Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Stephen Gandy wrote: At least two third party rewind lever adapters have been made for the knob rewinds of the M1/2/3-----I've seen them second hand. One if rather a rather crude, dull gray aluminum casting, and the other is finely machined chrome. I do not know who made them however, but I am sure they are relatively hard to come by. There are probably more versions I do not know about. ______________________________________________________________________ I originally made what Stephen is describing as the finely machined chrome version of Leica Rapid Rewind crank for M cameras. Actually, it was never chrome.... it was finely machined stainless steel. We did that in order to remain reliable with the one very thin side that had to slip between the Leica crank and the body. There is not much tolerance. These are long gone.... none exist with me. It was always a lable or love and not a profit center. They cost me $14 originally in 1960 and I sold them for $15. When my labor costs went up and I had to raise the price of a 3-piece stainless steel crank, machined and assembled, to $30, Leica owners balked, and I quit making them. For a while during the startup period that led to the stainless steel model I made some simple slip-over cranks of brass and aluminum that were not thin enough to allow the Leica crank to remain seated. They attached to the top edge of Leica s crank, so sat above the camera body a little. They were not as elegant a solution as the stainless steel version was, but I do have a few of those around. And that, dear friends, is how I got into and out of the Leica accessory business in the 1960s. Fred Ward