Vertical alignment

[Symeon]

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The top plate of my M8 got bashed and now the RF is out of tune. Although it still focuses the vertical alignment is totally off and can't see what I am doing. I am thinking of removing the red dot and use a bent screwdriver to adjust it myself. Anybody here knows the name or the type of that screwdriver, I saw someone using it on YouTube but I can't find it if I don't its name.

Cheers.

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[jaapv]

Not that simple- but not complicated either. The tool is not a bent srewdriver, but a little screwdriver (3 mm or so) with 9/10ths of its blade edge ground off for 0.7 mm.

Remove the red dot, apply a MINISCULE drop of Acetone to the locking glue to soften -not remove- it should not moisten any other part inside!

Use the tool to twist the little fork just behind the red dot.

However, if the camera has been bashed that hard, it might have shifted other parts inside, e.g. the sensor. And that is definitely not DIY.

[Symeon]

Got it. No problem with sensor or other parts inside. The camera still works fine. But is this screwdriver made specifically for Leica or for a more general use. I have no idea where to find it, does it have a name or something. Anyway, thanks Jaapv.

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

More general use, but I can never remember the name of them.

However an e-Bay search for "U-shaped screwdriver" came up with the correct idea - not sure about size though.

[jaapv]

1 hour ago, Symeon said:

Got it. No problem with sensor or other parts inside. The camera still works fine. But is this screwdriver made specifically for Leica or for a more general use. I have no idea where to find it, does it have a name or something. Anyway, thanks Jaapv.

Just modify any small screwdriver. The "special tools" you find on ebay are vastly overpriced. This is a primitive hole-and-fork adjustment system.

[peterm1_Leica]

I had a vertical alignment issue with my M8 when I bought it second hand. It was tiny but enough to complicate focusing. I did end up buying the necessary tool on eBay. It was nicely made but expensive for what it is - just as others have described here - a small single offset tyne "fork" which is placed in the hole of the adjustment screw and rotated left or right. I think I paid around $40 - $50 for it which is a lot though it is nicely made. In practice,  I found it hard to rotate just the right amount to eliminate the misalignment (the amount needed is typically very small) but eventually I got it just right by trial and error and the expenditure of perhaps 20 minutes of time and sweat.

Almost as hard was removing the red Leica dot to get at the adjustment point - but here too, persistence paid dividends. It is stuck on with some flexible silicone or rubber based cement and by pressing on it with a thumb and rotating it one way then the other it eventually becomes loose, then surrenders. I stuck mine back on with a tiny dab of clear silicone - of the common or garden type found in hardware stores for water proofing joints. I have no idea how the previous owner managed to misalign the thing but given that I also had rangefinder issues (back focusing at close distances) can only presume it had a "bang" at some time - thought it shows no sign of physical damage. The rangefinder miscalibration was fixed by a technician after I took test shots of a scaled test target to provide him with information needed to estimate the extent of the problem. I preferred that headache to belong to someone else.

Edited September 29, 2019 by peterm1_Leica