Tom: What you are probably seeing is a deterioration of the
foam parts, primarily the foam pad which the mirror hits when
it comes up. Remove the lens, and look above the mirror. These
foam pads do deteriorate with time, especially in a climate like yours.
If the material has come apart as you say, there is likely parts of
the foam now elsewhere inside the camera. Those parts could
at any time cause the winding or mirror mechanisms to jam. You
could end up with a foam piece in the film plane, or anywhere else.
This is a normal procedure called a re-foam and clean. It isn't the
end of the world, but it is not a job for an amateur. You will need to
send your camera to a repair specialist. In the US, I would expect to
pay $50 to $100 for such cleaning.
don ferrario
http://www.epix.net/~ferrario
>>Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 13:57:14 -1100
>>From: Tom Twining-Ward <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Subject: Mould! [28]
>>
>>Horror. My beloved FM2 has started to mould! The hot and humid climate
>>of Samoa, where I live at the moment, has finally proved to be too much.
>>It only seems to be the body that has gone mouldy, however, and I have
>>tried to clean the mirror and other accessible parts without luck, since
>>there is no professional help to get out here in the middle of the
>>Pacific.
