Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/11

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Subject: Re: [Leica] re: Rapidwinders -TOTALLY ON TOPIC
From: TTAbrahams@aol.com
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 19:07:48 EST

In a message dated 3/11/02 2:08:03 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
gbennett@lainet.com writes:
<< Subj:     Re: [Leica] re: Rapid Winders -TOTALLY ON TOPIC
 Date:  3/11/02 2:08:03 PM Pacific Standard Time
 From:  gbennett@lainet.com (Guy Bennett)
 Sender:    owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
 reply to:  leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
 To:    leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us

 Tom and/or Tuulikki, if you're reading this, what's the scoop?
  Guy
 -- 
Hello Guy!
Tom is in the workshop. - FYI:  We enclose the following user/basket 
instruction with every M6 Rapidwinder we ship out.

How to use the Abrahamsson M6 Rapidwinder
To use your Rapidwinder M6 just load the camera as usual and put on the 
Rapidwinder. Do not push it all the way on until you have lightly pulled on 
the film advance, either the lever at the bottom of the Rapidwinder or the 
regular one on the camera. You will feel when the drive pins catch the 
camera's drive and then you can push the Rapidwinder all the way on and lock 
it by turning the lock at the bottom of the Rapidwinder until the two dots 
are aligned.
There is very little maintenance required of the Rapidwinder. Every 2-3 
months or 150-200 rolls put a drop of oil down in the hole of the drive (it 
will slowly drip down on the drive). If you wish, put some oil on a cotton 
tip (Q-tip) and insert it in the slot at the bottom of the Rapidwinder and 
run it along the track. The Rapidwinder is built to take a lot of use.The 
housing is extremely strong. 
As with any mechanical device, I recommend that you use a Rapidwinder on one 
specific camera body and allow the body and the Rapidwinder to "wear" in. It 
usually takes 10-15 rolls of film to smooth out the combination 
body/Rapidwinder. 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Advice regarding the use of the "Film Roller" (plastic wheel/basket) which 
comes with your original baseplate:
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:   98-06-21 22:51:13 EDT
From:   TTAbrahams@aol.com  
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (LUG)

I have been using my own Rapidwinders with and without the plastic Roller and 
never had a problem. The trick is to ensure that the film is properly located 
on the sprockets of the drive and of course, the small folded end of the film 
is stuck inside the "tulip" of the take up spool. I always found the plastic 
Roller a bother. It never slipped in over the "tulip" as you wanted, most of 
the time the spokes of it got stuck, or hit the tips of the "tulip" take up 
spool and required that you fiddled with it. Without the Roller, you just 
have to ensure that the film is located in the right position, on the 
sprockets, in the take up spool and push the Rapidwinder on and go shooting. 
I went and looked through my last 3 months of film shot and in approximately 
250 rolls, I could see no difference between film Roller equipped 
Rapidwinders and non-Roller equipped Rapidwinders.
Of course I would like to supply the Rapidwinder with the plastic Roller, but 
it would increase the cost of them by almost 10% and I have always been 
trying to keep the price of the Rapidwinder reasonable and I abhor having to 
increase the price/cost of it. It is a quick operation to remove the plastic 
Roller from the baseplate if you want to. The screw on the Rapidwinder has 
the same thread as the screw on the baseplate. The only reason that I had the 
Rapidwinder screw made was to eliminate marks on the baseplate screw, you can 
undo it once without marring it, and then lock in the Roller with the screw 
on the Rapidwinder and keep the screw on the baseplate looking pristine when 
you upgrade the camera years later.
Tom A
Tom Abrahamsson
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy,
we know many  Rapidwinder-users who always move/use the basket on their 
Rapidwinders  but we also know many who do without the baskets without any 
problems. 

As I dont use the winder - I use the Rapidgrip and the Softie on my M4P - I  
cannot give you a personal opinion on this. - One of the long-time 
Rapidwinder users pointed out a couple of years ago when this matter came up: 
"There is a purpose for the film basket. The film does not know whether you  
have a Rapidwinder or an ordinary base plate mounted. Therefore, it only 
makes sense to put the basket on whatever base plate you are using - 
Rapidwinder or Leica".

More from Tom  - if  needed - once he is back from the workshop.

All the best to you  for now,
Tuulikki
- -----------------------
One-Off Industrial Designs
Tom & Tuulikki Abrahamsson 
 #203-1512 Yew Street
Vancouver, BC
V6K 3E4
Canada
Tel:  604-731-0036
Fax: 604-731-0868
E-mail: TTAbrahams@aol.com
www.rapidwinder.com (Rapidwinder, Rapidgrip, and Softrelease Information)










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