ME Super focussing screen

I have an old ME Super. The black foam that protects the mirror when it pops up when the shutter is pressed is a little degraded. A piece detached and got onto the focussing screen. When I tried to remove it, it left several smears on the focussing screen (not the mirror). While this doesn't have any effect on the quality of the focussing, it looks far king horrid.

Is it still possible to get replacement screens - indeed, was it ever possible to get a replacement screen? - and are they easy to replace, will it cost a lot at a repairer, etc?

Any advice numbly received.

Hi,
The screens are not that easy to come by but are available. Usually from a junker. It is not the easiest job as to top and prism have to come out. As the mirror foam has gone, it is likely that the light seals have also gone and that the camera will need a service. You are looking at about £40 for a pro job on an MES from someone like Mike Spencer and about £10+ for the screen.

Regards
Kim

Ecch. Well, in terms of cost, it's about what I was thinking. The light seals seem fine, though, because a film's already been through the camera and come out fine.

Is there any way of cleaning the marks off the screen, though? Nothing's happened when I've tried, but then I've only breathed on them and used a lens cleaning cloth so far, for fear of damaging the screen in some way.

Sorry, that above post was me.

BTW, where do I find 'someone like Mike Spencer'?

The screens are very soft plastic. If you try to clean them you are likely to make it far worse. I know of several who have done so.

http://www.btinternet.com/~camerarepairer/

Kim

Ah. That's probably it, then. The foam was sticky, you see, so that's why the marks appeared in the first place.

Thank you again. I am now doubly in your debt.

...and whatever you do, don't try a Brillo-pad

What on earth made you think I'd do something like tha...

Oh.

If you can get the right tool to unscrew the cap-nut holding the winder on, and the tools required to remove the speed selector, removing the prism (and so the screen) is not too difficult. (If you know what you are doing.) The winder cap and ring nut underneath are both left-handed, so beware.

You can just about get the winder cap-nut off witha pair of pliers, but it will leave nasty scratch-marks. I am looking for reasonably priced versions of the cap-nut tool right now. The other tool can be made by modifying a cheap vernier caliper! (I am planning a website with details of stuff like this, with photos for people who like to do it for themselves.)

There are a couple of Pentax service manuals available on the web for free download and the ME is one of them. I can't remember the URL right now, but it was easy to find.

Cleaning the goo from the screen is almost impossible to do, the only thing that even makes an impresson is celluoslose paint thinners, and some of these might damage the plastic. It also has a tendency to reomve the matt black paint used inside the camera. I've used it on an old Nikon screen (These are easily changed, this one was scrapped because of the marks.), and it did remove the goo. However I haven't yet found anything that will remove the residue left by the paint thinner I'm still experimenting though.

Probably the best way to clean sonething like this, is using an ultrasonic cleaning bath, and then finishing with a vapour degreaser to flush off any remaining deposits. But with a replacement part that costs £10, it's as cheap to get a replacement. (And I bet you don't have them right to hand just now! You might find a jeweller who has them, it's the only way to clean delicate things like that.)

The second point concerning light-seals. If the mirror damper has turned to goo, the light seals need replacing. It is not just likely, they need doing, they need doing. Even if the camera is not leaking light, the sticky mush that will be the seals right now, will attack the paint finish around the door edges. These will start to rust. (This is why so many older cameras have rust and flaky paint around the film door!) The paint inside the body does not seem to suffer so much, but that may be because the metal there is an aluminium alloy. (The chemistry of decaying rubber compounds is terribly complex!)

Do not despair. A universal sealing kit can be had from a couple of sources. The last one I got was from a seller on the US eBay site, which cost me less than £8, including shipping from Texas. That was the 'deluxe' kit as well, with enough material to do all my cameras (I have 12 right now, not counting scrappers and 'repair and resale' cameras. I think I have a couple in transit as well!), and I still have some left over. It also includes black 'flock' for hinge seals and replacement mirror damper material.

It's very easy to do. Just clean out the old seal with a modified toothpick, and push in the new one. Job done. (Just keep the goo off your hands etc, it's not nice stuff!)

If you don't think you are up-to a screen replacement, then just blow away what you can and educate your eye to ignore it. (After all, if you are anything like me, it will already be good at ignoring things lika aerials sticking out of peoples heads and stuff ) I've got a cople of screens with stuff on (or in) them, and it's surprising how quickly you get used to it.

I think once you manage to totaly convince yourself that this really will not affect the picture, it stops bein so irritating. (I'ts part of human nature I think, that it is no good simply knowing logically that a thing is so. You have to experience that it is so before you really believe it. After all, flying is the safest form of transport )

But do replace those seals, they will damage the film door if you don't do something about it soon.

I have just managed to remove the cap-nut using a rubber bung!

For what it's worth, I made some "spanners" by hacksawing a couple of old washers and filing them to fit. Cut the washers so they become "C" shaped, rather than "O" shaped

That enabled me to take apart the MEF, ME Super etc without too much difficultly at all

There's always a way...
Matt

The Light Seal and Bumper fellow in Dallas is Jon Goodman - "Interslice" on eBay. You'll get enough foam and instructions to service a fleet!

That's the feller. Just couldn't remember the name! The kit I got contains instructions and a wooden (Bamboo?) scraper. I find it useful to have a sharp knife and metal ruler for cutting the new hinge seal to fit just right.

The rubber bung thing works on the winder cap nut. As far as I recall, (I don't have one to hand.) the cap nut on an ME has no holes, slots or flats for any spanner type tool. The MV is the same. (The MV is essentialy a bargain basement version of the ME. Preferred by those who don't like too much stuff in the viewfinder.)

The 'special' tool I had in mind was a 'flexiclamp'. You can order these from micro-tools.com where they cost around £6 a go. By the time you add shipping and (German) VAT this is closer to a tenner. If you want to cover the full range of sizes, you would need to spend about £150, and you need to get one which is a pretty close fit for it to work. Even then, there is a chance of damaging the finish, as there is not a lot of lip to grab hold of.

A rubber bung won't damage the finish. If you want to buy a specially grippy 'bung' Micro-Tools will sell you a lens ring tool for about EU1.00, which is essentially a rubber bung made of specially grippy rubber. (Or you can go to your local homebrew shop and buy a bung!) It needs to be 13mm at the narrow end.

Just noticed, some of my postings on this topic are coming up as guest

Man at local camera shop says he's never found anything that will not leave a deposit on focussing screens.