Kiev, and the Contax cameras they were patterned after, were great cameras.  Overengineered to give a certain amount of precision that you and your mum would love.  But the complex mechanism, so full of parts and movements, made it prone for more opportunities for failure.  For instance, the shutter.  The metal focal plane shutter used in Kiev had some distinct advantages over the Leica style double cloth type.  It will never burn pinholes.  It will likely to keep its timing better too.  But it had a serious weak point- the shutter run on fibre straps.  Brass slats running, pressing, and bearing on silk ribbons would soon wear the latter out, causing it to break.  Breakage is inevitable- wear, age, and even the climate will eventually kill the ribbons.  And often this breakage happens without warning.  The ribbons aren’t visible, so their state cannot be assessed easily.

It happens quickly too.  One moment the shutter winds and fires ok.  Then suddenly, the winding knob will turn heavier than it did just a few shots ago.  The shutter will fire with a different sound.  The ‘click’ no longer sounds complete- the closing sound that completes the cycle seems to be missing.  All indicators of shutter breakage.  And when you take off the camera’s back, this is what you’ll see- an empty gaping hole where the shutter once was:

The shutter can be wound. But instead of seeing an opening and closing blind, only one set seems to be moving.  Or none at all if the two ribbons broke.

Taking off the shutter cover/film gate plate will reveal what happened.  Expect to find one ribbon- usually the one on the right (next to the large gears), and its break approximately 1 – 3mm from its stitched end.  Sometimes two ribbons break.  Same place too.

In this camera, the two ribbons snapped.  The original material used by the factory – “Арсенал” in the Ukraine- was woven acetate. The two main concerns in ribbon replacement are, 1- the mechanical aspects of repair; and 2- getting the suitable material to replace the broken ribbons.  The latter involves using substitutes such as tailoring or ornamental ribbons, or camera straps from camera repair suppliers.  Many people have reported success with ordinary acetate ribbons.  However, getting one in the right width (3mm) and thickness is not easy.  The wrong size- such as being slightly over 3mm or thicker than what the shutter eyelets can let pass – can result in shutter failure.

The repair can be done without removing anything more than the shutter cover/film gate.  This camera was taken apart more extensively to allow other repairs like Rangefinder calibration.  In Kiev and Contax, the entire shutter assembly has to be removed for simple rangefinder adjustments like vertical or horizontal/infinity alignment.

Closer examination shows that the Ribbons in this shutter failed because of age and wear.

Note and memorise the positions of the original ribbons- where they were attached, and how.  Measure the distance between the folded ends attached to the spring loaded roller at the bottom and the upper shutter blind.  With broken ribbons, this might not be possible.   This is about 11 cms long.

The ribbon material chosen for this repair is a Japanese made material sourced from a camera repair supplier.  It is made of real habutae silk. Not acetate or rayon since the fibres don’t melt and fuse when put to a flame.  It is exactly 3mm wide, just what Kiev or Contax needs.  Real silk is smooth and strong, so it has the strength needed to withstand the shutter’s strain for some years. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibres.  It’s thinner though, but the eyelets on the shutter blinds which ride on the ribbons can be crimped a bit for the grip.

I have read somewhere that the ribbons used by Zeiss for the Contax was made in Japan.  This was before WWII.  The ribbon shown in the picture is described to be suitable for Contax shutters too.  So I added one to the other and tried to see if the ribbon would work. It did.  In my initial test, I actually fired the shutter 200 times.  At around 800, there was no frilling or any signs of deterioration, even when observed at 5X magnification.  Rick Oleson suggested  to me to test a possible material for suitability by firing (the shutter it’s on) at least a hundred times.  This one went through 800 cycles without showing any changes.  Two years later, the Kiev I put it in still works.

(I also used a locally sourced acetate ribbon for some of the Kiev shutters.  This also worked.  But it’s harder to insert it into the numerous shutter parts it has to snake through.  I’m also down to my last 2 metres and I can no longer find the same thing in the tailoring suppliers.)

Cut the ribbon to suitable length.   11 cm is the distance between the shutter blind and the roller, and a bit of extra length is needed for the folded ends.   I cut a small strip of card to serve as the measuring template.  This makes the cutting of this precious material efficient with minimal or no loss.

After cutting, the 10,8 span is marked.  Folds are made on these positions.

The ends of the ribbon strips should be treated with a dopey material like nailpolish or cyanoacrylate glue to seal the ends and make them stiffer for insertion.  The end which will be used for insertion should be tapered a bit.

Once the dope sets, trim to taper one end.  Then bend on the marks.  The folds should be 10.8 – 11 cms apart.  The folds will hook on the roller and the spring blinds at their respective ends.

Insert the ribbons through the rollers, then through the eyelets of the lower shutter blind, and pull out end for attachment to the upper shutter blind.  Make sure that both ribbons have the same length between the roller and the upper shutter blind.

The ribbons need to be glued, and then sewn to keep them in place. Use a figure-8 stitch for all four ends.

Turn the lower roller to reel in the lower shutter curtain and the newly attached ribbons.  The ribbons will wrap around the lower shutter blind.  Use the tensioning screw to turn the lower roller.

Once reeled in, begin tensioning the shutter.  Tensioning is going to be very very fiddly.  The location of the tensioning screw, its size, and the procedure needed can be taxing to your patience and sanity.   On top of that, the camera must be on its side, where there is nothing to keep it in that position.   The tensioning screw is held in place by a locking plate, which in turn is locked by a smaller setscrew.

Once you are able to pass through the hurdle of tensioning the shutter spring properly, you should be able to cock and fire the shutter.   There are actually a lot of parts involved- such as the synch switch actuating lever found on the lower left side (this can detain the lower shutter blind from going up), the catches and the long spring on the lower blind, the curtain separating ramps on the upper part of the film gate, and the large retaining hook on top.

The ribbon should look tight and should pull the lower curtain evenly.  The lower curtain shouldn’t just fall down when the shutter is fired. Instead it should glide on the ribbon downwards.  If it falls too quickly, the eyelets which hold on the ribbons are too loose and need to be crimped a bit.

There is actually more work involved in making the Kiev shutter work properly after the new ribbons are installed.  A lot of procedures in disassembly and reassembly, as well as accessing camera parts have been omitted here.  Such are not discussed in this article.  Refer to the links given above for more information.

I suspected broken ribbons.  It could however be something else, so the camera had to be stripped to see what really happened..  Getting the Canon P out of its shell was surprisingly easy

Removing the four main screws on the outer shell, the selftimer lever assembly, the lens mount, and a couple more screws under it, will take the shell off.

One of the ribbons which pulled the second blind home had snapped.

Titanium foil was used by Canon for their model “P” and “7″ RFs, in place of the usual rubber-coated cloth.  The titanium foil can wrinkle from fatigue.  Or in this case, stress from being stuck and then being pulled out to be mended.

The top of the camera is very complicated.  This scary looking part has the shutter speed controls, the wind/rewind clutch, frame counter, shutter release, and film advance/transport.

And this is the part which gives the floating framelines.  It’s semi-silvered inside.

The broken ribbon was replaced with a new one.  The intact upper ribbon was unglued so that a new one can be patterned after it.  The shutter was no longer disassembled.  The ribbons were threaded through the rollers, attached to the lath, and the other end reglued to the outer roller. Stitched in red:

Under the camera is the complicated Canon RF flash sync circuit.  Disassembly not recommended!

It cost about the same, perhaps even more, than the usual, working similar FED model from a later time.  At that cost, those FED even come with a lens.  This one doesn’t even have its lens mount.  Missing just about every exterior fastening screw, and without its pressure plate and pressure plate springs.

This FED has a 5-digit serial number which puts its production year to 1937.  Marked NKVD (НКВД), “Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs” the KGB’s predecessor in Stalin’s time.  This does not mean that the camera was  made for the Secret Police.  It only meant that the camera was made by a factory which was managed by the NKVD.  “FED” after all stood for F E Dzerzhinskij, the founder of the NKVD.

The shutter crate bottom is bent and distorted.  The crate isn’t a single cast part, like in later cameras.  In this one, it’s made of several stamped plates joined together.  The crate looks to have been hand stamped and assembled.

At least the parts involved in the shutter and range-finding operations seem to be complete.  Dirty, but intact.  No broken gear teeth.  Gear trains still meshed.

And despite its damage, the viewfinder is very bright and contrasty.  The rangefinder window is also clear, with a very clear patch showing a snappy moving image.  Better than what I’ve seen in better graded old Leicas!.   The Soviets must have used a different, more corrosion-resistant reflective coating on their RF beam-splitters.

The shutter blinds, made of highly perishable cloth and rubber are totally gone.  The fabric tapes which pulled the blinds to and fro appear to still be doing their work.  In fact the long tapes ( looped on brown coloured brass roller on the right) can be seen still tight, reeling in what remains of the long shutter blind.    The shutter blinds and tapes (ribbons) can be easily replaced.

The Rangefinder Coupling “sensor” (the silver coloured part at the top part of the shutter crate) is oblong shaped, not the small tear-dropped shape found in later FED-1 cameras.  Some references say that cameras of this type should have the tear drop-shaped focus follower.  This one still has the oblong version of the first type.

Somewhere on the shutter crate (in the part next to the film cassette) is engraved “II/11/XII” and “5.42″.  Both sets of figures appear to correspond to date marks.  “5.42″, i.e, May 1942 may refer to a later servicing date since the camera’s serial number dates it from 1937.  Russian date notations use a mixture of hindu-arabic and roman numerals:  roman for months and hindu-arabic for month and year.  The usual order is day-month-year; so 28 October 2009 would be inscribed as “28/X/09″.  “II/11/XII does not seem to refer to a proper date.  Is “II” the second year of manufacture?  11/XII may refer to December 11.  But again, the serial number of this camera, starting with “31″ puts it at an earlier date in 1937 since the number range covered by that year goes to “53xxx”.

Restoration will be done soon.  The works can be cleaned, and the shutter blinds replaced and new fastening screws attached.  However, this FED won’t be functional until it gets a pressure plate and a lens mount.   Something with a standard Leica flange would be great to have, and have this camera calibrated to the correct Leica Standard.   This FED originally had a non-standard lens mount and lens working distance.  Only the original lens which the factory issued with the camera would properly work.   Having neither lens or lens mount means more flexibility in restoring this camera.

1. The Dead Leica As It Came. Nekkid, no covering whatsoever. The winding knob, counter disc, and shutter dial were removed in preparation for further dissection.

2. The Shutter is gone.  What remained of it were bits of fossilised rubberised cloth. 

It appeared to be suffering from a Very Serious Shutter Problem. Wait, IT IS A SERIOUS SHUTTER PROBLEM!  The shutter blinds and tapes were not the only problems. The lower pulley of the Shutter Drum broke off the shaft. And the Shutter was not its only problem. Its RF mirror was totally clear. Nothing can be seen moving in the viewfinder.

Rust, dirt and old dried grease everywhere. These had to be removed with solvent (I used lighter fluid and petrol for the really tough detritus).  Some parts had to be removed and soaked in petrol.  When clean, the parts were relubed.  Fine oil on the fast-moving small parts, heavier oil on the larger parts, and automotive grease on the slow moving gears like those found in the advance knob.

3. Near-total assembly was required. So many parts…

…and there’s still lots and lots left in their original stations in the camera assembly.

4. Shutter Repair. A (n old) shutter drum was taken from a scrapped IIIc. Good thing that it fit. The shutter curtain and ribbons are totally home-made DIY. That includes the new fabricated metal laths. All made here.Ends are sewn, not just glued. The same I use for FED and Zorki shutter replacements.

5. The new shutter cloth and ribbons are attached to their respective rollers and pulleys.  The detached part in front is the slow speed mechanism.  It was removed to facilitate the installation of the rollers.

Long curtain and tapes attached to the main drum and pulleys.  Short (”first” or “opening”) curtain and closing tapes still to be glued to their respective spring rollers.

All blinds and tapes attached to their respective drum, pulleys, and rollers. The thin rollers on the right are spring-loaded and power the shutter.  The blinds and tapes appear loose because the rollers haven’t been tensioned yet.

Rollers tensioned.  The mechanism in front is the slow-speed train.  This gives the 1/15…1 sec “slow” range.  It had been removed to allow proper curtain installation, as well as proper engagement of the slow train’s gears with the second (closing curtain).

6. The slow speed mechanism is put back in the crate. The rollers are lightly tensioned to see if the newly installed curtains  can reel smoothly. 

Then the crate is reattached to the top plate.  Reattaching the shutter assembly to the top crate is really difficult.  There are about 5 or so pins which need to be aligned by ‘touch’ alone.  No way to see or poke them to position.  You’d wonder how they ever put the whole thing in the factory so easily.

Then comes the other parts of the slow speed mechanism.  This is one of the most complicated engagements in the camera.  No wonder it (the slow speeds) are among the most common ailments of old Leicas.  The protruding black rod on the right over the main shutter drum acts as the linkage between the lower mechanism and the controls at the top.  On the ‘top’ of the main drum (bottom in the picture) can be seen a silver disc.  This is the main shutter speed control disc.

7. The cover plate, which holds the lens mount and the slow speed dial are restored.  Within, the baffle plates – the metal pieces covering the shutter rollers to prevent light from breaching the shutter blinds- are restored.

The optical components of the range and view finders are covered with tape to protect them from dirt and physical damage.

8. The new shutter seen from the back (focal plane side). The rails where the film is pressed against is exactly 28.8mm from the lens mount flange surface.

Flash PC contact and accessory shoe added. The eyepiece cover is still out.

More parts added: The VF and RF bezels, etc.  At this point, the shutter is tensioned as well to see if the blinds are able to traverse properly and smoothly.

10. The top plate, the shutter dial, shutter release, advance/rewind switch, accessory shoe wind knob, and frame counter were next to be installed.  At this time, the shutter is tensioned according to official specs.  It is also tested (degree dependent on available testing tools) for ‘accuracy’.  I am able to use only CRT screen testing and play it by ear.  Not too scientific and accuracy is suspect.  But eventual exposures reveal that the calibrations are close enough to produce satisfactory exposures….but the camera is still naked!  (In this set, the bezels were removed again…I forget now why I did that)

… The next step is to recover the body shell.  Ordinary vinyl leatherette is used here, the black material the naked camera is sitting on.  Cheap and available from upholsterers.  The right texture and thickness must be used.  Black is the original colour, but you can always recover with whaterver colour you desire.

11.Making a template for the new covering using masking tape.

The tape template is then stripped and used to make a pattern on leatherette. The leatherette used cost about Php 60.00 (for a 1 metreX1,5 metre piece- enough to cover many, many, many cameras) from a local upholsterer’s supply shop. Note the rusty scalpel blade. Actual cost of vinyl leatherette for this camera, maybe Php 2.00 (that’s 5 US cents!)

12. Installing the new leatherette covering. Fine cutting required for proper fit.

13. A close-up of the finished product, with the lens mount. The lens mount flange surface should exactly be 28,8mm (a variation of only 0.02mm is allowed!) from the surface of the focal plane (that’s behind the shutter curtain).  Any deviation will affect the focusing accuracy. From this view, the shutter curtain looks like the real thing- complete with the sewn laths.

14. Back from the Dead. With an American-made copy of the “Industar-22″ (Wollensak Velostigmat Tessar type for Leica) (!)… A lot of effort went into replacing the RF mirror and recalibrating the RF. The shutter speeds were hard to calibrate as well, 1/1000 setting was difficult to set; the adjusting screw cam on that curved thingie near the shutter speed regulator disc was hard to turn. The flash sync is OK at 1/25, synchro dial at 0. But this Leica is supposed to synch at 1/50 (sd at 20) as well, but won’t.

1. Do not force anything.  Despite their price or appearance, any FED or Zorki is a true precision machine that requires careful and proper handling.

2. Do not remove the lens unless necessary.  Most FED and Zorki are Leica type RFs whose lens can be removed.  Some exceptions are found though, like the Zorki 10/11 or the FED Boy, Atlas, or 50.

The instruction manuals for the older FED do not even recommend lens removal, adding a warning that doing so can damage the camera’s rf cam:

If the lens has to be removed, MAKE SURE THAT ITS SET TO 1 METRE.  Do the same when mounting it back.  The cam at the rear of the lens retracts at 1 metre, making the mount clear of any obstruction.

The camera RF cam (the sloped part shown in the picture) has to be at a specific angle.  If this moves, the RF’s focusing accuracy is compromised.  It will no longer focus accurately at close distances.

FED and Zorki rangefinders are adjusted for both infinity and close distances separately.

3. All FED and Zorki Leica types have rotating shutter dials.  Keep fingers or other objects off the dial when firing the shutter. At best, this will cause erratic exposures. At worst, it can make the shutter hang.

4. The speeds on the shutters on these camera are set by lifting and shifting the dials.  Lift first, then set turning the dial.
THIS MUST BE DONE ONLY WHEN THE SHUTTER IS COCKED.

Rotating dials can only be set when the shutter is cocked.  With some models, this would not permit correct shutter speed setting.   On models with SLOW SHUTTER SPEEDS (ZORKI 3, 4, and 4K; FED 3, 4, and 5), turning the shutter dial without cocking WILL DESTROY THE MECHANISM.

Some models do allow changing speeds before or after cocking.  These are models without slow speeds.  Their shutter dials are of the the “double dial” type- an outer dial which can be set, and an inner dial which does not move, and marked with an index arrow. FED-2 (on some versions only), Zorki-5, Zorki-6 and Zenit 3/3M/E/EM/B have this type of dials.

Single and Double speed dials found on two variants of the FED-2.  This dual-dial design was also used by Zorki-5 and -6, Zenit -E, -B, -3, and -3M.

BUT ITS BETTER TO ERR ON THE SAFE SIDE.  ALWAYS COCK BEFORE CHANGING SPEEDS.

5. On some models, do not shift or turn the dial between B and 1/500.  On cameras with slow speeds. the dial turns two ways- one towards 30 and another towards B.  Try to feel where the dial’s movement stops, and do not force it beyond that.

6.  With bottom loading cameras (FED-1, Zorki-1/S/2/2S/5), the film leader must be trimmed properly.  The modern short tongues of today’s films must be recut.  Not a difficult thing to do, but the cut must be correct- tongue is 10- 11cm long, gently tapering, and no cuts between perforations:

There is ONLY ONE WAY TO LOAD A BOTTOM LOADING CAMERA- THE CORRECT WAY:

Some have suggested tricks like inserting cards in the film channel.  THIS IS A STUPID WAY TO LOAD THE CAMERA.  It can damage the mechanism, scratch the pressure plate, and generally slower than the correct method.  Forget about these tricks or claims about them being ‘more efficient’ or ‘easier’.  The inventors who first designed these cameras knew what worked best- how can anyone else say otherwise?  And if the method requires lens removal, insertion of cards, holding shutters open, etc- how could that be faster than the ‘original’ procedure which requires only the removal of the baseplate and take-up spool?

NB: The long leader cut is not needed to load other FED or Zorki whose backs slide off or open for loading.

7. The Zorki-5 shutter MUST NOT BE FIRED without a lens on the camera.  This Zorki has a quirk in the layout of its parts. Without the lens in place, a part of the RF cam goes in the shutter speed control dial and can mesh with the parts.

8. The Shutters on these cameras have cloth blinds/curtains.  Do not touch them.  Also, do not point the camera towards the sun for extended lengths of time.  When lens is focused at infinity (or close to it) a tiny image of the sun is focused on the blind.  This can cause a pinhole to burn on the shutter.

9.DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE CAMERA.  The temptation is there to make some adjustments.  But unless you know what you are doing, do not go beyond the usual minor cleaning and adjustment procedures.  FED and Zorki can be more difficult to calibrate than a Leica.

10. Do not leave the shutter tensed for long periods of time.  When storing the camera, make sure that the shutter is released.

The above do not apply to Kiev rangefinders.  They are a different breed of animal.