Minox Disassembly & Repair
These sketches show the basic steps to disassemble the Minox for shutter repair. They are based on a Model III, although the IIIS and B are mechanically identical. In 1992 I loaned these sketches to Dr. William White for use as illustrations to an article in Shutterbug magazine in March of that year.


[Note: The Minox that these sketches were made from had a damaged shutter blade. If the shutter is not damaged or jammed, you don't need to remove the front cover screw in Step 3 to get the shutter blades out - mine had a blade jammed in the viewfinder and I couldn't just go on to the next step without loosening it up first.]

RELEASE THE SHUTTER FIRST!
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The Achilles' Heel of the Minox is the shutter spring: if the spring breaks, the next cocking cycle will crush the shutter blade and destroy it. Although new blades are no longer obtainable from Minox, an engineer named Martin Doctor has perfect aftermarket replacement blades and springs available. I just received and installed my first set and I can verify that they work just like the originals (except that they're slightly stronger and less likely to break). Here's what the blades and springs look like:




TOP: One spring installed on its guide pin, with the other pin still empty.

MIDDLE: Both blades and springs installed and ready to go into the camera.

BOTTOM: I inserted a straight pin through the bale at the end of the spring, opening the loop just enough to slip it onto the end of the shutter blade.



If you need a set of Minox blades, you can reach Marty here.

News Flash! Marty now has a website! Visit him online at www.minoxdoc.com!
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