Further to my porst yesterday I think I have managed a decent repair on my camera.
I managed to salvage a mirror from a scrap Olympus OM (took some getting out - had to use my trusty Dremel in the end) but unforunately it was about 1mm too wide to fit.
I decided to remove the chipped Contax mirror completely (using a heated very thin craft knife) and it came to bits. Scraped off the adhesive residue from the cradle, again using a heated craft knife.
I sought advice from the internet about grinding a little bit off the Olympus mirror and decided to have a go, using a silcon-carbide wheel on the Dremel, with plenty of water, having secured the mirror in a rubber-jawed table vice. The top of the mirror was just peeping out while I tenetatively used the Dremel (having first experimented with a piece of the broken mirror, gaining a bit of confidence).
I managed to trim off sufficient for the Olympus mirror to fit on the Contax cradle, and having given it a good clean with lens cleaner, attached it with a little epoxy adhesive.
Everything looked okay and I checked that the mirror would flip up properly against the foam stop (which I'd renewed) by using the Bulb setting on the speed dial.
Now I'm just waiting for the adhesive to cure and then I'll run a film through.
I was a bit gutted to see the chipped mirror but I feel a bit better now thinking I've managed to save a very good camera. I won't know for certain, of course, until I run a film through.
Hope this explanation will help anyone facing the same problem. It might be better to try to get a Contax/Yashica mirror (which should fit) without having to grind one down.
Fingers crossed now!!!!
I managed to salvage a mirror from a scrap Olympus OM (took some getting out - had to use my trusty Dremel in the end) but unforunately it was about 1mm too wide to fit.
I decided to remove the chipped Contax mirror completely (using a heated very thin craft knife) and it came to bits. Scraped off the adhesive residue from the cradle, again using a heated craft knife.
I sought advice from the internet about grinding a little bit off the Olympus mirror and decided to have a go, using a silcon-carbide wheel on the Dremel, with plenty of water, having secured the mirror in a rubber-jawed table vice. The top of the mirror was just peeping out while I tenetatively used the Dremel (having first experimented with a piece of the broken mirror, gaining a bit of confidence).
I managed to trim off sufficient for the Olympus mirror to fit on the Contax cradle, and having given it a good clean with lens cleaner, attached it with a little epoxy adhesive.
Everything looked okay and I checked that the mirror would flip up properly against the foam stop (which I'd renewed) by using the Bulb setting on the speed dial.
Now I'm just waiting for the adhesive to cure and then I'll run a film through.
I was a bit gutted to see the chipped mirror but I feel a bit better now thinking I've managed to save a very good camera. I won't know for certain, of course, until I run a film through.
Hope this explanation will help anyone facing the same problem. It might be better to try to get a Contax/Yashica mirror (which should fit) without having to grind one down.
Fingers crossed now!!!!
