glue it EXACTLY where it broke off. Serious problems will occur if the Pressure Plate is not affixed correctly.
The post-war A2B and the FA have a floating Pressure Plate (see Fig. 4-7). This is a stamped aluminum plate that is kept aloft with by a springy metal band. The only problem to be had with a floating Pressure Plate is a weak spring, but this can be fixed by carefully bending the metal band with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
Both the fixed and the floating Pressure Plate work well, and one should not assume that using the floating Pressure Plate will produce dramatically superior results.
Extinction Meter
If the Slide is missing, the Extinction Meter is useless. If the Shutter Speed Plate is missing, the Extinction Meter is useless. If the Film Speed Tab or the Aperture Tab is missing, the Extinction Meter is useless.
If the Shutter Speed Plate is loose, it can be glued back on with epoxy. Occasionally, the tinted, see-through portion of the Extinction Meter, underneath
the Shutter Speed Plate, becomes loose. To remove it, use a set of needle-nose pliers to pull the plastic retainer out through the front of the camera. The plastic see-through strip should then fall out. Clean the inside of the housing with a toothpick to remove any dried-out, yellowish glue flakes. Clean and replace the plastic see-through strip, with the lightest section closest to the Winding Knob. Spread some epoxy on the outside of the plastic retainer and the inside of the housing, and push it back into place with needle-nose pliers.
To clean the see-through portion of the Extinction Meter, use a dry Q-Tip from the rear side of the camera. Because the plastic retainer doesn’t allow Q-Tips to clean from the front of the camera, use compressed air to get the front side clean.
The Flash Mechanism
Three things can be wrong if a flash mechanism doesn’t work: the camera isn’t working, flash gun isn’t working, or both.
To test the flash gun, install batteries and a good flashbulb and connect the two flash posts with a wire. When the connection is made, the flashbulb should fire. If it doesn’t fire, the problem lies with the flash gun. Often, a flash gun will seem broken because the electrical contacts are dirty. Clean these contacts with steel wool or fine sandpaper. Be certain to clean the flash synch tubes on the camera, the flash posts on the flash gun, and any other contacts the flash gun may have, such as battery terminals. This is the primary cause of “broken” flash guns.
To test the camera, you will need an electronic multi-meter or some other device that measures electric resistance. Attach the two probes of the multi-meter to the two Flash Synch Tubes. If testing an Argus AA, set the shutter speed to “Time”. If testing an Argus FA, set the shutter speed to “B”. Press and hold the Trigger while watching the multi-meter. If the camera is working correctly, the multi-meter will indicate that there is little or no resistance as long as the Trigger is held. If the flash mechanism is damaged, the multi-meter will display infinite resistance. To repair a damaged camera, the break in the camera’s flash circuit must be found. Since the flash circuit is just a switch, finding the break is not difficult. But it does involve disassembling the camera to some degree.
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