Suggestions needed for removing Leicaflex SL2 battery covers

[GRBrown]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I recently received a Leicaflex SL2. The metal cover for the exposure meter battery cannot be removed, mostly likely because the battery inside leaked. The cover shows damage from someone trying to turn it with a screwdriver.

Any suggestions for how to remove the cover?

I suspect the plastic cover for the battery for viewfinder illumination has the same problem.

Any suggestions for how to remove the plastic cover without breaking it?

[wlaidlaw]

Metal covers are not too difficult. Glue a hex nut onto the cover with a hot glue gun and when the glue has cooled and set, you can use a wrench on it. You can then heat the cover after removal with a hair dryer or heat gun, to remove the nut and glue. You cannot really use this technique for the plastic cover, without the risk of damaging the cover. You could contact Paepke in Germany (http://www.paepke-fototechnik.de) to see if they have spares of both covers, as Leica sold them all their stock of spare parts for Leicaflex and R3-R7 cameras. If you can get a new pair of covers, you can use the glue technique for both stuck covers. If the original mercury batteries have leaked, I suspect the stuck covers may just be the start of your problems. The vile goo which leaks out of dead mercury cells is very corrosive (and very toxic). It just eats electronic circuits. I have a dead Minox C from a leaked PX27 mercury cell. 

Wilson

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[GRBrown]

No spares available from Paepke. He did respond promptly to my email.

[ph.]

more risk to the lid threads than to electronics from leakage unless you store the camera upside down,and even then, the battery adapter tray for the smaller "625" replacement should catch leaks. If you leave it too long,like I did, you will have to use heavy tools on the adapter in order to extract the dead and expanded battery. At the moment I have an elliptical adapter tray.

p.

 

[elgenper]

I seem to recall, from my Leicaflex SL days, how I once took the battery out and replaced the cover (the SL had only the battery in the bottom), foolishly screwing it in as far as it went.  Without the battery, that was far enough for the "cover" threads to pass the "hole" threads completely, so the cover rotated freely in there without the threads engaging.  It took a lot of fiddling (and swearing...) to get it out again.

Edited January 2, 2020 by elgenper

[wlaidlaw]

43 minutes ago, elgenper said:

I seem to recall, from my Leicaflex SL days, how I once took the battery out and replaced the cover (the SL had only the battery in the bottom), foolishly screwing it in as far as it went.  Without the battery, that was far enough for the "cover" threads to pass the "hole" threads completely, so the cover rotated freely in there without the threads engaging.  It took a lot of fiddling (and swearing...) to get it out again.

As someone about to add a Leicaflex SL2 to my collection of classic Leicas (it is in the post from Romania to me), a very useful warning. Many thanks. 

Wilson

[wlaidlaw]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Does anyone know, if using a modern 1.55V 625A alkaline battery for the viewfinder illumination of the SL2 causes a drastic shortening of the life of the bulb, which given the date of the camera, I would assume is an incandescent low voltage bulb. I will take my one remaining working MR-9 voltage regulated PX625 replacer out of a spare MR-4 Leicameter (I have another 2 MR-4 Leicameters re-calibrated to alkaline batteries) for the exposure meter. I have another semi-working MR-9 625 replacer which you have to "wake up" by doing three or four voltage checks before it will say hello plus 2 dead ones, now thrown away. I refuse to use the expensive Wein zinc-air hearing aid 625 button cells, as they run down, even when not in use and always seem to be dead, when I come to use a camera with one of them. 

Wilson