horizont

If your Horizont images are suffering from the typical vertical over-exposed bright areas near to each end of the negative or slide your camera is leaking light around the old turret seals!



What is Included … Here is what you will receive with my $135.00 ‘Seal Replacement & Service’ …



    Replacement of turret seals (details below)
    Replacement of rear door seals (details below)
    Cleaning and lubrication as required (it is all about clockwork accuracy)
    Service and condition report
    6 month warranty on all seals
    Photocopy of English instruction manual (upon request)





Details:



The Problem … The original seals consisted of a foam-backed velvet pad which was designed to gently seal the turret to the body in order to prevent both light penetration and as well to keep dirt and dust out of the film chamber.



Over the years this foam backing deteriorates (as does this foam in all vintage cameras).  Once this happens the seals are no longer kept in contact with the turret, and in most cases as the foam deteriorates it actually shrinks, pulling the seal back from the turret, therefore leaving a significant gap available for light penetration into the film chamber, and hence the over-exposed stripes on your images.



Once these turret seals deteriorate and the telltale light leak is evident on your images the only positive repair is the physical replacement of these seals.  Unfortunately the turret seals are well buried within the mechanics of the camera.



Internet Solutions … An internet search will offer up a number of ‘easy-fix’ suggestions to abate this light leak issue, including installing electrical tape on the turret to fill the gap between the body and the turret … however, the turret operates on a precise clockwork-like mechanism within the camera which maintains the correct swing speed of the turret to maintain correct exposure timing, and anything hindering the free movement of the turret changes the exposure timing, and anything that slows the turret travel throughout the swing will result in inconsistent exposures across the film.



Even though the shutter speed is based upon the actual slit width during turret travel, both the physical speed of the turret AND the consistency of its speed throughout its travel are both equally as important for correct exposure (there are three critical components which determine correct exposure in these cameras: the actual lens aperture, the shutter’s physical slit width and the travel speed of the turret).





My Solution … I personally work with two of these cameras, and for years have enjoyed the great images that only these cameras can produce, and of course both of my cameras suffered from this seal deterioration and the resulting light leak issue.  Dismantling these cameras to replace the seals is not overly difficult, it is certainly finicky and time consuming, but it is doable.  The biggest problem is in finding viable replacement seals; because of course parts for these cameras have been obsolete for a number of years now.



As an engineer I take on such tasks as a challenge, and as a direct result of needing to efficiently seal my own cameras I have successfully developed an effective seal structure utilizing modern materials which directly replaces the old-style foam backed seal used during the original manufacture.



The turret pad used within my improved seal design is a silicone impregnated light sealing material designed specifically for the machine vision industry, and this seal is then backed with the exact-correct amount of spring tension needed to both seal the turret from light leaks, and as well provide an effective wiping seal for keeping the turret clean of dust and dirt, all this while not impeding the critical swing movement speed of the turret.



The spring backing used in my seals is not foam based as originally installed, but instead utilizes a custom-made ‘gentle’ metal-spined polymer spring mechanism which will neither rot nor deteriorate over time, and therefore should last for a number of years.  The silicone impregnation of the sealing pad not only gently lubricates the seal as the turret spins on it, but the silicon also effectively captures fine dust and dirt which might otherwise escape past normal dry seal designs.



Durability … I personally have these seals installed in both of my Horizont cameras and have shot hundreds upon hundreds of images without a single light leak nor inconsistent exposure across my slides (transparencies) … both cameras have performed flawlessly through any and all Canadian conditions, from the blazing hot sun in southern Saskatchewan to finger freezing snows in Slave Lake, Alberta … and I have yet to replace these seals a second time.



What is Included … I have enjoyed a number of requests over the years to reseal friend’s Horizont cameras, and as a direct result I am now offering this service out to all other Horizont owners.  Here is what you will receive in my $135.00 ‘Seal Replacement Service’ …



    Replacement of turret seals (as described above)
    Replacement of rear door seals (neoprene, see below)
    Basic cleaning and lubrication (it is all about clockwork accuracy)
    Service and condition report
    6 month warranty on all seals
    Photocopy of English instruction manual (available upon request)





Which Cameras are Covered … The original all-metal Russian-built square-cornered Horizont cameras with removable viewfinder manufactured from 1967 through to 1973 (the model version as pictured elsewhere within this auction).  (FYI: the first two numbers of the serial number will be the year of manufacture.)



A Note about my Neoprene Door Seals … I dislike dissolving foam seals, as such I custom cut my own neoprene seals for the rear doors of all my cameras, and I do the same for these Horizont cameras.  I use a coloured neoprene, either red or yellow, and the reason for using a coloured seal is that at a glance I can immediately see that the seals are in place and complete.  IF you absolutely insist upon a black seal I can install that instead, but trust me, once you have used a camera with contrasting coloured door seals you will know what I mean.






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