As
these cameras are 80 years old, the mirror, a very important part of
this camera, has certainly suffered a lot. If it hasn't been changed
recently, this page shows you how to do. The basic instructions came
from a friendly and helpful person called Johannes (thanks a lot!). A replacement mirror could
be found on the famous auction site. I got mine from Marty, it wasn't
expensive at all. If you don't have access to this, remove the old
mirror and have one custom made which will surely be much more
expensive. It should made from a piece of 1.1mm thick FSM (front
surface mirror). The dimensions for the mirror are: height
49.75mm, long side 47mm, short side 29.5mm.
You will need good screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers and a steady hand.
So here we go:
Unfold the camera. No need to unfold the viewfinder.
Remove the 2 screws that hold the "Welta" nameplate.
One of my Weltas had shims beween the nameplate and the viewfinder.
On the backside of the viewfinder there are 2 more screws in locations similar to the ones in the front.
Remove them.
Lift
off the viewfinder. It might be stuck, but it is possible to just lift it. Be cautious,
the focusing screen is not fixed and might fall down. Take off the
screen.
The part that is coming off the camera.
You now have access to the mirror (this one has suffered a lot).The mirror is
held in place by 4 small metal springs that are screwed on. Remove the
2 on top. In my cameras all springs were screwed from the backside.
They are nevertheless accessible, as the mirror holder can be moved
forward in it's hinges. You will need a very short screwdriver to
unscrew them and it's tricky not to lose them. You can rescrew
them from the upper side which is much easier.
Slide out the
mirror from under the 2 bottom springs. Clean the inside of housing
with the aid of a brush. This is the unique opportunity to clean the
back of the viewing lens as well. Slide in the new mirror. When you
install the new mirror, make sure the side with the protective foil is
up and forward (on the picture it's the wrong side up). Rescrew the 2 upper springs. Clean the
focussing screen, put it back, re-install the viewfinder and re-screw
it. The effect of a new mirror will be amazing. Good luck!
If you want to
further improve the viewfinder, you can put black tape on the gap
between the frame and the pop-up shields. You need tape about 15 mm
wide, 2 strips of 47mm and one of 60mm. The tape should not stick to
the folding area and has to be put on when the shields are folded down.
To acheive this, put a strip of thin plastic foil about 8mm wide on the
middle of the sticky side (see photos). Not pretty, but helps a lot.