Is the front standard of your Century square to the ground glass?
If you measure from the front edge of the standard when set to infinity focus to the ground glass with a caliper is it the exact same at the corners and center?

As near as I can measure using the depth feature of a caliper, the rangefinder side measures 99.8mm, center 98.2mm, hand strap side 98.4mm.
Lens is a 103mm f4.5 Trioptar.

So, no, at least in my case the front standard is not entirely square with the ground glass.

Assuming I can find my calipers I'll measure my new Century tomorrow and let you know what I find.

Roger

The one I'm currently working on had loose focus panel clips, the brass rivets were broken. I replaced them with 2-56 brass screws and nuts. The existing rivet holes can be taped to 2-56 without drilling but the clips are hardened steel making enlarging the holes in them to just clear the screw desirable.
After checking the squareness of the body, bed, and rails I got the following results:
Top Right to Bottom right-.039 difference
Top Left - Bottom left - .039 difference
Top Right-Top Left -.02 difference
Bottom Right- Bottom left- .02 difference.

Focus panel :
Top right-bottom right .003 difference
Top left- bottom left .001 difference
Top right- Top left - .006 difference
Bottom right- bottom left - .004 difference

The measurements change when the front standard lock is moved from right to left.

I'm laying a piece of .25 steel bar across the front standard and measuring from the top of the bar to the ground glass.

The infinity stops are the same length and are the same distance from the end of the rails.

All measurements in inch.

45PSS wrote:

The one I'm currently working on had loose focus panel clips, the brass rivets were broken. I replaced them with 2-56 brass screws and nuts. The existing rivet holes can be taped to 2-56 without drilling but the clips are hardened steel making enlarging the holes in them to just clear the screw desirable.

Good to know. I assume that you had to remove the bellows and associated hardware to get inside the box to install nuts. Alternatively, it might be possible to drill out the rivet shaft and replace with a suitably-sized brass escutcheon pin, or (if right-size ones exist and you could find one) a self-tapping screw, threaded pin, or even a friction-fit pin.

When I got my Century, one of the brass rivet heads was missing; the rivet shaft was present. I managed to solder a new "head" (solder blob) onto the shaft. It's held for many years now. Don't know how much actual good it's doing, as there is still slight motion of the clip; I always try to depress the spring-loaded arms of the focus frame when installing/removing, so as not to stress the "repair."

The Century body is 1/4 (.25) inch thick at the latch retainer. The rivets are a pressed in fit. I had to tap the old ones out with a 1/16 pin punch. There is a 1/2 x 5/32 x .040 plate that sits in a recess that the rivets are bradded into with the ends ground flush with the plate.


Repair was to tap the body, enlarge the graflok retainer holes with a rotary tool and diamond bit, cut pan head brass screws to 5/16, install and placed a piece of gaffers tape over the nuts and reassemble.

Disassembly is remove the 4 graflok slider screws, sliders,springs and spacer washers, unlock the front standard and slide the front standard/bellows assembly out of the body, then remove the retainer plates.

Reassembly: position lower bellows/graflok slider retainer/nut plate inside the body. Assemble one side of a graflok slider -screw, spring, slider bar, spacer - then insert into one of the bottom slider holes and start the screw into the retainer plate until the tip of the screw is no further than flush with the front edge of the retainer plate. Install the other screw and spacer for that slider. Install the front standard/bellows assembly onto the rails and lock the front standard at mid bed, drop the bed, position the lower rear edge of the bellows between the retainer plate and body. Install the top slider plate in the body and over the top rear pleat of the bellows and install the top slider assembly. Visually center the bellows in the film opening and tighten the graflok slider screws. Check the sliders for smooth operation.
Install the focus panel or RFH, close the camera, or load some film and go shoot something/someone with the camera.


The graflok bars and springs are identical and can be used in either the top or bottom positions.

The original pins are .065 inch diameter; 2-56 tap drill size .067 (#51 drill bit); 1/16= .0625.

#16 brass escutcheon pins are .065 inch diameter.

Umm, I think I'll send my Century to you if it ever needs the repair!

Century #2
top left-bottom left .018 difference
top right-bottom right .021 difference
top left-top right .0165 difference
bottom left-bottom right .0195 difference
middle left-middle right .0045 difference.