All posts by Richard

1957 Canon L2 top plate removal

 

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I recently acquired a 1957 Canon L2 from a fellow in Japan. As the listing stated, it is fully functional in every way. It is a joy to use. Smooth, well built, balanced. It’s only flaw is the same as every camera I’ve gotten, Hazy viewfinder. I did some research and found not much at all on this model but similar models share the same rangefinder set up, but the top plate is slightly different on them. The following is the method I used to get at the insides of the top plate.

canon_L2_clean-01  start by removing the front RF collar. It unscrews counter clockwise (ccw) with just your fingers After removing the collar, remove the lens, it should be tight but it just slips out and under that is a ring that holds the lens. A spanner wrench is required to remove it. The lens has spanner slots too, this can be aligned with the ring underneath and both unscrewed at the same time if you have the right tool. Also the lens spanner slots makes it possible to realign the vertical RF image by rotating it until the image is correct.

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Cuttlebug V2 Repair

Recently my wife’s brand new Cuttlebug V2 embosser lost an internal gear and quit working. After searching the internet, she discovered it is a known problem. The manufacture was awesome, they sent her a new one for free and let her keep the old one. We decided to repair it and keep it as a backup in case the newer one breaks after the warranty is expired.

As with most cases found searching the internet, a gear, washer and screw falls out the bottom. On ours the washer was missing. I went to the hardware store and got a basic #6 flat washer.

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This repair is for the newer model Cuttlebug only. If you have the older version, this link might be of help. Also, this is posted as a reference to this repair only. I do not know any thing else about the CuttleBug or repairs, it is my wifes CuttleBug.

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Vintage Camera Repair Nicca 3S / Tower 43

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After film testing my Tower 43, I was getting pictures back from the Lab that the frames were only half exposed and with an obvious hunk of broken film wedged in the area between the image aperture and the pressure plate. It was possible that the film piece was fouling the shutter curtains, so after removing the film piece I tried another roll but got the same results, just not as bad.

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Some Film to Digital shots

A while ago I blogged about my new hobby, collecting vintage cameras then cleaning and fixing them, then taking pictures with them and converting them to digital with a negative scanner. I mostly have been shooting “test rolls” where I test for:  light leaks, exposure meter accuracy, focus, clarity etc… Here are a few shots I’ve taken so far.

Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, Rokkor 45mm 1:1.8 lens, Fujicolor 200 ASA, Epson V100 scanner. From the Japanese garden, Ashland Oregon. Test of exposure
Yashica Electro 35 GS, Color Yashinon DX 45mm 1:1.7 lens, Fujicolor 200 ASA, Epson V100 scanner. Old tea pot planter in garden, you can see the grain of the fire wood and the individual  leaves on the Rosemary. Close-up focus test
Yashica Electro 35 GS, Color Yashinon DX 45mm 1:1.7 lens, Fujicolor 200 ASA, Epson V100 scanner “Pinks” in backyard. Close-up focus test
Petri 7s, Petri 45mm 1:1.8 lens, Fujicolor 200 ASA, Epson V100 scanner. Yreka Western RR, Yreka Calif.
Petri 7s, Petri 45mm 1:1.8 lens, Fujicolor 200 ASA, Epson V100 scanner. Union Pacific at Castella Calif.
Voigtlander Vitoret, Color Lanthar 50mm 1:2.8 lens, Fujichrome 100, Epson V100 scanner. Lithia Park upper duck pond, Ashland Oregon, simple scale focus and shoot camera, no meter, I whetted my finger and stuck it in the air.

The hardest thing is subject matter. Sure it’s just a test roll but some subjects can test many variables at once, plus I have many images of the same thing..LOL On the cameras that are older and have no metering system I use a separate light meter or use the “sunny 16” rule.

Grilled Turkey Tenderloin

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I grilled out some Turkey tenderloins today. I didn’t want them to dry out on the grill so I looked around at some recipes and concocted this marinade from scratch getting ideas from the ones I found online.

  • 2     Tbl.   fresh sage chopped
  • 1     Tbl.   fresh rosemary chopped
  • 4    cloves   garlic crushed
  • ½   cup   lemon juice
  • ½   cup   white wine
  • ½   cup   olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6     Turley tenderloins
  • (you can substitute ¼ cup Cilantro for Sage and Rosemary and Lime for Lemon for a Tex-Mex twist)

Mix all  ingredients (except turkey) in a large measuring cup and pour over tenderloins in a large gallon zip-lock bag. Remove all air from bag and set in refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Grill over medium flame about 7-8 minutes on each side until done in middle, finished temp should be from 165° to 170° so to prevent over cooking, cook to just under 165° and remove from flame and cover with foil to ‘rest’ the meat for at least 10 minutes. Slice into medallions or thinly on the bias.

New Hobby for me

Yashica Electro 35 GSN 1973
Yashica Electro 35 GSN 1973

I’ve recently acquired a new hobby, collecting vintage cameras, repairing them and taking pictures with them then burning the negatives into digital. It started when I was posting some pics on my Pinterest account/board. I saw someone had posted some pics of an old camera. I followed the link and did some reading up on the subject. Apparently there are many “pro’s” out there that believe the image results are equal if not better shooting film than digital, and there are certainly many things you can’t get away with shooting digital that you can with film, like better detail in a back-lit subjects.

Argus C44 1956. Made in USA
Argus C44 1956. Made in USA

I Updated my website with new pages about my collection and some fixes. Stop by and get nostalgic. there are some links to other sites about the subject. Also I explain how I fixed the above Yashica Electro 35 GSN, it was quite a task.

Desktop Pop-up Reminder for Win XP, 7

A little trick I learned to add a pop up reminder on your Desktop on Windows XP. If you use Windows 7, see below

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  1. Open ‘Notepad’ and create your note and save it to where ever you want but remember where you save it.
  2. Now go to Add Scheduled Task (Start>Control Panel>Scheduled Tasks>click ‘Add Scheduled Task’) click ‘Next’, (it might take a few seconds to open next page)
  3. Click ‘Browse’, find your note you created and double click it, choose your schedule, daily, once etc., click ‘Next’,
  4. Choose time and date you want it to pop-up, click ‘Next’
  5. Leave the user name alone (it should be on the correct user already) put in your password you use to log on (leave blank if your computer is not set up with a password) click ‘Next’
  6. Click ‘Finish’ or if you’re on a laptop check “Open advanced properties for this task when I click finish” then click ‘Finish’
  7. Click the ‘Settings’ tab, un-check the two battery options in Power Management section at bottom, click ‘Apply’ then ‘Ok’

Probably old news and most people have Windows 7 by now so follow these instructions for Windows 7. Totally different procedure but the little pop-up you get is cool

Windows 7

Follow this link to learn how to create a pop-up reminder on your Desktop if you have Window 7

Weekend Getaway!

Cheryl and I had just about had enough of this heat and B.S. going on lately so we went to the coast for a little R&R. I made reservations on a Tuesday for the following Friday/Saturday nights and surprisingly got rooms. Later we learned that in Florence, there was a “Rods n Rhodies” car show thing going on down in Old Town and in Bandon they were having their Cranberry Festival that same weekend.

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An “added bonus”, since we knew nothing about the festivities in advance, so we kept our original agenda of relaxing and playing it by ear (sort of, I always have some plans in mind) We got started later than usual, Friday at noon after Cheryl got off work. We went straight through Reedsport in stead of stopping to make dinner at Mo’s in time. Besides, one of our favorite antique shops had closed and that would have been our only stop anyway.

We got to Florence around 3:30-4, got checked into our room and went down to” Old Town” along the river. We did our shopping before going to dinner at Mo’s, a twist for us, as we usually have a lunch at Mo’s, then shopping. As usual, there were a few new shops and a few missing shops.

Here are some pics of the Old Town area:

 

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We did some antiquing the next day before leaving Florence, then on our way to Bandon we stopped at Winchester Bay so I could pick up some smoked salmon. I couldn’t resist so I got a crab cocktail while there, OMG! It was the best crab cocktail I’ve ever had and I consider myself quite the crab critique…

 

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Just next door to Winchester Bay is the Umpqua River Lighthouse and USCG barracks with the old USCG admin building, now a museum…

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In Bandon we walked around the Cranberry Festival and shops till we dropped. Later we went to the Coquille River Lighthouse as the Sun was setting and to Face Rock to watch the Sun sink into the ocean.

 

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The last day, on our way home we stopped at Misty Meadows and got more food souvenirs and we stopped at the West Coast Game Park Safari to see the baby Tiger and Leopard. Billed as the nations largest petting zoo, there are lots of deer and goats and other critters roaming freely about the park.

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If you like, I have all the pics from our weekend HERE at 

Iconic Image

Today we went to a flea market and I fount an old 1964 National Geographic that had NASA stuff about ‘future’ flights to the moon. It also had the JFK funeral. It was only .50 cents, I was expecting a couple bucks, which I would have paid.

I was looking through the magazine, mostly at the cool old ads and came to the Kennedy article. Even though at the time I had just turned 3 years old, I remember seeing this on TV. Then I came to this:

…after 47 years I still get all choked up at this  image which, after searching google, there are several taken from different angles, all equally as heartbreaking. I believe this image(s) will live on in history as one of the most iconic images of our time.

Day Trip to Dunsmuir

I took what I call my “Last day trip to Dunsmuir for a while” on Wednesday (10/6/10) meaning, I start my new job at Schwan’s on Monday and it’s going to be a while before I have any time off to do such things. Even though I only saw one train that day, it was a very satisfying and relaxing day. Rewarding as well as I found two new things I have never seen before along the old Siskiyou Line in Northern Cal. and got to chat with an online acquaintance at what was a chance meeting at a remote area along the line.

The night before my trip, I emailed a fellow, Robert “Photobob” Morris saying I was going to be in Dunsmuir area and hoped to run into him. Well the next day as I was driving through Grenada, CA, a very small very old farm town along the Siskiyou line, I noticed a strange looking old Line-shack I had never noticed before. There was a road leading right up to it. It was an old but still usable “in-Motion” track weight scale used for the farmers grain cars.

As I was checking it out, up pulls Robert and his wife to take some pictures as well. Small world… We were both surprised that, after many many years, and being in a small town with high unemployment and basically nothing for the local kids to do it was in such pristine shape. There wasn’t a single bit of graffiti or vandalism, there was expensive but primitive electrical equipment inside behind unlocked doors. I have some pictures at my Picasa site. The first few are of the scale, shack and the old Southern Pacific concrete line shack.

There are a few images of my other discovery that day. An old section of road with a cool old trestle going over it. Thought it would be a good future photo-op location if trains ever return to that section of track again.