Lens fixable? (probably not)

JamesT

Posted June 30, 2016

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Posted June 30, 2016

The lens here (the one in the picture, not the one taking it) belongs to an old Lipica Rollop TLR (c 1953). But clearly the condition leaves much to be desired:-(

View of the whole lens:

Detail of the worst area:

The bloom does not come off with normal cleaning, and I can't decide if it is fungus or disintegrating coating. Also it looks pretty scratched, but is it the glass or the coating?

So do any of the hardware experts here have an option as to whether it would be feasible (without regrinding the thing) to get it to take usable pictures? The only real reason to want to do this is sentimental, as it was my mother's camera (until she couldn't see the viewfinder to focus any more--though I now see that that was because the mirror is filthy not because her eyesight was failing). The camera hasn't been used for over 20 years and does need other fixes, especially the shutter is very slow on exposures of 1/10 or more.