My Century 2x3 just brought down.. and need a vintage repair guy in Philadelphia. Anyone know of a good repair guy.. I have a shoot on the 29th and need this baby fixed.


I heard something come loose from the inside back of the body and now the rear tracks are loose, along with the rangefinder linkage. I can't close the camera nor focus using the finder.

I can't retract the tracks all the way in to close the body and I am seriously freaking out right now...

Ok I see what happened the back tracks came out of their groove. I tried to put them back in, but they keep binding up and not going in.


How do I fix this?

1. download http://graflex.org/manuals/23-Pacemaker-Speed-and-Crown-Graphic.pdf
2. look at pdf page 12, item 18 A- guide case left, right.
3. remove the front standard from the rails.
4. (optional) disconnect the bellows from the camera back if necessary and remove the front standard/bellows assembly from the camera.
5. inspect the case guides for broken yoke groove.
6. if guides are broken on the front edge swap the left to the right side and the right side to the left.
7. check/tighten the guide mount screws.
8. loosen the bed guide screws, item #2, on both sides 1/2 to 1 turn.
9. align and run the yoke (rails) in fully and square to the bed/body.
10. push the bed guides against the yoke and tighten the screws starting at the center and working outward/inward with the right (bed lock) side first then the left.
11. Check the rails for full travel and that they move smoothly. Too much drag (focus hard to turn) release tension on one guide only. There should be no side play.

Always run the rails in fully before closing the bed.

Thanks 45PSS for the info and detailed step-by-step. That is a lot to go through, and I don't want to screw this Century up anymore.

I can use it as is..but just can't close it now. Really wish there were someone close who could fix this for me

Oh these popped loose from doing a front bed drop as I was doing some test shots for this shoot on the 29th... (lesson learned..don't do front bed drops)

Drop the bed.
Run the rails rearward/forward as needed to get both the front and rear rail sections in the bed guides.
Return the bed to 90°.
If the rails will not run back into the camera the bed guides are misaligned or the body guides are loose or broken.

I'll give that a try

If the camera was dropped with the bed open the bed hinge could have been bent causing the problem.

Post a picture of the camera open if you cannot get to go back in.

Got it fixed! The freak-out is over.. Thanks for the help 45PSS!

Everything is as it was and running smoothly.

I am very grateful for such a great forum as this

A Century Graphic is a Bakelite body version of the 2x3 Pacemaker Crown Graphic without the side body shutter release and a molded in Graflok back.
http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_5.html will cover the proper operation and use of the camera of the camera.
The Graflok back usage is covered in http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_4.html

You have 17 days to learn to use it correctly before the opportunity to really embarrass yourself arrives.

45PSS wrote:

You have 17 days to learn to use it correctly before the opportunity to really embarrass yourself arrives.

That statement is hilarious ! Thanks for the humor... all too true.

Glad you fixed your Century, Joey. One of the first (probably *the* first) bone-head mistake I made with my Century was trying to close the front door without fully retracting the bed. Result: bent rails in the box. Fortunately, I was able to straighten them out without breaking anything. I found a couple of small brass washers in the parts drawer, blackened them with a "permanent" marker, and placed them under the screw heads securing the rails. At least this way I'll now encounter some resistance before I bend the rails again!

Correction: the bent rails were (still are, but not bent anymore) on the bed (front door) at the back end, not "in the box." Had to get out and look at the camera to refresh my faulty memory on the details.