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07-28-2019, 09:37 AM - 3 Likes   #1
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Will try to revive a beaten K1000 *RESULTS ARE IN*

Hello,

Over a year ago, a co-worker gave me this non working beaten up K1000 he was about to throw away. I go to Eric for all my serious repairs and CLAs but I like to play and tinker with old cameras so this would be a good exercise.

The leatherette was hanging by a thread and came off just by checking the camera.


Poor thing has definitely seen better days


Yikes!


The lens has fungus, dust, dirt and everything you can imagine that doesn't belong. But the aperture blades seem to work. I'll try to save it later, but I'll concentrate on the camera first.



The mirror is stuck up


So I found the issue with the mirror:
The mirror return gear is not completing the full travel, so the pin in it doesn't push the mirror catch level far enough to release the mirror tensioning lever. If I manually push the catch lever it releases and works. I'll start by lightly dusting off and lubricating with machine oil. Any other suggestion?
(I can always use the camera without the bottom cover and manually push the lever after every shot... )





By the way, the shutter speeds sound about right and the curtains seem to work properly.
Question: The curtains are some sort of cloth: correct? It seems to have some fungus in it. I think bleach will ruin it. How can I clean it? Will white vinegar work?
If I can fix this to a point where I can shoot at least half a roll, it will be a major accomplishment

Thanks,


Last edited by ismaelg; 09-03-2019 at 05:40 PM.
07-28-2019, 10:38 AM   #2
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I would have to been there and done that to answer any of those questions. And it kind of looks like you'll need another K1000 for parts. But the restoration looks like an ambitious project and I hope you get it fixed.
07-28-2019, 03:06 PM - 3 Likes   #3
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Conversation with myself:

-Do you still think this is a good idea?
-Sure! What can possibly go wrong?



Thanks,
07-28-2019, 03:20 PM - 3 Likes   #4
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You’ve seen this I trust

07-28-2019, 03:22 PM - 2 Likes   #5
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Yup! That picture has been my inspiration for a long time!

Last edited by ismaelg; 10-20-2019 at 08:14 AM.
07-28-2019, 04:03 PM - 1 Like   #6
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I see a lot of passion in this thread.
07-28-2019, 04:30 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Oil of Cloves can be sprayed or wiped onto fungus and it dissolves it quickly. Obtainable from your local drug store. Dabbing the curtain with a cloth moistened with this may solve that problem. I can't say it won't damage the curtain so that is a risk. Anyway, that looks to be a Japan made K1000 so you have something worth fixing and good luck with your learning project. Camera fixing is a real challenge and one I often fail to meet.

07-28-2019, 07:26 PM - 3 Likes   #8
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Hello,

Last update for now. Too bad I need to go back to work tomorrow
Did not take pictures of the process because it was nerve wracking and required my total concentration: But I took the prism out!
It was very dirty. This camera is very corroded inside. The prism frame was completely corroded. My guess is that this camera may have been close to the beach for a long time and stored in hot humid conditions.
Anyways, the prism was cleaned. There is some de-silvering but there is nothing to do about that. I wish I had taken a picture before. The viewfinder was very dirty and dim.
The focusing screen and the viewfinder lens were also carefully cleaned.
Getting the prism back in place was quite a challenge. The retaining springs really put up a fight!

Here is a picture from my cell phone looking into the viewfinder:

Very clean now! You can see the de-slivering at the bottom but it is not that bad. You can get it almost out of the way by shifting the angle around.

See that clock on the wall?


It can now be seen from the mirror thru the prism thru the viewfinder!


I think this camera may get to be somewhat functional after all despite looking very tired.
It will be like a rat rod in the automotive world

By the way, Can you tell I'm having fun with this?

Thanks,
07-28-2019, 11:19 PM   #9
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Go for it, I have taken on a few like this and even though none of them got to the working stage I had fun and learnt a lot.
07-29-2019, 06:02 AM   #10
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This is a great service manual for the K1000: http://pentax-manuals.com/markroberts/k1000_man.pdf
08-01-2019, 06:06 PM - 4 Likes   #11
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Hello,

Thanks longbow! That is a great manual.
I cleaned and lubed the mirror return gear without any disassembly. I also tried to crimp the mirror catch lever a little bit but it is quite hard. It is starting to work. I'm confident it will get better with use.

So I turned to the baseplate.



Will you believe me it took me 2 DAYS to take the battery cover out? It was frozen stuck! I tried first with a coin, then a heavy washer, then the spanner, then some pointy tweezers. Nothing! WD40: Nothing! More WD40 on both sides and let it sit overnight. Nothing! I finally used two heavy duty steel tacks pushed into the holes and with some heavy pliers and an attitude it finally came free!


The base plate was carefully cleaned inside and out.
This is how it looks now: Not perfect but a million times better!


Thanks,
08-02-2019, 05:40 PM - 2 Likes   #12
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Hello!

I turned my attention towards the top cover. It was quite ugly and looked like it was pitted. So I started cleaning it and noticed it was really bad in the rewind knob side. In the search for perfection I may have gotten a little way too overly excited with the metal polish and got down to the brass. DUH! We are all allowed a stupid moment every once in a while.


You can see at the lower front I stopped before getting down to the brass but there is still some minor pitting.


However, the other side, the prism housing and the hot shoe cleaned up beautifully!










While it looks way better now, I'm a little sad I inflicted some damage, although only cosmetic.

Thanks,
08-02-2019, 07:10 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
While it looks way better now, I'm a little sad I inflicted some damage, although only cosmetic.
Hi,

I am enjoying your progress reports!

The camera was in pretty rough shape to begin with, and it's coming along nicely, step by step.

I recently restored a K1000 that also had several areas of pitting on the top cover -- not much can be done to restore the surface back to its original lustre. Don't feel too bad about the unintentional 'brassing' -- it should be less apparent when the camera is reassembled.

- Craig
08-03-2019, 03:54 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
-Do you still think this is a good idea?
of course!!

QuoteOriginally posted by ismaelg Quote
-Sure! What can possibly go wrong?
nothing will go wrong it will be rebuilt better than new!
08-03-2019, 06:23 PM - 3 Likes   #15
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Hello,

Turned my attention to the film chamber. I tried to clean as much as possible with brushes and swabs. I covered the shutter with masking tape before attacking the corroded guide bars with a wire wheel in the Dremel. There is some pitting in the bars. Nothing I can do for that. I carefully cleaned the curtain with 91% alcohol but no major improvements.



I removed some rust spots from the back door with the same wire wheel. I will eventually paint with black enamel to protect the metal.



Thanks,

Last edited by ismaelg; 08-04-2019 at 10:45 AM.
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