A Question for the MacGyvers here...

**brofkand** · 08-11-2008, 08:47 PM

I just got a Ricohflex VIIs in the mail today. It has one problem:

The little pin that bites into the 120 film spool is broken off. All that's left is the circular bolt. It looks like this O (without the pin going through it, but the slot is there where the pin should go, rather than this ø with the pin going through it. Does anyone have any ideas for a fix?

I thought about putting something inside the spool itself, and just using the same takeup spool each time (or similarly modify several spools at once). The question is, what could I put inside the spool that would be rigid enough? And, where can I get this material?

Thanks for any ideas gentlemen!

**brofkand** · 08-12-2008, 04:05 PM

Here is the problem. Any tips on fixing it?

**NorthALABeeKeep** · 08-13-2008, 10:31 AM

Do you have a real good idea what it would look like if it wasn't broken? If so you could possible find small piece of metal about the same size/shape and use J B Weld (a 2 part epoxy) and "glue" it together. This would be my last resort. The J B weld when it completely dries/cures is very hard. Hard enough that you can drill and tap it (make threads for a screw). But the best thing would be to take it to a camera repair shop.

good luck

**brofkand** · 08-13-2008, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by NorthALABeeKeep

Do you have a real good idea what it would look like if it wasn't broken? If so you could possible find small piece of metal about the same size/shape and use J B Weld (a 2 part epoxy) and "glue" it together. This would be my last resort. The J B weld when it completely dries/cures is very hard. Hard enough that you can drill and tap it (make threads for a screw). But the best thing would be to take it to a camera repair shop.

good luck

I do. I have another camera that is the same basic design (TLR), but of a much cheaper look.

This one is of a much higher quality than the other one. Is there something that's less...permanent...than JB-Weld but still holds well enough? There's not a whole lot of stress being put on this part...it only has to turn a roll of film...so I don't think something as strong as JB Weld is necessary.

**MotoMike** · 08-13-2008, 03:19 PM

well, you could interferance fit the piece slightly so that it is held in place by tension. I would have no qualms about making the piece a close fit and using JB Weld. I would not fear the JB weld. there should be no reason to remove it once repaired is there? It looks like the original was brazed. I see what appears to be a retaining ring holding the piece into the camera. if your repair does not prtrude beyond the shoulders of that winding arbor, you could still disassemble it without the repair interfering.

**Black Adder** · 08-13-2008, 05:07 PM

How about a small roll pin? You could cut one down with a Dremel tool if you needed to to get it to fit, and the roll pin's tendency to expand out when placed in position should keep it there. You could probably tap it into that slot with a small hammer and a punch.

Don

**brofkand** · 08-13-2008, 08:16 PM

The problem with a roll pin is it has to be slightly taller than the surrounding half-circles to ensure a good fit with the spool. I am really at a loss as to what to use.

I don't fear JB-Weld, but I don't think there is enough room to put something like a very strong epoxy in the slot along with a snugly-fitting piece of metal, and still get a good fit.

Short of a roll pin, does anyone else have any suggestions as to the piece of metal I could use? I could probably just go to Lowe's and ask them.It really doesn't matter what I use as long as the metal is fairly strong, and is as wide as the original brazing marks, and just SLIGHTLY taller than the half-circles. That's why a roll pin probably won't work; it has to be taller than the half-circles to get a good grip on the spool.

**Black Adder** · 08-14-2008, 02:31 AM

Okay, I see. My next suggestion still involves a Dremel tool or some other cutting instrument....

Go to a large hardware, craft or hobby store. There should be a small rack display there with K&S Engineering printed on it. It'll have all kinds of small pieces of wire, angle iron, channels, and other structural shapes and pieces of metal, in brass or aluminum. You should be able to find a piece of metal that you can trim down to fit into the slot on that spool. These metal pieces come in a variety of thicknesses, and being soft metals, are easy to machine and work with. They're not too expensive, and they wont rust. The piece you lost was probably made from brass, anyway. A lot of camera pieces are.

Don

**brofkand** · 08-14-2008, 09:16 AM

I'm pretty sure it was just plated brass. I'll go to Lowe's sometime this week and look at what they have. Thanks for the help!

**MotoMike** · 08-18-2008, 12:44 PM

ok then, no JB weld. but that is the way I would go.

I think you can see a snap ring that would allow you to remove that knob. once removed you could fashion a replacement piece and silver solder it in place with a propane torch. You would not want to do it in the camera due to the heat harming the body. But if you remove the knob, it should be no problem. I think I would find a brass washer of the proper thickness that you could cut and file down. It would be better than new.