# Another Camera restoration project. Ricoh 500G rangefinder



## AaronLLockhart (Jan 30, 2013)

Hey guys, I really wish I would have taken the before pictures on this one, because it looks like a brand new camera, now. This was one of those "Buried in the basement to the extend of the entire thing being caked in mud," situations.

The focus ring was free, the lens mount was loose, the plastic over the viewfinder was cracked, the meter didn't work, and the electronic eye battery compartment was corroded beyond all belief.

So, like the Retinett IA, I disassembled the entire thing, cleaned it out thoroughly, and then proceeded to scrape away and clean all corrosion on the battery compartment. The 2mm foam that keeps light from getting into the film compartment is pretty much shot now, because I used rubbing alcohol to clean the body. So, now it has become this sticky, tacky mess. So, I will be going to a hobby store to purchase some new foam to put there. I completely disassembled the lens, and got the meter and the focus system working again. Upon getting everything fixed, I noticed that the horizontal calibration on the focus was WAY off. I put the ring to focus at infinite, and when I would look at an item longer than 30 feet out, it would still read out of focus. So, I adjusted the horizontal calibration screw, and now she works like a charm. I even bought a thin piece of clear plastic and replaced the peice on the front viewfinder.

I'm very proud of myself on this one, because this camera looked and felt like a lost cause when I started it, and I even felt in over my head much of the time, and like I was going to break the camera. This was a 3 week restoration project, but here is the final result:


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## bhop (Jan 30, 2013)

Nice.  It looks great.  Now put some film in it!


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## BrianV (Jan 30, 2013)

Wow- that came out very nice.

The back door is unusual on this one, took a lot of foam to make the seal.


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## AaronLLockhart (Jan 30, 2013)

BrianV said:


> Wow- that came out very nice.
> 
> The back door is unusual on this one, took a lot of foam to make the seal.



Agreed, which is why I haven't sent film through it yet. Knowing I destroyed the foam, and it requires that much to get a seal... It's 100% sure to have light leaks. You can even see in the picture where the foam is sticking to the camera body from where it got wet with the alcohol and started deteriorating.

I wont send any through it until after the foam has been replaced.


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## thunderkyss (Jan 30, 2013)

AaronLLockhart said:


> I'm very proud of myself on this one, because this camera looked and felt like a lost cause when I started it, and I even felt in over my head much of the time, and like I was going to break the camera. This was a 3 week restoration project, but here is the final result:
> 
> View attachment 34502



That's pretty bad-azz!!


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## AaronLLockhart (Jan 30, 2013)

thunderkyss said:


> That's pretty bad-azz!!



Thank you very much!


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## compur (Jan 30, 2013)

I think the 500G has more foam then any other camera.  Almost the whole film door area is covered with it and it all has to be replaced. My hats off to you!


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## terri (Jan 30, 2013)

Wow, you are brave to even tackle it!   It looks shiny clean and ready to go.   Are you sure you don't want to try a roll...?


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## AaronLLockhart (Jan 30, 2013)

compur said:
			
		

> I think the 500G has more foam then any other camera.  Almost the whole film door area is covered with it and it all has to be replaced. My hats off to you!



It certainly has more foam than any I have ever seen by far. Thank you kind sir. I got into this whole restoration thing as a time killer. Turns out I love it and it relaxes me. 

Most people just give me the non working junk (how I got both the Retinette and this 500G). So, there is no investment except for cleaning supplies and a few replacement pieces. Most of which I make out of universal materials from craft stores.


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