M6 shutter speed dial won't turn

[KCS]

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I have an old Leitz M6 that has worked fine for years... I had it CLA'd by DAG less than a year ago to keep it in good working order. Today, I took a few shots without issue, then went to adjust the shutter speed and the dial wouldn't turn. I don't want to force it too hard, but the thing seems just stuck. The camera hasn't been dropped, banged, or abused in any way-- this happened suddenly for no reason (that I can determine). Are old M6s prone to jamming? Any suggestions for home remedies I can try?

 

 

Karen

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[rleffingwell]

Hi Karen, I've got a couple of M6s and have not had that trouble. I suspect something just broke. It does happen, especially on any finely machined umm machine that is a quarter century old. Take it back to your repair wizard and ask for their help. Definitely do not force it. If you're fortunate, they'll take it apart and fix it and give it back to you. If you're less fortunate, they'll charge you for the work. But seems to me it decidedly needs work.

 

Good luck, randy

[adan]

I've never had an M shutter dial jam myself - but can think of some home diagnostics to try. If something is jammed, it could be a film chip or sand in the clockwork somewhere, although there are other possibilities.

 

1) First, which speed is it stuck at? The speeds 1/15, 1/30, "lightning bolt", and 1/60 all involve some gear-changing to switch between different sets of clockwork for timing fast, sync, slow, and slowest speeds, and the "gear changes" can get stiff(er) in changing between those speeds than other speeds.

 

2) just to cover the bases, although you probably know this, the dial will not turn continuously as with some electronic shutter dials. There is a "wall" between B and 1/1000, and you have to go the other way (through 500, 250, 125...) to get from 1000 to B.

 

3) Check to make sure the shutter itself is not jammed part way through a shot. For safety's sake, to try and protect that last shot you made, advance the film if possible. Then take off the lens and look at the shutter opening.

 

You should see one and only one shutter curtain: If you see ("Eeek!") uncovered film, or the seam/overlap of the two shutter curtains in mid-frame, then the shutter itself has jammed part way through an exposure, and the shutter dial lockup may be just a side-effect.

 

4) At this point, make a written note of the current exposure count. You'll want to unload the film for further diagnostics but can reload it later (if you choose) to use the rest of the pictures - so long as you know how far to advance it past the first take you've already made. Then, put on the lens and lens cap (especially if the shutter is jammed open) and rewind the film to the point where it just comes off the sprockets, hopefully leaving the leader out for later reload.

 

5) Once the film is out, you can dry-fire the camera as much as you want, to make sure the shutter and advance are working OK. Lens off, back open, and just wind and fire repeatedly and watch the shutter to make sure it is moving fully across the frame in both directions, with no sticking. If the shutter itself is not working right, you have bigger problems than just the dial, and it needs professional help.

 

6) If the shutter seems OK, try the dial again. If still stuck, try wiggling the dial rotationally as though you were turning it - if something physical is jamming the gears, it may fall out, clearing the jam.

 

7) If the dial still jammed, you can (and this is totally optional) try tapping the bottom of the camera against the soft part of your palm - hard enough to be just short of painful. Ideally, hold the rewind/viewfinder side of the camera and tap the shutter dial/film-counter side, to focus the force on the dial side and minimize the shock to the RF. Again this is to knock loose any small foreign object that may be lodged in the timing gears.

 

8) Last step at home - if the stuck speed is one of those mentioned in (1), then you can feel comfortable applying a LITTLE more finger force than normal in turning the dial. The gear-changing requires more force anyway, and the M6 mechanism is designed to stand up to the thumping of a motor drive.

 

If you do clear the jam at any point, spend 5 minutes running the dial back and forth through the full speed range to make sure the stiffness or jam does not recur, and to just loosen up and excercise the mechanisms. Also wind and fire at each of the shutter speeds 2-5 times, to make sure they are behaving as expected (hard to tell with the fast speeds, but the ones below 1/30th can be checked roughly by ear.)

 

9) If still no luck - then call DAG and see what suggestions he has. And feel free to get his opinion of my list if you have any doubts about it.