P3D Re: Realist viewfinder cleanup: Possible?

[fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dr. George A. Themelis)]

>I removed the four screws which, I presumed, hold it in place, but as it
>refuses to budge, I'm concerned there may be more to it.

Yes, there is more.  Remove the top two screws that are closest to the
lens board.  These 6 screws hold the lens board in place.  Nothing will
fly or get out of place as you remove the board.  Better set the speed
at 1 sec so you remember.  You can fire the shutter with the lens board
off.  You can even change speeds and see what happens.

>If you have ever corrected a cloudy viewfinder problem on this camera, I'd
>love to hear what you did.

You don't need to remove the lens board to clean the viewfinder.  Start by
removing a large screw ring in front.  This screw holds the viewfinder lens
(it is plastic) and a piece of sqarish plastic that frames the view.
With the ring and plastic removed, remove the lens by tapping it lightly.
If it refuses to come out, use a little suction cup to take it out.  Clean
the lens.  That might fix the viewfinder.  Putting things back, make sure
you align the piece of plastic carefully.  It is kind of a trial and error
to tighten the screw ring and keep the plastic square.

If cleaning the lens does not clean the viewfinder, there are two more
possibilities.  There is a front surface mirror sitting behind the
viewfinder lens.  Don't attempt to clean it.  If it has been scratched by
the previous "repairman" then the image will look a bit foggy.  Finally,
there is the viewing lens at the bottom that might need cleaning.

When you are done cleaning the viewfinder, you might want to tackle the
rangefinder.  Start by cleaning the two pieces of glass in front.  This is
done easier with the lens' board removed.  To study and adjust the
rangefinder you must take out the bottom plate.  Start by peeling the
bottom leather.  The rangefinder works with 4 small front surface mirrors. 
Sometimes these mirrors are scratched.  I would not try and clean them
other than blowing dust.  There are a number of screws to adjust the
rangefinder.  When done, put the cover back and glue the leather with
rubber cement.

If you run into problems, Zak is always around to help.  There are also two
videos in the market on Realist repair.  One of the two focuses on cosmetic
work (like the cleaning you are trying to do).  The other goes into more
repair details like taking out and cleaning the shutter.  None covers all
the aspects of Realist repair like how to adjust the focusing.

Good luck!!!  -- George Themelis


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