The Rough Guide to Cleaning, Lubricating, and Adjusting the Sinar

The Rough Guide to Cleaning, Lubricating, and Adjusting the Sinar Norma
General Notes:
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The Sinar Norma has two kinds of screws: aluminum screws that thread into aluminum threads, and steel screws that thread into aluminum threads.
Both configurations have a very limited ability to handle torque. So be very careful when tightening screws in your Norma. Use screwdrivers with small
handles to keep the torque levels low.
The Sinar Norma has several center detents. These are created by a spring, which presses a ball bearing into a machined slot. During a CLA on a Sinar
Norma, some of these ball bearings will be able to suddenly jump free of the camera when the corresponding slot is moved out of the way during
disassembly. I will warn you about this at the corresponding point in the process, but be forewarned that finding a 3.5mm ball bearing in a shag carpet
(to use my own experience!) is a real drag, and a little care at the appropriate point in the process can go a long way towards making the CLA an
enjoyable experience.
If you are listening to music while working on your camera, turn the music off before you remove a part that exposes a center detent ball bearing. That
way, if the bearing does fly away from your grasp, you have a chance of hearing where it lands and narrowing down your search!
Top and Bottom are used to refer to parts based on how they would be placed if the camera was on a tripod with the standards leveled.
Lightly grease means: apply a very thin layer of grease using a small brush. The layer of grease should be transparent. The Sinar Norma manual uses the
elegant term "emulsion" to refer to the thickness of this layer of grease. If you apply too much, wipe away the excess with a lint-free cloth. What
remains after lightly wiping with a cloth (or a nitrile-gloved finger) is probably the right amount of grease.
Older Sinar Normas use screws to attach the fine focus and swing scales to the corresponding surface of the standard. Newer Normas use contact
cement to hold these scales in place. I see no reason to remove these scales during the CLA, unless aligning the camera requires that you adjust the
position of one of these scales. If you end up doing this and you have a newer Norma, then be sure to have some contact cement on hand to re-attach
the swing or focus scales to the camera.
For cleaning most parts of the camera, electronic parts cleaner is the best solvent to use. For more stubborn deposits of dried grease or the lacquer Sinar
used for thread-locking, Acetone or nail polish remover is helpful, but be careful to keep Acetone away from the plastic parts of the camera. Also be
aware that Acetone can dissolve the contact cement used to adhere the swing and fine focus scales on newer Normas.
This guide does not currently address disassembly or re-assembly of:
• The fine focus knob and locking collet
• The lensboard holder and camera back holder mechanisms
• The monorail sleeves
Consider reading all the way through this guide before servicing your camera, so that you know what to expect during the process.
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Service one standard at a time on your camera. The pictures in this guide are intended to help you conceptualize how parts fit together, but having a
second, assembled standard is even more helpful if you lose your way during re-assembly.
This guide is a work-in-progress. Over time, I hope to add pictures showing every step of the process. Contact the author, [email protected] with
any suggestions.
Supplies You Will Need:
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A small quantity of molybdenum disulfide grease (sold in multiple-lifetime quantities at auto parts stores)
Silicone lubricant (sole at auto parts stores)
A small paint brush (¼" wide or so) to apply the grease
A toothbrush for cleaning camera parts
Approximately 50 Q-tips for applying solvents or scrubbing hard-to-reach areas
A box of wooden toothpicks for scraping or picking during cleaning and also for applying small amounts of grease
A roll of paper towels (I favor the blue shop towels available at auto parts stores)
Electronics Parts cleaner (comes in a spray bottle, sold at auto parts stores)
Acetone or Nail Polish Remover
A small quantity of clear nail polish
A supply of compressed air can be helpful for drying parts you have just cleaned or for blasting debris free from camera parts
A supply of nitrile gloves to prevent skin contact with the solvents and lubricants used in the CLA process.
Hex wrenches (also known as Allen wrenches) in the following sizes
• 2.0mm
• 2.5mm
Slotted precision screwdrivers in the following sizes
• 1.4mm
• 2.0mm
• 2.4mm
• 3.0mm
• 4.0mm (something with a substantial handle so you can apply significant torque is ideal for this one)
Two mirrors 3.5" by 4.5". Get a glass shop to drill a 3/8" hole through the center of one of the mirrors (or carefully do so yourself with a drill bit designed
for glass.).
A torpedo level
Some adhesive tape, like double-sided carpet tape or gaffer's tape
600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
Supplies You May Need (if you have an older Norma with the press-fit shift bar caps)
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A small or medium weight hammer (something more petite than a framing hammer should work)
A steel rod, 3/8" or ½" diameter, 4" long.
PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench penetrating lubricant
Acknowledgements
John Wimberley is a master photographer, master printer, and photography education bodhisattva. As a longtime Sinar Norma owner, he is a wealth of
information on this camera and was very generous with his time, answering many questions by email as I went through the process of learning to CLA my Sinar
Norma. John also contributed several enhancements of his own to the first draft of this guide.
Disclaimer
I'm just a photographer, writer, and tinkerer. The contents of this guide are based on my experience with my Sinar Norma. I believe the information herein to be
accurate and helpful, but I cannot be responsible for its actual use and application, or the results you may realize with your camera. Please contact me
([email protected]) if you have any suggestions for improving this guide.
Cleaning and Lubricating the Sinar Norma
1. Remove the lensboard and camera
back, set them aside.
2. Pick a standard and remove it from
the monorail.
3. Remove the cap screws at the top of
the standard risers, and slide the
lensboard holder or camera back
holder free of the standards and set
it aside.
4. Replace the cap screws at the top of
each standard riser.
5. Unscrew the tilt locking screw
completely, and withdraw it from
the standard. The standard risers will
fall free. Clean these parts and set
aside.
Watch out for the thin metal washer
on the knob end of the tilt locking
screw.
6. Use Acetone or nail polish remover
to dissolve any lacquer on the three
slotted locking bar setscrews
identified in the picture at right. Be
careful not to get any of this solvent
on plastic parts.
7. Partially unscrew the three slotted
locking bar setscrews. Three full
turns should be sufficient.
8. Extract the trapezoidal locking bar
from the focusing track. Light
pressure with a screwdriver tip
should be sufficient to push it out of
its place. Clean the trapezoidal bar
and set aside.
9. Separate the top and bottom halves
of the focusing track. After removing
the trapezoidal locking bar, these
two halves of the focusing track will
just "fall apart."
10. Use electronic parts cleaner to clean
the bottom part of the focusing
track, and then set it aside.
11. Examine the caps at the end of the
tilt bar. They will either be a pressfit, or secured in place with two
2.5mm Allen bolts. If they are
secured with Allen bolts, remove the
cap opposite the tilt locking knob by
unscrewing the Allen bolts using a
2.5mm Allen wrench. (It's important
to remove the cap opposite the tilt
locking knob, because it makes reassembly of standard easier.) Clean
the bolts, and set them aside and
move to step 15 below. If these caps
are a press fit, then complete steps
12 to 14 below.
12. Spray a penetrating lubricant on the
following components of the shift
bar and end cap:
a. The locating pins
b. The area where the end
plate mates with the shift
bar
c. The hole where the tilt
locking screw passes through
the shift bar
13. Allow the penetrating lubricant to
work for 15 or 30 minutes.
14. Use the steel rod and hammer to tap
the shift bar end cap free of the shift
bar. The steel rod should be lightly
held against the end cap and tapped
with a hammer. Move around the
circumference of the end cap,
tapping lightly until the end cap falls
free of the shift bar.
15. Remove the shift bar spacer, clean it,
and set it aside. Note whether this is
a short or long spacer so that during
reassembly you can properly
position it.
16. Important Note: Under the shift bar
is a ball bearing backed by a spring.
This ball bearing engages a pocket in
the shift bar to form the center
detent action for the camera shift
movement. While removing the
topside focusing track assembly from
the shift bar, this ball bearing will
have a tendency to spring away from
the camera and become lost in the
most obscure part of your
workspace. Wrapping a (paper or
terrycloth) towel around the shift
bar during removal from the topside
focusing assembly traps this ball
bearing after it is sprung free of the
camera. If you lose this ball bearing,
you can use any stainless steel
3.5mm ball bearing as a replacement
(feel free to contact me
([email protected]) for this: I
have the better part of a 250 pack of
these things on hand for
replacements), but if you exercise
reasonable care you should not need
to replace your detent ball bearings.
17. Wrap a towel around the shift bar
assembly and slowly slide the
topside focusing track assembly out
of the shift bar.
18. After the shift bar is free of the
topside focusing track assembly, look
for the center detent ball bearing in
the towel. Clean this bearing and set
it aside.
19. Clean the shift bar and set it aside.
Note: This picture depicts a shift bar with the WRONG end cap removed. Re-assembling this standard
required three hands!
20. Five screws are used to secure the
swing mechanism to the topside
focusing track. Three of these screws
are set screws, and two hold the
swing mechanism to the topside
focusing track. See the pictures at
right for detail.
21. Remove the two large slotted set
screws. Clean them and set aside.
22. Partially unscrew the 2mm Allen set
screw. Two to three full revolutions
should be sufficient.
23. Completely unscrew the two slotted
screws that secure the swing
mechanism to the topside focusing
track. Clean them and set aside.
24. Slowly remove the swing
mechanism. There may be some
stiction holding it to its mating
surface of the topside focusing track,
so work it back and forth as you pull
it free.
Note that there is another center
detent ball bearing between the
swing mechanism and the topside
focusing track mechanism, so be
careful to not lose this ball bearing.
The spring pressure on it is slowly
released as you pull the swing
mechanism free of the topside
focusing tracking mechanism and it is
likely coated in grease, so it is less
likely to spring into an obscure
corner of the room, but be careful
anyway.
25. Clean and set aside the swing
mechanism.
26. Partially unscrew the swing center
detent adjustment Allen screws.
Extract the swing center detent
adjuster from its place in the topside
focusing track mechanism. Clean this
part and set aside.
27. Completely clean all surfaces of the
topside focusing track mechanism.
28. Completely clean all surfaces of the
shift mechanism.
29. Lightly grease the hole where the
swing center detent adjuster resides.
Replace the swing center detent
adjuster in this hole.
30. Replace the spring and ball bearing
in the center detent adjuster.
31. Lightly grease the top surface of the
topside focusing track mechanism
(the surface that mates with the
swing mechanism) and the swing
mechanism pivot.
32. Place the swing mechanism back on
the topside focusing track.
33. Lightly grease the chamber in the
swing mechanism where the
retaining plate resides. Replace the
retaining plate.
34. Lightly screw the swing retaining
plate down using the two slotted
screws.
35. Use the swing center detent
adjusting screws to approximately
center the swing center detent.
36. Adjust the slotted screws in the
swing retaining plate to get the
"correct" amount of pressure on the
swing mechanism. This has to be
done by feel, and it may take several
iterations.
I like to put the shift bar back in
place atop the swing mechanism,
and then test the feel of the swing
mechanism in its locked and
unlocked states. Then, if it needs
adjustment, it is easy to slide the
shift bar off, make a small
adjustment to the slotted screws on
the retaining plate, remount the shift
bar, and test again.
37. After you are pleased with feel of the
swing mechanism, replace and
gently tighten the slotted set screws
and the single Allen set screw.
38. Lightly grease the top side of the
swing mechanism (the surface that
mates with the shift bar).
39. Trial fit the shift bar back on its track.
You will probably need to adjust the
square shift bar retainer so that the
locking mechanism works properly.
If you've followed these instructions
closely, you haven't touched the
round shift bar retainer (except to
clean it). But the square one is
clamped down by the shift locking
lever, and you'll need to experiment
with how far to screw it down so
that the shift bar can be slide back
into place and so that the shift
locking lever functions correctly.
40. Note: This step is a great time to be
really relaxed, focused, and free of
large amounts of caffeine in the
system. I have nothing against
caffeine, but it often causes small
tremors in the hands, and the next
step will probably go a lot smoother
for you if your hands are steady.
Slide the shift bar partially back in
place. The shift center detent ball
bearing needs to be held in place
while the shift bar is slid over the
hole where this ball bearing resides.
Use a thin, flexible, but strong tool to
hold enough pressure on the ball
bearing so that the shift bar can slide
over it. Ultimately, you want to slide
the shift bar all the way back into
place, trapping the ball bearing
between the shift bar and the spring
that holds the ball bearing against
the shift bar. I have successfully used
a small screwdriver blade, as well as
the fingernail on my thumb, to hold
the ball bearing in place while the
shift bar is being replaced. Feel free
to use whatever works,
remembering that if pressure is
suddenly removed from the ball
bearing, it will launch into the
workspace and may be difficult to
locate.
This is another good time to use a
towel to cover the whole
mechanism, as the ball bearing will
want to spring away at the first
opportunity.
By the way, remember in step 11
how I specified which end cap to
remove? That was so that this step
goes easier. Two hands are enough
to complete this step if you remove
the correct end of the shift bar. If
you remove the other end, you need
three hands to complete this step!
41. Lightly grease the steel collar on the
end cap (and the locating pins if it is
a press-fit cap). Replace the shift bar
end cap.
42. Lightly grease the threaded part of
the tilt locking screw. Lightly grease
1" of the tilt locking screw rod
adjacent to the knob.
43. Push the tilt locking screw through
the right standard.
44. Push the tilt locking screw through
the shift bar, replace the left
standard, and then screw the whole
assembly together.
Note: If your standard uses the
press-fit end caps for this shift car,
you may have to screw the tilt lock
down a little harder than usual the
first time to get the end cap pressed
back in place.
45. Remove the standard cap screws,
replace the lensboard holder or
camera back holder, and then
replace the standard cap screws.
46. Lightly grease the surfaces of the
bottomside focusing track
mechanism. Re-join the topside and
bottomside of the focusing
mechanism and hold them together.
47. Lightly grease and insert the
trapezoidal locking bar. Align the bar
so it is flush with both ends of the
focusing mechanism.
48. Carefully tighten the three locking
bar setscrews. The feel of the
focusing mechanism is based on how
much these screws are tightened
down, so adjust them until the
focusing mechanism feels right.
Remember that they are steel screws
going into aluminum threads, so be
careful.
49. Use clear fingernail polish to secure
the three locking bar setscrews. Use
a toothpick to place a tiny drop of
fingernail polish on the head of each
screw and the surrounding metal
after the screw has been tightened
to your satisfaction.
50. On each standard, there are four
sliders that ride against the steel
spine on the top of the monorail.
These sliders are held in place with
setscrews. See picture at right.
Clamp down the standard you are
working on.
51. One at a time, loosen a set screw for
one of the four sliders. Work on 1
slider at a time to avoid the hassle of
having to adjust the verticality of the
standard relative to the monorail.
Use a flat blade screwdriver that
tightly fits the slot on the monorail
slider. Place the screwdriver in the
slider slot, tilt the screwdriver handle
about 10 degrees, and then use it to
gently pull the monorail slider out of
its hole.
52. Examine the monorail slider. If it has
been worn by the steel spine on top
of the monorail, then do step 53.
53. Use 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper to
grind down the end of the monorail
slider opposite the slotted end. Place
the sandpaper on a horizontal work
surface, wet it, and hold the
monorail slider vertically. Rub the
slider against the sandpaper in a
figure-8 pattern. Periodically check
the end of the monorail slider and
continue grinding it down until the
surface is smooth and free of wear
marks (it will have fine scratches
from the sandpaper but that is OK).
54. Clean the monorail slider. Replace
the monorail slider in its hole. Hold it
in place with a slotted screwdriver
while gently tightening the setscrew
for that slider.
Repeat steps 51 – 54 for each
monorail slider.
55. Remove the coarse focus locking
lever at the base of the standard
(simply unscrew it completely from
the captured nut). Clean and lightly
grease the screw threads, and
replace it in the standard. Note that
you can adjust the "landing" position
of the locking lever by adjusting the
rotation of the captured nut.
56. The following steps apply to the
lensboard or back holder.
Remove the two screws at the top of
the holder.
57. Remove the chrome retaining clip
from the top of the standard. The
sliding clips on the front and back of
the holder will fall free. There are
two 3mm ball bearings that can fall
free at this point, so watch out for
these.
I have a large supply of these on
hand, so feel free to contact me for
replacements if you lose one of
these.
58. Clean the retaining clip, the sliding
clips, and the surface of the holder.
59. Lightly grease the surface of the
holder, replace the components, and
replace the screws at the top of the
holder.
60. Repeat steps 2 - 59 for the other
standard.
61. The monorail should also be cleaned
with electronics cleaner, and
lubricated by spraying it with a small
quantity of silicone lubricant, and
then wiping it clean with a paper
towel.
Adjusting the Sinar Norma
The goal of this section is to help you get both standards of your Sinar Norma aligned with the monorail and aligned with each other. The most
important outcome of this section is to have both standards perfectly parallel with each other. The second most important outcome is to have both
standards square to the monorail.
There are probably several useful approaches to aligning a view camera. This section presents one of those approaches, but I'm sure that other
approaches can be used to get your camera aligned.
62. Remove the bellows from the
camera, but leave an empty
lensboard (a lensboard with the lens
removed) and the camera back
attached to the standards.
63. Mount the monorail, with rear and
front standards mounted, on the
most sturdy tripod/head
combination you have.
64. Level the rear standard as accurately
as you can, using the spirit levels on
the rear standard topside focusing
mechanism.
65. Loosen the tilt center detent ball
bearing carrier locking screws on
both sides of the standard using your
4mm flat blade screwdriver. 1 to 3
full revolutions should be enough
loosening on these screws.
66. Adjust the tilt center detent ball
bearing carrier on one side of the
standard using a flat blade screw
driver. Use the spirit levels on the
camera back to get the rear standard
90 degrees to the monorail (both
horizontal spirit levels should read
the same).
Note: The tilt center detent ball
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
bearing carrier will tend to creep out
of the hole where it is positioned.
While completing the next step,
apply some pressure to the carrier to
keep it flush with the surface of the
hole where it resides.
Lightly tighten down the tilt center
detent locking screws on that side of
the standard.
Adjust the tilt center detent ball
bearing holder on the other side of
the standard using a flat blade screw
driver. Use the spirit levels on the
camera back to get the rear standard
90 degrees to the monorail (both
horizontal spirit levels should read
the same).
Lightly tighten down the tilt center
detent locking screws on that side of
the standard.
Verify that the standard finds the
center detent crisply, and
consistently aligns 90 degrees to the
monorail. You may have to try
several adjustments of the tilt center
detent ball bearing holder to achieve
this.
Tighten the tilt center detent locking
screws on both sides of the standard.
(be careful not to tighten too much:
these are steel screws in aluminum
threads.)
Tilt the monorail to a vertical
orientation. Use a torpedo level to
get it aligned vertically as accurately
as you can.
73. Unscrew both swing center detent
adjustment screws three full
revolutions or so.
Adjust the swing center detent using
the adjustment screws so that the
rear standard is as close to horizontal
as possible (Use a torpedo level to
measure this).
74. After the swing center detent is
adjusted, make sure both swing
center detent adjusting screws are
tightened down enough, but not too
much.
75. Return the monorail to a horizontal,
leveled state.
76. Tape the mirror with the hole in it to
the empty lensboard, with the hole
centered in the lensboard cutout.
Ensure the mirror is as flat against
the lensboard as possible.
77. Insert the other mirror in the area
where filmholders are placed. Be
gentle so you don't crack the mirror.
Center this mirror in the film
aperture.
78. Look through the hole in the mirror
that is mounted to the lensboard.
Adjust the tilt center detent and
swing center detent mechanisms so
that the "trail" of reflected holes
aligns upon itself and doesn't "trail
off" to one side or the other.
79. Lock down the swing center detent
and tilt center detent locking screws.
80. Test the tilt and swing center detents
to ensure that they consistently lock
in place with the front standard
aligned to the rear.
81. Remove the mirrors. You're done!