Tried to fix a stuck shutter on an old Pentax, ended up with springs flying everywhere

I was working on a Pentax Spotmatic from the 70s last Tuesday, trying to free up a sticky shutter curtain. Got the bottom plate off and was poking around when a tiny spring shot across my garage and landed in a pile of sawdust. Spent almost an hour on my hands and knees with a magnet rod before I found it wedged under my workbench. The shutter release lever had a hairline crack I didn't notice until I put it all back together and it snapped clean off. So now I've got a camera that's even more broken than when I started. Anyone else have one of those jobs where you make things worse before they get better?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_harris6812h ago

Three springs and counting before I just bought a new camera.

briannguyen11h ago

Three springs is nothing, you gave up too early.