The camera is really a simple box camera but with a pseudo-TLR viewfinder. It is the only one made for 127 film, except for some very obscure Japanese ones only sold on the home market in tiny quantities. Even this one is pretty rare. The body is pressed sheet brass, with nickel-plated edge details which are the actual body metal showing beyond the leatherette panels. The other sheet metal parts – internals, folding hood – are sheet steel. It has three stops on a partial wheel, T&I shutter speeds. There is a tripod socket and a cable release connection; no sync. Dismantling All screws are visible, no need to remove any covering. Lots of photos, though now it is all apart, the order of reassembly will be somewhat different, e.g. the M/Z lever will go on much earlier than it was taken off so that it can be mated with the shutter. The shutter is rather delicate, which is why it didn’t work. There is a long spring with a shaped hook on the end, which was mangled but is now straightened and then carefully slightly bent so it catches the rear plate of the shutter and releases at full stroke. There is a number 637 pencilled inside on 3 places, presumably an internal factory serial number, not visible without dismantling. Wind Knob None present, but good photos from the Westlicht auction show what it should look like, and give an accurate idea of dimensions – 17mm dia, approx. 9mm high, with parallel knurling, 3 grooves machined on the top face, and a single screw through the centre to fix. I made one, and its corresponding internal spindle. The knob I nickel-plated in a small cell using bright nickel solution and nickel anodes. When I first took pictures with the camera I realised that there was more to do; the winder must have had a one-way feature to stop the film unwinding whenever you let go. I coiled up some wire to make a simple friction device to prevent it moving the wrong way - and found the slot in the housing for the end of my new spring, demonstrating that one must originally have been there. Optics Meniscus taking lens, biconvex viewing lens. The mirror is rear-surface, filthy, peeling silvering and very badly cut. I wonder if it is original, it is so crummy. There is nothing written on the back. I have replaced it with a piece of front-silvered mirror ex a Polaroid camera. Apertures are 5.9mm, 3.7mm, 2.1mm. The FL is about 55mm, so that’s f/9, f/15, f/26 approximately. Cosmetics There was a nasty crushing dent at the lower front right corner, affecting mainly the plated edge detail. Once all the camera’s internals were out I carefully tapped it back using pieces of scrap hardwood shaped suitably, and a small hammer. After cleaning, I polished all the visible plated parts with Autosol then used acrylic leather paint to restore the colour of the leatherette panels. All small metal bits were also polished up, such as the shutter release.
Above - the shutter mechanism - note seriously deformed spring-hook. Below - the same component re-formed.
The original (maybe non-original?) mirror.
A couple of results - reasonably sharp in the centre, very soft nearer the edges. HP5+ in Rodinal.