Meopta Opemus 5 Disassembly and Cleaning (ft. Anaret 4.5/80)

If the body is still attached to stand, head or lens, remove them first.

The body can be disassembled into 3 separate parts. Remove 3 screws on the bottom to remove bellows and filer.

With something thicker unscrew two metal posts on top. Carefully remove the top part. Big glass assembly is held in the middle piece.

First unscrew the red filter as it is the most fragile part of this assembly.

Remove two screws holding focus adjustment knob.

Plastic bellows are held by 4 screws on the top and bottom. There is extra plate on top and retainer ring on bottom.

You leave the metal shaft as is.

Clean all parts with soapy water. Use towel to dry. On my device the paint was stable and could be scrubbed with a brush. Degrease knob and shaft. Use appropriate chemicals to remove any other residues or stains. If you want to keep the color stable, always test any chemicals on small part that is not that or at all visible after assembly.

DO NOT USE hot water on the plastic bellows at it could distort/destroy them. If you believe they are leaking light either use some black tape for temporary fix or find a replacement.

When is everything cleaned and dry, reassemble. Replace lube appropriate for the focusing knob. Bellows are keyed on the bottom so screw that part first then the top part.

The lens assembly is held by twisting and by pressure from the bottom plate. Remove 4 screws from bottom plate. For me these were the most stubborn and needed a bit of WD40 for them to get loose.

Lens should now be able to twist by about 1/8 of a turn. Take off and set aside.

Clean with soapy water. Dry with towel. Any stains or residue remove with appropriate chemicals.

After is everything cleaned and dry reassemble.

If you live in very humid environment or at sea, it might be good to apply some kind of protective paint to the inside of this assembly to prevent rusting. But the choice is yours.

Remove filter holder if it is still inserted.

Unscrew top screw that holds glass square. Set aside.

Clean metal housing with soapy water. You can scrub the outside with brush. However be careful the inside has mat black finish. Dry with towel.

You can rinse the glass square in soapy water if it is too dirty. Then clean again with lens cleaning liquid and microfiber cloth to remove any maps and fingerprints.

Depending on how dirty the lenses are you might need to disassemble it. Make sure the top lens is clean. Unscrew the retaining ring.

If the top lens wont come off on its own you'll need to use some force. I found that using the suction cup from ifixit kit works great. Be really careful! I pulled very hard and the top lens jumped , crashed on the metal assembly and then landed in my lap. The lens was by miracle without any scratches or missing bits.

Clean both lenses with lens cleaning liquid and microfiber cloth.

Reassemble lens assembly.

Reassemble the whole enlarger body back together.

Remove two pieces of glass. Both held with 2 screws each. Bottom one is regular, top one is anti newton.

Remove two screws holding the plastic piece that is used for focusing. Careful as there are two springs under it. Make sure you mark or put aside the springs as there will be more of them and will be slightly different.

Remove handle that is held by two screws. Clean handle with just damp cloth if deeper cleaning is not necessary. Inside is tiny spring that doesn't need to be taken off.

On the bottom of the negative carrier are 3 screws. Under the two screws on the right are springs.

Remove the two metal plate held by two screws each. Don't forget to replace with fresh lube when reassembling.

There are still two worm screws in the corner. they do not hold anything. They are just there. Probably better to remove them so they don't rust.

Clean both metal pieces with soapy water or appropriate solvents for stains and grease. Dry with towel.

Clean the glass squares with lens fluid and microfiber cloth.

After is everything cleaned and 100% dry, reassemble.

I have Anaret 4.5/80mm that will cover 6x6 negative. One of the glass elements is moldy.

To be continued as I am still missing my tools. However in general you would use lens spanner and lens rubber stoppers to unscrew retaining rings, clean all glass elements with lens cleaning fluid and if moldy hydrogen peroxide. However if the lens is too moldy it might leave uneven surface even after cleaning. Such lens is nonrepairable.