Hassy pulled a weird one on me today...

[Katie]

I got the Hassy out of hiding today - as it has been months since I used her. Loaded a rather finicky roll of expired Delta 400 in the A12 back (which needed encouragement to lay flat under the flange) and went out to shoot this giant dead tree I have been eyeballing across the street from my son's Catholic School.

Around shot 6 - after exposing, I went to cock the shutter and it stopped. Both nodes were red (for film and body). When I got home, I took the film back off and the shutter cocked! I wound the film back and put it back on. I am now on shot 10 with no other signs of fail.

What caused this?

Could it be from lack of use?
Could it be from the film?
OR - could it be from me switching the O to T and test firing before I loaded the film (I was playing with my cable release as I have no idea how to use it before I loaded the film in). I made sure it was back to O before using the camera, though.

Thanks for your help!

[vpwphoto]

O/T could be the issue.

I doubt it was he film..... are you sure it was indeed under the tab?
Thats all I can offer.

[Katie]

Just ran a second (almost) roll through and it stuck at frame 5 ( I think). Pulled off the back and cocked shutter, advanced film back, and all is well.

Could my back need servicing!??

[brucemuir]

Just ran a second (almost) roll through and it stuck at frame 5 ( I think). Pulled off the back and cocked shutter, advanced film back, and all is well.

Could my back need servicing!??

Sounds like it.
I've seen pictures of the guts of an a12 back and there are a lot of gears in there

[jeffreyg]

I don't know what model or vintage you have but several years ago I had a somewhat similar problem. I called Hasselblad and was lucky to speak with a technician who immediately knew what the problem was. I sent it in and it was repaired and has worked well since. As I recall he said it was a cam(?) and they had re-designed or were making them of a new material. You might give them a call or check with one of the repairmen often mentioned on the forum.

http://jeffreyglasser.com/

[johnielvis]

gears may be worn--the DRIVE gears...do you have any movement in the back? I had one that skipped teeth---you may want to have a looksee at both the camera and the back---if the film is more difficult than most (extra friction) then maybe the gears that were on the brink of skipping now DO skip....if it's an old back and camera, they are probably both worn out and need replacement---if the back seems to move around that could be a cause too---it moves slightly back maybe when cocking---but DO roll the gears around on the back...you can use a fingernail if it's a strong fingernail...check all the teeth---it should seat FLAT...cock the camera too with the back off and look at the gear that winds the back---these get a lot of wear over 30 or 40 years of constant use....

[Katie]

It's a 23 year old body - not sure of the back. I will look at the back and check the "teeth". Is it better to (cost wise and durability) to repair or buy a newer back?

[brucemuir]

It just seems odd to me that it happens at frame 5 all the time.
Seems if the teeth mating were slipping it would be more random but I'm just guessing.

You can check the "feet" also...the little things on the body at the bottom.
These need to be within spec to hold the back firmly to the body so nothing can slip.
I know there is a jig that the 'blad repair guys use to make those perfect because the can bend sometimes.

As far as what would be cheaper...it's really a crapshoot unless you can get a good warranty but even then, the back could need servicing after a year anyway.

I have around 5-6 backs (all bought used unseen) of all types from the "peep hole" 12's up to a newer A12 and I've been lucky.
No service to any of them but I don't run a lot of film like a commercial operation would've back in the glory days.

[Katie]

Ugh. Just sold two other backs with my 500c body, so this is my only back at the moment.

Sitting here dry firing and it seems to lock up at approximately the same frame each time. What's with that? Does the back circular gear cycle through at this rate? Does it make 2 cycles per roll? If so, that might explain it locking up at the halfway point.

I checked the gears but don't know what to look for. Hmmm..

[MattKing]

Maybe it is a problem with the counter itself - somewhere near the "5"