K3 Assembly - Main Axis not centered

[Manuel Goetz]

Hi all,

 

I've got a problem with my Krasnogorsk K3 that I'm sure can be solved with the help of this forum.

 

I've observed my camera scratching the film on the base side, and sometimes loosing the loop, which interestingly only ever occurs with black and white material, hence is presumably due to the slightly thinner material.

 

So I've inspected the drive mechanism, ruling out where the scratches come from, with the felt pen method, and it turns out they're occuring in the first pair or rollers, after the film comes off the feeding spool. The loop formers are removed. Taking a closer look, it seems that the main axis, where the sprocket wheel is attached, is not in the center of the hole in the cover plate where it is supposed to be, but slightly to the right. This makes the path for the film thinner on the right side than on the left side, squeezing the film between the sprocket and the rollers, thus scratching the film. So far my theory.

 

I'm attaching a photo that might help to illustrate the issue.

 

I've tried several times to dis- and reasseemble the main cover, playing around with the position of the gear wheel that connects to the drive mechanism, but each time I engage the spring, the cover slips in what is presumably the correct position, which in my case puts the cover a little bit too far to the left, or to the bottom side of the camera, thus placing the axis too far right, or to far up.

 

Any ideas on that problem? I'd really appreciate your guy's help!

 

Cheers,

Manuel