I've recently gotten a Graflex RB w/ a roll film back. Everything seems to be in good shape but the shutter and or mirror seems to stick. When I try to trip the shutter, most of the time the mirror flips up but the shutter almost never fires. With a little push on the winding nob, it will advance to the next curtain aperature, but it never really fires in sync with the mirror for an instantaneous exposure. Some times I don't get any response at all when I trip the shutter. Any advice on how to get it moving along again would be tremendously appreciated. -Brian

It's likely that the shutter mechanism, including the disposition that releases the shutter when the mirror reaches the top of its swing, needs inspection and, perhaps, cleaning and a bit of lubrication. I had an "RB Series B" four decades ago, and it was my introduction to the remarkable Graflex shutter. It is not a difficult camera to comprehend, and to work on, if you proceed methodically.

Do you have any suggestions on lubricants?

I have found that cleaning old gunk off bearing surfaces often is more than half the battle. That said, I've had good luck with a product called "Dri-Slide," available for decades and now evidently offered by Russack Chemicals.

Also good, and easiest to apply with precision, is the "Teflon"-based lubricant that comes in a squeezable pen-sized cylinder with a needle applicator. I've gotten this stuff from Radio Shack.

Some contributors to this site recommend certain greases for FP shutter lubrication; it might be worth reading through those threads.

In general, when lubricating moving parts in cameras, less is better than more!

I've never dismantled one of these before. Any suggestions on where to begin and anything to most certainly not do, or should I just follow what seems obvious and proceed with caution. Is there a repair manual or diagram accessible anywhere on the web that anybody knows about? sorry to be such a repair novice but all your information is extraordinarily helpful..thanks

The most common fix for a Reflex camera is stated by another member as:
email me at
bsaunders1@bak.rr.com
So, if he doesn't respond in a timely manner I will foward a copy of all the files/shutter info for the Reflex series of cameras. While not as polished as a tech manual it is as thorough.
Charles

Thanks for all the info. I've figured out that the shutter will fire after all, it just has a wierd quirk which maybe you could tell me is fixable or not. When I reset the mirror, the mirror cocking lever needs to be pushed foreward a hair after it's cocked. If I don't do this the mirror/ shutter release lever on the cameras left side doesn't function at all. It's almost as if the mirror is sticking to something when I cock it, and by pushing the cocking lever that little but foreward, it unsticks the mirror from something. Any clues or is this somewhat normal?

The mirror release lever on the side of the body may need a little cleaning and/or lube OR as in the case of my RB the latch behind the bellows that holds the mirror in the down position needed it.
Charles

Computer has been on the blink...think it is ok now
email me at
bsaunders1@bak.rr.com
Bert