This Argus Model C is fairly early, S/N 9820 C, dating to 1938.
Rangefinder is still quite accurate (good thing, since this camera is early enough to not have the round "hatch" on top for RF adjustment access).
Shutter works well at all speeds.
Film transport is very smooth after light lubrication.
I was able to easily remove glass elements to access and clean all inner lens surfaces. The lens design has three elements, so removing the front most
and the rear most glass pieces allows one to easily reach all six surfaces for cleaning. Lens assembly is now unscratched and crystal clear.
My focal plane test indicated that lens was out of focus calibration, but I was able to fix that by loosening the single screw that locks the distance scale in place and adjust so that true focus is accurate at all distances.
Lens is made of uncoated glass.

However, this camera is also early enough to have the three shutter blades made of bakelite or hard rubber(not metal) and they were translucent enough to allow a red glow of light to penetrate their material.

The leatherette on the front of this camera is still nearly pristine after 75 years, and I did not have the heart to damage it. That ruled out removing the camera front plate to swap out the shutter blades with leakproof ones.

Once before a few years ago I tried darkening a set of blades in a Model C to stop the light transmission of light using a black Sharpie pen. The effort failed, because dried Sharpie ink is too thick and sticky in its characteristics, and the blackened blades would not function correctly. I ended up destroying the leatherette on that camera in order to open it up and replace the shutter blade set.

This time, I worked from a bottle of "India Ink," the kind used in calligraphy. With the shutter blades still in place in the camera, I built up several layers of the ink on the blades in areas where I saw any hint of light seepage.
My perseverance paid off, and the procedure worked.

For a film test, I loaded the C with a fresh roll of Kodak 200 print film and headed for nearby Fenton. They have recently completed another section of trail for the Meramec Greenway. It is very pedestrian as well as bicycle friendly. The film was exposed on this trail, in nearby Old Town Fenton, and on the Meramec River bank.

Please click on thumbnails to see enlarged.
All images are ©2013 E.J.Kowalski.