This FED (#34961) is from 1937. Made when Stalin was at the helm of the USSR. Two years before WW2 started... It was found non-working, with a broken shutter. Everything else appeared to be in order. The viewfinder is very clear, the rangefinder equally clear and contrasty. Its lens is an Industar-10 3,5/50mm, uncoated. 
Some features are different from later FED-1. The platform under the shutter speed dial is oval, rather than tapered and cornered. The shutter button is small and unthreaded, almost similar to the Leica's. Its top engraving translates to "FED, Labour Commune NKVD U(krainian) SSR, Factory named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky, Kharkov" 
The shutter wasn't working when it was found. The cloth blinds have become fossilised and crumbled. For a 71 year old camera, this isn't at all unusual. The focal plane curtains of FED, like the Leica it was copied from, were made of rubberised silk cloth. 
Repairing the shutter required major disassembly. This is the FED, partially disassembled: 
Removed from the shutter crate, the shutter parts looked like this. The drum, spring-loaded rollers, and metal shutter laths (spines) are still serviceable. They only need to be cleaned of all the remnants of the old shutter cloth. The two thin rollers contain the springs which power the shutter: 
New shutter blinds are cut from new shutter cloth. This shutter cloth is a DIY material from Fotofabrik/TKP-RF ( 
!). the cloth is cut to proper size and length. Then glued and sewn to the lath. New ribbons are also made and fit to the laths. 
The new shutter curtains installed in the shutter crate: 
After reassembly, the 1937 FED is ready to shoot again. Its dulled vulcanite finish was prepped by a thin layer of black paint. I now realise that it should have been left in its original reddish brown finish. This may have been its original colour. The lens, which was originally soiled, was also disassembled and cleaned. The dirty lens elements were soaked in dishwashing liquid overnight. 
For a more complete and detailed description of the FED-1/Zorki-1 shutter, go to the FED/Zorki Survival Site.
Some features are different from later FED-1. The platform under the shutter speed dial is oval, rather than tapered and cornered. The shutter button is small and unthreaded, almost similar to the Leica's. Its top engraving translates to "FED, Labour Commune NKVD U(krainian) SSR, Factory named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky, Kharkov" 
The shutter wasn't working when it was found. The cloth blinds have become fossilised and crumbled. For a 71 year old camera, this isn't at all unusual. The focal plane curtains of FED, like the Leica it was copied from, were made of rubberised silk cloth. 
Repairing the shutter required major disassembly. This is the FED, partially disassembled: 
Removed from the shutter crate, the shutter parts looked like this. The drum, spring-loaded rollers, and metal shutter laths (spines) are still serviceable. They only need to be cleaned of all the remnants of the old shutter cloth. The two thin rollers contain the springs which power the shutter: 
New shutter blinds are cut from new shutter cloth. This shutter cloth is a DIY material from Fotofabrik/TKP-RF ( 
The new shutter curtains installed in the shutter crate: 
After reassembly, the 1937 FED is ready to shoot again. Its dulled vulcanite finish was prepped by a thin layer of black paint. I now realise that it should have been left in its original reddish brown finish. This may have been its original colour. The lens, which was originally soiled, was also disassembled and cleaned. The dirty lens elements were soaked in dishwashing liquid overnight. 
For a more complete and detailed description of the FED-1/Zorki-1 shutter, go to the FED/Zorki Survival Site. 
