The Shutter
Cleaning The Lens
The objective lens of the Argus is very easy to clean. But be careful not to scratch or damage the lens by using improper cleaning techniques. At a minimum, use only the materials found in a lens cleaning kit purchased from a camera store.
The Lens Assembly, which has already been removed, can be further disassembled. The rear lens of the assembly is held on by a
The Argus objective lens is a triplet lens system and is composed of three separate lenses. The lens that is closest to the objective and furthest from the film is the one that gets the dirtiest. For the purpose of discussion, this lens will be called the Outside Lens. The lens that is visible when you remove the Rear Cover and look inside the Neck will be called the Inside Lens. The third lens, which is hidden from the camera user, will be called the Middle Lens. Light, traveling from the subject of a photograph to the film, first passes through the Outside Lens, then the Middle Lens, then the Inside Lens before reaching the negative.
First clean the exposed surface of the Outside Lens and the exposed lens surface of the Inside Lens.
If there is visible dirt between the lenses, unscrew the Lens Assembly. This allows you access to one surface of the Middle Lens. To access the other surface of the Inside Lens, set the aperture to f/4.5, set the shutter speed to T(ime), and fire the trigger. The shutter blades should open and expose most of the surface of the Inner Lens for cleaning. Most lens cleaning should stop here.
In the
But beware! The Middle lens is not reversible! If you replace it the wrong way around, it will cause lens aberrations. Intentionally distorting photographs this way is discussed in Chapter 8.
The Shutter Mechanism
The Ilex Precise shutter is relatively simple, and much easier to service than a more expensive shutter, such as a Compur. Therefore, the author takes certain “liberties” in working on an Ilex Precise mechanism that would not be tolerated on a more complex shutter. If you do not feel comfortable with these liberties, do not read this section.
Before discussing the specifics of the shutter mechanism, the author would like to discuss shutters.
Disassembly of the shutter requires certain tools, so make sure to have them handy. Have a good set of jewelry screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers, and a small container to hold the tiny screws. Wear some sort of eye protection to prevent loose springs from damaging your eyes.
Download this book for free at http://www.TheArgusA.com/
48
