i had my m6 in a small padded over the shoulder case while biking. while on some twisty trails the bag swung out and hit a tree, no i did not fall. i didn't give it much thought as the camera still worked. the rangefinder is fine and the wind feels normal. upon closer inspection the rewind knob took the impact and is deformed enough to rub on the body once per rev. i want to take it off but the screw is tight.

is this a reverse threaded screw? it wouldn't make sense, since rewinding would tend to loosen the screw. i need to get it off so i can diy it back into shape or order a new one. the camera doesn't need a tech since only the rewind hub is damaged.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002

Answers

Steve: On one occasion, I tried to rewind an exposed strip of film by turning the crank in the direction opposite to the arrow. The rewind know came off in my hand. I telephoned Leica USA and they said that what I had done is what they do when they need to remove the knob. I put the knob back on the shaft and turned it in the direction of the arrow and it screwed back on. I haven't touched the little set screw. As long as I always turn the knob in the direction of the arrow, I have no trouble. Good luck!

-- Robert Raab (frraab@aol.com), May 04, 2002.

You've seen the tiny setscrew that goes in from the side, hidden under the handle until it's unfolded, right? First you loosen the setscrew, *then* you back the knob off, either by holding something up the inside into the fork, or by holding the screwhead on top of the shaft, visible in the center of the knob.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

Use a plastic lever and bend it back!

-- John Collier (jbcollier@shaw.ca), May 04, 2002.

i thought of that john, but i reckon that the hub is stronger than the body. much easier to take it off.

i see the screw in the side of the shaft, but i don't yet have a driver small enough.

there is film in it, so i'll finish it first so i can grab the interior shaft while twisting the hub backwards.

this happened to me before with the hub driven into the body, would not move requiring a tech. the chrome black knob looked a bit odd on the black paint camera. stay tuned.

thanks so far, more comments welcome.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

is there anything more beautiful on earth than a thoroughbred in full gallop at the Kentucky Derby.

the winner War Emblem. georgous animal.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

Hope you enjoyed your regulation mint julep.

Sorry I can't help you with specific information, but earlier German screws are usually reverse threaded relative to UK/US screws. Don't know if this helps...

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 04, 2002.

These little problems of the body parts bending were solved by the adoption of ABS plastic as the standard construction material for cameras in the 1980s. Steel feels nice, but it does get dented.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 04, 2002.

Steve: Send it back to Leica USA and let them fix it. This illustrates the value of the Leica Passport!

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), May 05, 2002.

doc, the camera was made in 1984, so no passport. i wouldn't send it in, and be w/o, even w/passport, as it is a so trivial problem.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Steve, just bend it back. I've done it several times and the assembly can easily bear the strain. As Mani noted, if the rewind was made of plastic, it would just spring back into shape - maybe titanium would be a sensible material here.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 05, 2002.

BTW - it's unlikely that the spindle itself is bent - what happens in my experience is that the actual rewind knob assembly deforms under impact and becomes oval in shape, which is why it grinds against the body. It can be completely solved by putting a screwdriver between the body and the knob at the point where it makes contact and just levering it out. A ten second fix. Not something worth sending your camera off to the shop for.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), May 05, 2002.

Robert got it right. on second view there is no set screw.

i finished the roll, put my finger inside to hold the shaft and unscrewed the knob, bent the knob almost good as new. it's only slightly out. no marks on the body.

btw, there were six washers under the knob, why?

-- steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.