6x7 with "man parts"

tuco · 10-04-2014, 12:51 PM

It looks like a lever to change the pressure plate on the other side from 120 to 220 film. Why you'd want to do that while the film is loaded I can't say.

hooverfocus · 10-04-2014, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by goodnight

Hope you have fun and it all goes well!

Well, few discoveries were made during the process.

First up, I did manage to get the pressure plate off. Quite a feat given the (non-)tools I had.

And this is what the rear of the pressure plate looked like. Compare to what a normal plate should be like here (from the aforementioned astro topic).

Taking that plastic thing off was hard. Suddenly, I'll retract what I said about the sloppy job.
This step was necessary as I wanted to restore the 120 functionality of the pressure plate. With the mod in place, the added thickness meant it could not be moved back and forth from 120 to 220 (and it was stuck on 220).

I decided to recycle the black thingy in order to close up any holes left by the previous mod. I glued it in place and further sealed it with some gaffer tape. Unfortunately the film type tab that is visible here was no longer in place so I'll have to do without.

Finally, I mounted back the pressure plate. 120 can now be selected normally.

Last thing left to do is finding some leatherette to fix the butchered one that's currently on. I won't be able to fix the film type window thingy (it won't show any number) but I guess I can live with that.
Until the day I stumble upon a back from a parts camera...

goodnight · 10-04-2014, 06:47 PM

Originally posted by hooverfocus

Well, few discoveries were made during the process.

First up, I did manage to get the pressure plate off. Quite a feat given the (non-)tools I had.

And this is what the rear of the pressure plate looked like. Compare to what a normal plate should be like here (from the aforementioned astro topic).

Taking that plastic thing off was hard. Suddenly, I'll retract what I said about the sloppy job.
This step was necessary as I wanted to restore the 120 functionality of the pressure plate. With the mod in place, the added thickness meant it could not be moved back and forth from 120 to 220 (and it was stuck on 220).

I decided to recycle the black thingy in order to close up any holes left by the previous mod. I glued it in place and further sealed it with some gaffer tape. Unfortunately the film type tab that is visible here was no longer in place so I'll have to do without.

Finally, I mounted back the pressure plate. 120 can now be selected normally.

Last thing left to do is finding some leatherette to fix the butchered one that's currently on. I won't be able to fix the film type window thingy (it won't show any number) but I guess I can live with that.
Until the day I stumble upon a back from a parts camera...

Wow! You did a great job, especially with even reusing the plastic part they used in the modification! With this little quest, you've made memories with your camera before even the first picture

desertglow · 10-05-2014, 12:39 AM

Well done!
I would ask for a compensation from the seller, he should have told you about the mod and the "220 only" feature..

hooverfocus · 10-05-2014, 04:46 AM

Originally posted by goodnight

Wow! You did a great job, especially with even reusing the plastic part they used in the modification! With this little quest, you've made memories with your camera before even the first picture

Ain't it true! I usually stress about resell value, but truth be told I haven't sold a single (Pentax) camera that I've bought in the past. I guess I'm a hoarder not an entrepreneur

therefore even with the back in less than perfect conditions, it'll do!

Originally posted by desertglow

Well done!
I would ask for a compensation from the seller, he should have told you about the mod and the "220 only" feature..

I'm inclined to think the guy didn't know what he had in his hands. The explanation he offered wasn't much different from the conjectures we came up with on the forum before stumbling upon that astro photography site. Besides, the camera + lens + two boxes of film, let me tell you it was already well below the fair price mark!

revdocjim · 10-08-2014, 09:23 PM

Old 6x7 bodies are really cheap, especially if they don't need to be functional. The most common type of broken ones are those with broken chains. In that case they can be had for $15-$30. Working ones are often $30-$60 if they are ugly. So I would just keep my eyes open for another one, although I am impressed with your fixit skills. I frequently try to do similar jobs with the wrong tools and almost invariably I end up rendering the camera or lens entirely unfixable!

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10-04-2014, 12:51 PM	#16
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	It looks like a lever to change the pressure plate on the other side from 120 to 220 film. Why you'd want to do that while the film is loaded I can't say.

10-04-2014, 03:05 PM	#17
hooverfocus Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 210 Original Poster	Originally posted by goodnight Hope you have fun and it all goes well! Well, few discoveries were made during the process. First up, I did manage to get the pressure plate off. Quite a feat given the (non-)tools I had. And this is what the rear of the pressure plate looked like. Compare to what a normal plate should be like here (from the aforementioned astro topic). Taking that plastic thing off was hard. Suddenly, I'll retract what I said about the sloppy job. This step was necessary as I wanted to restore the 120 functionality of the pressure plate. With the mod in place, the added thickness meant it could not be moved back and forth from 120 to 220 (and it was stuck on 220). I decided to recycle the black thingy in order to close up any holes left by the previous mod. I glued it in place and further sealed it with some gaffer tape. Unfortunately the film type tab that is visible here was no longer in place so I'll have to do without. Finally, I mounted back the pressure plate. 120 can now be selected normally. Last thing left to do is finding some leatherette to fix the butchered one that's currently on. I won't be able to fix the film type window thingy (it won't show any number) but I guess I can live with that. Until the day I stumble upon a back from a parts camera...

10-04-2014, 06:47 PM	#18
goodnight Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 128	Originally posted by hooverfocus Well, few discoveries were made during the process. First up, I did manage to get the pressure plate off. Quite a feat given the (non-)tools I had. And this is what the rear of the pressure plate looked like. Compare to what a normal plate should be like here (from the aforementioned astro topic). Taking that plastic thing off was hard. Suddenly, I'll retract what I said about the sloppy job. This step was necessary as I wanted to restore the 120 functionality of the pressure plate. With the mod in place, the added thickness meant it could not be moved back and forth from 120 to 220 (and it was stuck on 220). I decided to recycle the black thingy in order to close up any holes left by the previous mod. I glued it in place and further sealed it with some gaffer tape. Unfortunately the film type tab that is visible here was no longer in place so I'll have to do without. Finally, I mounted back the pressure plate. 120 can now be selected normally. Last thing left to do is finding some leatherette to fix the butchered one that's currently on. I won't be able to fix the film type window thingy (it won't show any number) but I guess I can live with that. Until the day I stumble upon a back from a parts camera... Wow! You did a great job, especially with even reusing the plastic part they used in the modification! With this little quest, you've made memories with your camera before even the first picture

10-05-2014, 12:39 AM	#19
desertglow New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 19	Well done! I would ask for a compensation from the seller, he should have told you about the mod and the "220 only" feature..

10-05-2014, 04:46 AM	#20
hooverfocus Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 210 Original Poster	Originally posted by goodnight Wow! You did a great job, especially with even reusing the plastic part they used in the modification! With this little quest, you've made memories with your camera before even the first picture Ain't it true! I usually stress about resell value, but truth be told I haven't sold a single (Pentax) camera that I've bought in the past. I guess I'm a hoarder not an entrepreneur therefore even with the back in less than perfect conditions, it'll do! Originally posted by desertglow Well done! I would ask for a compensation from the seller, he should have told you about the mod and the "220 only" feature.. I'm inclined to think the guy didn't know what he had in his hands. The explanation he offered wasn't much different from the conjectures we came up with on the forum before stumbling upon that astro photography site. Besides, the camera + lens + two boxes of film, let me tell you it was already well below the fair price mark!

10-08-2014, 09:23 PM	#21
revdocjim Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Mt. Akagi, Gunma Prefecture Posts: 374	Old 6x7 bodies are really cheap, especially if they don't need to be functional. The most common type of broken ones are those with broken chains. In that case they can be had for $15-$30. Working ones are often $30-$60 if they are ugly. So I would just keep my eyes open for another one, although I am impressed with your fixit skills. I frequently try to do similar jobs with the wrong tools and almost invariably I end up rendering the camera or lens entirely unfixable!