Argus Camera ARGUS A2 manual Post-War Shutter

The Post-War Shutter

The post-war Shutter is found on the post-war Argus A2B and the FA. Although there is no direct evidence, the post-war Shutter appears to be the Wollensak Alphax shutter, also used on cameras such as the Bolsey B, Bolsey C, Perfex One-O-One, and others from the post-war period.

The Face Plates to both cameras are very similar and easy to remove. First unscrew the Lens Assembly from the front by turning the metal cylinder with your hand. Then remove the two tiny screws that sit on the Face Plate. The cosmetic metal plate, with the shutter speeds and the aperture settings printed on it, should then fall off. Next, you must remove the two screws underneath the cosmetic plate that just came off. Once these two screws are undone, the faceplate should come off completely. The removed portion can be disassembled further, but it is rarely necessary. No further screws need to be removed inside of the shutter mechanism.

It is very important that you DO NOT FIRE THE SHUTTER with the Face Plate removed without taking precautions. At A in Fig. 7-6 sits a spring which may fly off if the shutter is actuated. At best you will have to search for this spring, at worst it can permanently blind you. The easiest way to get around this problem is to gently press your finger on A in Fig. 7-6 when firing the trigger. Your finger will keep the spring in place. With the Face Plate removed, the Shutter behaves as if it were set to T(ime); press the Trigger once to open the shutter and once again to close it.

The following letters refer to objects in Fig. 7-6.

A. This spindle, and the two flat levers attached to it, deal with the B(ulb) and T(ime) operations of the shutter. Lubricate the spindle and be sure to allow some lubricant to flow between the two flat sheet-metal levers. In many cases when the shutter has been disassembled before, these two levers are found out of place and down by the mechanism in E; they will be visible through the lens of the front of the camera. Simply lift the levers slightly and rotate them back to the position they are seen in Fig. 7-6. Occasionally the spring on the top of this spindle is lost; if this happens the B(ulb) and T(ime) functions will not work. In this case, it is best to remove this entire mechanism (just lift it up right off of the spindle). With the two levers removed, the Shutter will function properly in every mode except B(ulb) and T(ime).

B. This spindle holds the Trigger in place. Only light lubrication is necessary.

C. This spindle holds the lever that opens and closes the shutter. Lubricate it with care. In the Argus FA, the flash synchronization mechanism is also located in this area of the Shutter.

D. This spindle holds the lever that rotates to open and close the shutter blades. If your shutter blades are not stuck, you can open and close them very gently with this lever. The top of this spindle is blocked by a sheet metal plate. To lubricate the spindle, force the lubricant in from the side of the spindle.

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