What's the best way to fix this ? (broken camera)

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

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I was just off out at 6.45 this morning when as I left the house my newly loaded Praktica B100's film door came open I closed it but with a couple of taps it opened again. As I had only just loaded the film I dug out my Jenaflex AH1 reloaded the same film swapped the lens and still managed to get the photos I wanted before everyone woke up ( plus I got one dog walked !)
On returning I had a proper look and have realized this as happened (it wasn't this far out until I messed with it !)
PRAK.jpg

As I see it I have 3 options, 1 chuck it ( no chance ) 2 Glue it or 3 drill a hole thought both dodgy rivets and rear door and start again with bolts. Glue is my favoured option but do you think it would hold ?
 
A glued pin might hold if there is enough depth to push it into? I'm not a much of a repairer so my idea could be absolute codswallop!
 
Sky said:
Glue won't hold it, you'll have to get it re-riveted or bolt it.
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:agree: I very much doubt that glue willl be satisfactory tbh.

If you do try that route then I'd suggest something like araldite.

Obviously sending it to Miles is going to be a more costly option but the job will be a good one ( assuming he can do it) and would give the camera a new lease of life for a considerable length of time.

I guess that it depends on how "important" the camera is to you personally.
 
Thanks for your reply Trevor but as the camera is only worth a Tenner at most I will probably do it my self I have a large box of very small nuts and bolts so will have a go with them.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
Thanks for your reply Trevor but as the camera is only worth a Tenner at most I will probably do it my self I have a large box of very small nuts and bolts so will have a go with them.
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Haha, I didn't take any notice of the camera type - in that case I think a bolt is your best option. :cool:
 
I have a glue compound which I can recommend for repairs where strong bonding is required.

J+B Weld

https://www.jbweld.com/

As it is two compounds mixed together, unmixed they remain in usable condition for a long time ( I have had mine for several years and the last time I used it ( about a 12 months since,) it worked just fine.

You can usually find it cheap on amazon

Possibly an option?...….
 
Well looking at my Bc1 which is similar and your options are limited if you want it to still look nice in that you would have to peel back the vinyl covering find tiny rivets , carefully using a hammer and dolly to fix the rivets in, then re stick the vinyl.
Don't care about looks then a tiny screw and nut would work. Not sure about araldite glue.....it could work.
If the hinge pin can come out easily you could just wait for a broken B100 and use the back from that.
 
Wow I didn't realize they were that valuable ! mines got to be 200 quids worth just needs a small repair. O.k so I went the nut and bolt route and guess what ? It doesn't work ( much sadness and crying) The head of the bolt fouls the narrow slot that the catch, catch's in. I have tried a small nail and that works fine but then I end up with a sharp nail sticking out which I cannot bend or fasten in position. I'm going to have to do a little more thinking or buy a big roll of gaffer tape ,Holga style or get the Ark welder out.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
I have tried a small nail and that works fine but then I end up with a sharp nail sticking out
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Try a brass panel pin and riveting the end on the outside over. Might need to ANNEAL the nail to allow the riveting. OR use a very small countersunk machine screw rather than a bolt.
 
Well unless you find a non worker on the Bay and take off the door and replace, I think the best approach may be to re attach with a steel self tapping Phillips flat head screw.

Measure the front hole and that will be your screw thread guide IE 5mm hole find 4mm thread, you do not want the thread to cut this hole, next measure the rear hole in the double skin of the door,it should be smaller than the thread required, IE 3mm hole 4mm thread. Then place the broken plate into position and with a cocktail stick measure from the plate face to the rear of the door skin,lets say 7mm. If the screw you can find is longer then file down to length required so that when the screw is tightened up it remain short of the outside door face.

Long winded,but, you may be able to effect a repair for pennies without the use of glue.
 
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In the old days was not possible but today there are some glue prepared for metal and for high resistance, I remember two brands: Loctite and Trabasil, the formulas are based on different chemicals, e.g. epoxi or polyurethane. I do not know about the prices, but do not discard the idea of gluing it back in place before making holes to it.
 
BADGER.BRAD said:
I have tried a small nail and that works fine but then I end up with a sharp nail sticking out which I cannot bend or fasten in position.
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H'mm if you could cut it to the right length.....glueing it in position might work.
 
Pinning would probably work if the pins can be fitted securely, but is likely to be tricky because you're only pinning two thin layers of metal where the combined thickness is likely no more than 2mm. Even if a soft metal is used that can be spread around the openings, it's going to be a lot of effort for a repair that might not look all that great and will still be tricky to do well unless you're already used to such things.

I would try gluing it on first, especially if the loose plate can be removed from the other rivet (or spot weld?). If it comes off cleanly, abrade where the two surfaces mate to get down to bare metal, and then use a good epoxy to stick them together. I haven't used it, but JB Weld has a very good reputation, especially for bonding metal to metal, so I would use that. As a precursor, it would be worth checking that the intended arrangement still locks okay by sticking the bits together with a couple of small drops of medium viscosity superglue - once set, that should hold them together well enough to check the close/open action of the back, and they should pop apart afterwards with some careful levering, and then cleaned up and glued with the epoxy. Use some gentle clamping or pressure that won't move while the epoxy sets.
 
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The answer to my mind is to rivet it, or even glue and rivet. It's usually easy to remove the back from the camera - they tend to have a sprung hinge pin.

You can use a small machine screw, assuming that it isn't a hardened one, as a rivet. In this case I might judge the length and use a countersunk one, poke it through from the inside and peen over the projection having peeled back any leatherette in advance. Then you might rub it with wet & dry to smooth it so that it hardly projects.

Any glue used would be epoxy and it's essential to clean all mating surfaces so that there's not the slightest trace of finger grease to prejudice the bond.

If the peeled-back (or detached) leatherette has lost its stick, try pritt stick, since it doesn't harden.

15 minute job.
 
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BADGER.BRAD said:
Wow I didn't realize they were that valuable ! mines got to be 200 quids worth just needs a small repair.
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I'm tempted to move the decimal point a couple of places and offer £12.99. I did consider buying a B200 back in the day - I think you could get a whole kit with extra lenses from Dixons for the price of a Japanese SLR.
 
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I'd go with the advice above of using either Araldyte or JBWeld. Both of them are easily strong enough to retain the bracket in place, so long as you mix the 2 parts according to the instructions (ensure there's enough hardener otherwise it will never go off properly), and you leave it for at least 24 hours to harden. If you decide to drill out the rivet and put bolts, make sure you completely seal around the bolt, and ideally re-fit the leather covering over the top, so you don't introduce any light leaks.
 
When thinking about ideas the picture is deceiving as the head of the rivet on my BC1 is about 1.8mm and the hole originally must have been much smaller...so it's a fiddly job no matter what you do.
 
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