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12-20-2018, 11:16 AM   #1
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MX with viewfinder balsam separation

Hi, the seller of the MX says there is "balsam separation" in the viewfinder but it does not affect the function of the viewfinder. There is not a good picture of the vf available.

I really the overall condition of MX but this separation has me concerned. I wonder ow difficult it may be to fix the vf?

Cheers,

Andy

12-20-2018, 11:39 AM   #2
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Hi ! The MX viefinder eyepiece has one bonded two-element lens group. it's possible to fix it but it's tricky. See part O-L4 on the attached image.

You will need to heat it very gently until the balsam starts to melt, then absolutely clean both elements with a solvent. Alcohol works.
You can glue them again using natural balsam or a modern acrylic optical cement.
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12-20-2018, 12:22 PM   #3
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Is it possible that the "balsam separation" is actually a desilvered prism?


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12-20-2018, 01:03 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Is it possible that the "balsam separation" is actually a desilvered prism?


Steve

I tried to add this information, but by some reason I couldn't post it.

I was thinking the same thing. But the desilvering is visible as streaks or stains, very clear.
The balsam separation will look like a foggy, fuzzed image

12-20-2018, 01:05 PM   #5
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Thank you for the quick replies, much appreciated. This is the only pic of the vf that I could get



---------- Post added 12-20-18 at 14:11 ----------

.. would the easiest solution perhaps be to replace the whole vf assembly? The number of tiny parts in AntonioS' illustration is rather overwhelming..
12-20-2018, 02:12 PM   #6
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unless you're adept at these things, you're probably better off checking with a repair person to see if they have the parts to replace. That does look like glass separating, but you're taking a gamble that it is repairable, by yourself or by a professional. Given that the price of MXs are not all that high, I'd find one that doesn't have something significant wrong with it.
12-20-2018, 04:01 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Walk away. Find an MX which doesn't need surgery which may cost you the same as a working camera.

12-20-2018, 04:54 PM   #8
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You're of course right to advise me to leave it alone. But I am under a heavy GAS attack as the camera is black and like new in every other way, the quality of the paint is just breathtaking. I got an estimate from Eric on the repair and can live with that cost.. this black MX will replace a more beat up MX as the new companion to my perfect LX.. it's an addiction...
12-20-2018, 10:54 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by pschlute Quote
Walk away. Find an MX which doesn't need surgery which may cost you the same as a working camera.
This.

The going price for a clean MX in the US is not much more than the price of a CLA (and that’s not even considering the cost of a fiddly repair like re-glueing VF optics.

Walk away.

---------- Post added 12-21-2018 at 04:56 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by akptc Quote
You're of course right to advise me to leave it alone. But I am under a heavy GAS attack as the camera is black and like new in every other way, the quality of the paint is just breathtaking. I got an estimate from Eric on the repair and can live with that cost.. this black MX will replace a more beat up MX as the new companion to my perfect LX.. it's an addiction...
Lol fair enough... I can hardly comment, my black MX was also mint looking, and had doubled in cost by the time Eric was done with it. Probably my favourite SLR nowadays
12-21-2018, 06:57 AM   #10
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Any theories why this particular model is manifesting "balsam separation" when others of presumably the same vintage apparently don't? Overheating? Prolonged exposure to sunlight? Condensation?
12-21-2018, 07:28 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by dsmithhfx Quote
Any theories why this particular model is manifesting "balsam separation" when others of presumably the same vintage apparently don't? Overheating? Prolonged exposure to sunlight? Condensation?
Person gluing the elements forgot to clean the brush? Bottom of the bottle of balsam and didn't apply enough? The Moon was in the Seventh House, Jupiter aligned with Mars and a butterfly in Costa Rica fluttered its wings three times in an ascending ant-clockwise spiral at the moment the lenses were bonded?

Murphy's Law? Somethings gonna fail sometime.
12-21-2018, 08:18 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
Person gluing the elements forgot to clean the brush? Bottom of the bottle of balsam and didn't apply enough? The Moon was in the Seventh House, Jupiter aligned with Mars and a butterfly in Costa Rica fluttered its wings three times in an ascending ant-clockwise spiral at the moment the lenses were bonded?

Murphy's Law? Somethings gonna fail sometime.
Yeah probably. Just wondering if it could be a symptom of other things lurking beneath the immaculate black finish. I suppose if he's sending it to Eric, he will soon find out.
12-21-2018, 10:48 AM   #13
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I theorize that the camera was a shelf queen with good exposure to direct sunlight...
12-22-2018, 05:52 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by dsmithhfx Quote
Any theories why this particular model is manifesting "balsam separation" when others of presumably the same vintage apparently don't? Overheating? Prolonged exposure to sunlight? Condensation?

Impossible to know...

But natual balsam tends to this sooner or later.
New acrylic cements aren't prone to this

Last edited by AntonioS; 12-22-2018 at 06:02 PM. Reason: adding more info
12-23-2018, 09:11 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by dsmithhfx Quote
Any theories why this particular model is manifesting "balsam separation" when others of presumably the same vintage apparently don't? Overheating? Prolonged exposure to sunlight? Condensation?
Looks to me like the viewfinder glass has a horizontal crack.That would probably lead to degradation of the glass elements.Just my 2 cents.
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