Picked this up at Goodwill for $4, and figured if it cleaned up, I would try to get it to working again.
Kalimar A Cover Coating by
br1078phot, on Flickr
I already had cleaned the one side, and since it went so easy, the rest of the work was a go. Besides the stuff on the pleather, the focus was frozen, the viewfinder was a bit hazy, and the shutter would only work when it felt like it. Not a matter of the mechanicals in the shutter malfunctioning, but the release button would not always work. I figured it was a probably some catch pawl not being in proper working order, and that turned out to be the case. It is a simple enough of a camera, but to get to the root of the problem, it had to be torn down almost completely. You see, the front plate overlaps the top cover, and so the lens and shutter had to come off to get to the film transport/shutter cocking area. Besides, after giving the lens the old Ronsonal dip and a blow dry, I needed to take it apart anyway to clean all the gunk off the shutter and aperture blades. Full details are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157628351914983/It sure looked good after I got done with it.
Kalimar A Repaired by
br1078phot, on Flickr
But the truth is in the pudding as they say, so I loaded a roll of CVS-200 in it, and headed out for some testing. First stop was the Roanoke River Greenway in Salem, VA. Second stop was old Salem itself. The camera was a bit shaky on the shutter release, as it still acted like it was hanging up every once in a while. The extra force used to trip the shutter then would torque the camera, and you know what that looks like. But when it worked right, it was as smooth as silk, with just a little 'shnick' to let you know it was functioning. The other problem is the focus plane is off. That may have happened when I reassembled the camera. There are three screws that hold the front plate and lens assembly base to the camera, and on top of the posts they go into are little brass bushings, machined to give a flat surface to attach the front plate to. One of these had broken loose, and the glue I used to remount it (Weldbond) may be too thick. Thus, I would have to remove the Weldbond, and use something more liquid, like CA. But this means another total teardown of the camera, and it's not all that important to me. But it was fun to work on, and here are some samples from the test shoot:
Flood Debris by
br1078phot, on Flickr
This is the first shot taken after the repairs, full frame and no adjustments. Shutter speed is good, as the exposure is spot on (1/200 @ f16). There is vignetting in the corners though, and I'm not liking the OOF on the left side. Focus was set at 20 feet, and the right side looks good.
Taken along the Roanoke River Greenway in Salem, VA. It had rained for two days, and the river of course goes where it wants to. The greenway exists because the Army Corps of Engineers cut shelves into the riverbank to increase the stream capacity, and thus reduce flooding in the area. Works pretty good too, as the greenway is the only thing affected, instead of the homes along the river.
Muddy Tracks by
br1078phot, on Flickr
An early morning walker left their impressions behind.
Iron Fenced Mansion by
br1078phot, on Flickr
Up in the older part of Salem now. This is one of the more picturesque houses in town, and I really like the iron fence and gate. The shadows of the trees across the street kind of lend a sense of impending doom, as they creep their way across the road.
This is the only photo I did any correction to, as the sun was reflecting off the house at just about the right angle, so it was too bright. Could have used another stop of aperture, but the lens only goes to f:16.
See all the test shots, and their explanations at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157628352668803/It's a neat little camera, and I'm glad I only paid $4 for it. But it's just going to be a shelf rider for now. Maybe someday when I'm bored out of my skull I'll open it back up and give it another go.
PF
