Yet more F: the batteries are free
I took the F to the venerable California Precision Service in Sacramento where I used to get all my repairs done 20 years ago.
They were duly impressed at the F but told me there’s no parts available so I was on my own as far as repairs.
I did have them test the shutter and as it turned out the 40+ year old mechanism was as accurate as ever. Simply amazing.
So it was time to focus on those pesky batteries…
I’d tried a few things so far, a paperclip hook for instance, but the batteries were stuck tight. I even tried to remove the housing bottom but for some reason it wouldn’t come off. Finally I turned to Mr. DeWalt and his little buddy Bit.
I drilled into the batteries and used a pair of long nose pliers to yank them out. It was surprisingly tough, but it worked.
Alkaline batteries (Kodak brand). This explained the hefty deposits of potassium hydroxide caked around the inside of the battery compartment. This presented a whole new problem as the buildup was pretty substantial at the bottom of one of the battery tubes.
One thing at a time though.
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