepair for a service manual for rim-set Compur

The one in the Vito II like yours is very easy to clean, it just needs som electrical contact cleaner and a micro drop of watch oil in the low-speed escapement

Mine is the next gen of yours and came with a Prontor


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