[Leica] M6 shutter-release problem

[Otto Giesenfeld <otto.giesenfeld@vindrosen.se>]

Hi,

I have a problem with the shutter release of a used M6 that I just bought 
by mail. The camera looks good and seems to be in excellent working order 
except for the problem that I am about to describe, so I would rather solve 
the problem and keep the camera than cancel the deal and ship the camera 
back.

Now for the problem: If I depress the shutter release button slowly, the 
shutter triggers when the button is in a very low position, or it does not 
trigger at all, even when the button is pushed all the way down. Sometimes, 
I can push the button all the way down, and then the shutter releases after 
one or two seconds. Sometimes, I can depress the button fully and keep it 
there until I get tired of it without releasing the shutter. If instead I 
give the button a fast and vigorous push, the shutter always releases, but 
the trigger point still seems to be quite low. (The problem here is that at 
slow shutter speeds, it may be difficult to handhold the camera steadily in 
combination with the vigorous pressing of the release button.) Using a 
cable release, the problem persists but does not occur as frequently.

Also, the motion of the release button is sometimes a bit jerky when I try 
to depress it softly, as if it needed to be lubricated. (This depends 
somewhat on the angle of the pressure.)

The impression I get is that some spring-loaded part does not move as 
freely as it should, maybe because of dirt. The camera otherwise looks very 
clean though, and it is not too old (produced in 1994 according to the 
serial-number table at cameraquest.com).

I found a post in the LUG archives where Henning J. Wulff stated in 
response to a question about the release point of an M6 that: "There is a 
long arm under the cover under the baseplate which controls how far down 
you have to push the release before it fires. A small adjustment here is 
what you need."

Does anyone know if this is a simple adjustment that I, carefully, could do 
as a user with a reasonable understanding of mechanics but modest 
experience in camera repair? Would any special tools be needed? Would I run 
a high risk of destroying something.

If the best solution is to have the camera professionaly cleaned and 
lubricated, would it be a complicated operation? As I said, everything else 
seems to work perfectly, so I would rather not pay for having the camera 
taken apart completely if not absolutely necessary.

I would be grateful for any answers or suggestions.

With best regards,

Otto Giesenfeld