Some months ago, I decided to enrich my collection of medium format cameras by a model that is literally pocketable.
During a stroll in "de bazaar" I found a Agfa Jsolette V, the most primitive one of the Jsolette family. Just about perfect for what I had in mind. For the looks of it, the camera was in mint condition... sold by a serious collector.
The Jsolette V was build between 1950 and 1952. So, consequently, I had to assume that the bellows were probably not a light tight as they should be any longer. And, guess what, when sending photons off some semi-conductor device inside the camera, while being in a dark room, the bellows gave a preview of a Christmas tree all along the folded edges. No surprise, really.
Before I put any film into the camera, I figured it would be a good idea to fix the bellows first. And yes, one can order replacement bellows... while the replacement process is well documented, combined with time of shipment to arrive... this is just not worth the effort.
When browsing for bellows repairs, one finds strange methods using pins and needles combined with dyed glue... not sure about this! Well, this might just work, who am I to judge, but for now long?
Further, one finds comment like "electrical tape is for electricians, not photographers". Hmmm, OK! I remember that in photography, gaffers' tape is commonly used... however, I never came across the comment that "gaffer's tape is for gaffers, not photographers". Something seemed wrong with that electricians tape statement...
And guess what, I grabbed a roll of black electricians tape and put a generous amount along the edges of my camera's bellows. Using about 30% more than the actual length of the edge fives sufficient material to fold the tape into the undulations of the bellows. Too long, and there might be too much tape to squeeze in, too short and the tape might just peel off every time you open the camera.
With the tape applied, I noted that the camera folds open a lot slower, i.e. with a lot less force. What I am trying to say here, you should never just let the thing snap open (as many folks show in Jsolette videos). Push the release and let the camera gently open by holding the front mechanism.
And here is the reason why: the atmospheric pressure against the bellows will weaken the most agile parts of the bellows by airflow. Once a hole was created, the airflow when opening or closing the camera will weaken that particular spot, thereby creating a light leak and/or pinhole.
While the bellows of the Jsolette are made of a material that appears to call for electricians tape, that solution might be valid for other cameras using bellows, e.g. large format.
Showing posts with label large format. Show all posts
Showing posts with label large format. Show all posts
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
4x5 Press Kit
What a nice day! My genuine package arrived today, howling a full 4x5 press camera kit to me, including a case, 10+ film holders, a flash and that came in a fitting case! And yes, this cost me just over US$150.
The images on the bay showed some corrosion... for that price, who cares? Actually, the film holders alone would have been worth the purchase.
To be honest, the camera seems to be missing some bits and bops. Nothing vital however.
At first, the shutter was all frozen up due to corrosion. I took some forceful persuasion to get the T setting to work. I continue on B, with decent force and some patience. Some tries later, I got the shorter time operational, so, from s/400 to s/10 where up fine. So, the 2 higher speed gears are up and running now. Still., the lower speed gear seems to giving me attitude.
Some playing got s/5 going fine.
However, there are still 2 speeds not going smoothly: half second and one second.
Contrary to my earlier Graflex shutter fix, this time it seems that I do not have to disassemble the shutter and re-grease all the gears.
However, with that kit, it is not all smooth sailing. This kit employs a Graphlock back, which depends on springs. Said springs are in this model corroded too, and hence, do not show the prompt springy action you will need for operating the camera smoothly.
Also, there seems to be some fungus on the outer surfaces of the rear lens group. The front group appears to have suffered from a quick clean (hopefully w/o any damage).
Next steps for me:
The images on the bay showed some corrosion... for that price, who cares? Actually, the film holders alone would have been worth the purchase.
To be honest, the camera seems to be missing some bits and bops. Nothing vital however.
At first, the shutter was all frozen up due to corrosion. I took some forceful persuasion to get the T setting to work. I continue on B, with decent force and some patience. Some tries later, I got the shorter time operational, so, from s/400 to s/10 where up fine. So, the 2 higher speed gears are up and running now. Still., the lower speed gear seems to giving me attitude.
Some playing got s/5 going fine.
However, there are still 2 speeds not going smoothly: half second and one second.
Contrary to my earlier Graflex shutter fix, this time it seems that I do not have to disassemble the shutter and re-grease all the gears.
However, with that kit, it is not all smooth sailing. This kit employs a Graphlock back, which depends on springs. Said springs are in this model corroded too, and hence, do not show the prompt springy action you will need for operating the camera smoothly.
Also, there seems to be some fungus on the outer surfaces of the rear lens group. The front group appears to have suffered from a quick clean (hopefully w/o any damage).
Next steps for me:
- clean the lens groups
- clean the ground glass
- replace some lost screw
- make sure the bellow is tight
- make a new hand strap
- remove corrosion from and grease all springs
- fix an electronic flash into the flash unit
Monday, July 27, 2015
Vintage Lens - Rapid Aplanat f/8-f/64
The vintage 13x18 (cm) camera, I recently bought of ebay seemed to have suffered from moisture a lot.
While the camera is still ok, the plate holder is really warped.
The lens (Rapid Aplanat) was also suffering from the moisture too, having developed severe fungus. Have a look:
The lens can be taken apart, in the same way as many other larger format lenses: the front and rear groups can be screwed of the lens barrel.
The barrel still retains the iris. In my case, the iris was really stiff. Cleansing with several passes of lighter fluid, followed by some petroleum jelly and more lighter fluid, seen to have loosen up the iris sufficiently.
Pictures of clean lenses are boring, hence, I decided to not show any.
I wiped down the front and rear surfaces of the front and rear groups with alcohol using fresh a q-tip for each of the surfaces. Said wiping down is to be performed in a meandering fashion, starting from the middle of the lens.
My Rapid Aplanat is now as clean as clean can be. There are no visible traces of the fungus left.
Next step: make a plate (film/paper) holder.
While the camera is still ok, the plate holder is really warped.
The lens (Rapid Aplanat) was also suffering from the moisture too, having developed severe fungus. Have a look:
 |
| front view |
 |
| rear view |
 |
| the lens taken apart |
 |
| one of the groups |
 |
| the diaphragm at f/64 |
I wiped down the front and rear surfaces of the front and rear groups with alcohol using fresh a q-tip for each of the surfaces. Said wiping down is to be performed in a meandering fashion, starting from the middle of the lens.
My Rapid Aplanat is now as clean as clean can be. There are no visible traces of the fungus left.
Next step: make a plate (film/paper) holder.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
eBay Bug Bit Again
Yep, I have been staying away from eBay for some time. However, the temptation to check it our was too great, so, I gave it another look.
Since a long time, I have been into alternative methods of photography. It might not be that obvious from this blog, other than me writing about paper negatives.
Today, in eBay, I took yet another step towards old skool picture taking. I won an auction on an old wooden LF camera with a lens, a film holder and a few copying frames. I spent about €220 including shipment... Can't wait to hold the camera in my hands.
I am sure that I will have to do some work on the stuff, the bellows looked pretty dirty (mold?). I figure the wood to get some TLC too. I hope the lens is clear, although, I am prepared to take it apart and refurbish it myself.
This could be my first serious step into the direction of wet plate and tin types.
Since a long time, I have been into alternative methods of photography. It might not be that obvious from this blog, other than me writing about paper negatives.
Today, in eBay, I took yet another step towards old skool picture taking. I won an auction on an old wooden LF camera with a lens, a film holder and a few copying frames. I spent about €220 including shipment... Can't wait to hold the camera in my hands.
I am sure that I will have to do some work on the stuff, the bellows looked pretty dirty (mold?). I figure the wood to get some TLC too. I hope the lens is clear, although, I am prepared to take it apart and refurbish it myself.
This could be my first serious step into the direction of wet plate and tin types.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Chasing Gear
This might be somewhat out of the extraordinary for my style of posts...
Lately, I was spending some time and money on ebay. Here are two hot tips for you to get the gear you desire... and get it for cheap!
Why?
If you want to by a truck for cheap, find one that is listed under sports cars. You bid on it, and nobody will notice, since, in sports cars, nobody cars about trucks. However, once in a while, a seller will post his product in the wrong spot.
By doing so, and being patient, I was able to score a fully functioning Linhof 4x5 camera, including an international back, a 90mm Schneider lens in a Compur shutter, an orange filter, an extra lens board and three film holders for way under €300.-, which I consider a bargain.
Today, folks often do not know what they are selling. I wish you good luck on finding your treasure, like I did lately.
Lately, I was spending some time and money on ebay. Here are two hot tips for you to get the gear you desire... and get it for cheap!
- Look in the wrong place!
- Search with spelling mistakes.
- Looking for a modern Large Format camera, go to "Photographica"
- Looking for an old wooden camera, go to "Film Cameras"
- Looking for a Rondinax daylight tank, search for "Rodinax"
- etc.
Why?
If you want to by a truck for cheap, find one that is listed under sports cars. You bid on it, and nobody will notice, since, in sports cars, nobody cars about trucks. However, once in a while, a seller will post his product in the wrong spot.
By doing so, and being patient, I was able to score a fully functioning Linhof 4x5 camera, including an international back, a 90mm Schneider lens in a Compur shutter, an orange filter, an extra lens board and three film holders for way under €300.-, which I consider a bargain.
Today, folks often do not know what they are selling. I wish you good luck on finding your treasure, like I did lately.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Big Boys Go Modern
As a frequent reader of my blog, you might have noticed that I am into trying/doing the unusual.
Here's my trick to adapt the mirror-less camera with the worst reputation ever (not justified in my mind), the Canon EOS-M to my Plaubel PECO Supra large format view camera.
Before going into any details, let's have a look why anyone would want to do that...
Large format cameras can provide a unique look, with all the possibilities of raise/fall, shift and tilt in many direction.
Today, when you are lucky, large format cameras come really cheap. So do their lenses, in particular when the shutter is not functioning properly anymore.
Here's the good thing, when using a modern digital back, be it a DSLR or a mirror-less camera, the shutter is in the camera, in front of the sensor. (Well in most cases at least, known exception: Pentax Q). So, we don't need a functioning shutter for the following project: Add a digital camera body to a large format camera.
For my approach, this is what you need:
A lens board for a Copal #1 shutter
M42 macro rings, 1 short, 1 long
Adpaters for T2/EOS and EOS/EOS-M
The short M42 ring mount to the inside of the camera (see photo below), while the longer ring counter-screws on the outside.
Here's the catch: M42 and T2 are not exactly the same threads. Don't apply any force! Your T2 adapter will be destroyed.
A regular M42/EOS adapter is too short to clear the camera from the recessed lens board.
Here are 3 options:
For now, the setup works just fine, although I do prefer using large format film with my large format cameras.
Here's my trick to adapt the mirror-less camera with the worst reputation ever (not justified in my mind), the Canon EOS-M to my Plaubel PECO Supra large format view camera.
Before going into any details, let's have a look why anyone would want to do that...
Large format cameras can provide a unique look, with all the possibilities of raise/fall, shift and tilt in many direction.
Today, when you are lucky, large format cameras come really cheap. So do their lenses, in particular when the shutter is not functioning properly anymore.
Here's the good thing, when using a modern digital back, be it a DSLR or a mirror-less camera, the shutter is in the camera, in front of the sensor. (Well in most cases at least, known exception: Pentax Q). So, we don't need a functioning shutter for the following project: Add a digital camera body to a large format camera.
For my approach, this is what you need:
A lens board for a Copal #1 shutter
 |
| Copal #1 lens board |
M42 macro rings, 1 short, 1 long
 |
| M42 macro rings |
 |
| Canon adapters |
The short M42 ring mount to the inside of the camera (see photo below), while the longer ring counter-screws on the outside.
 |
| Assembly |
 |
| In the recessed lens plate |
 |
| Camera attached |
 |
| Front side view |
A regular M42/EOS adapter is too short to clear the camera from the recessed lens board.
Here are 3 options:
- get another M42 macro-ring
- get a non-recessed Copal #1 lens board
- fabricate a Copal #1 lens board
For now, the setup works just fine, although I do prefer using large format film with my large format cameras.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
The Paper Negative & Gear & Technique
Some posts ago, I was shortly talking about "paper negatives" and here comes what the excitement is all about.
As the name suggests, a paper negative is a negative on paper ... haha ... you might think. But, think again!
The idea is to take photos, i.e. negatives, using photographic paper. Photographic paper itself works very much the same way as photographic film, despite being a lot less sensitive.
First thoughts before jumping into the experience of the paper negative:
Those cameras usually come with a 135mm lens and various shutters.
Often the shutters make the difference. Since we are aiming for using the camera with paper, it is important that the slow speeds are working properly. I recommend looking for a "Compur" with self-timer. Those are "fairly" modern and can be fixed with some patience. As I wrote before, make sure the slow speeds are working, unless you're confident you can fix the shutter.
As important as a working shutter is that both parts of the lens (if it is a 2 part lens) are clear. I have seen lenses so fogged up that you cannot see your finger touching the opposite side. (Stay away from those! - no way to fix easily!)
Shutter and lens, the most important items to an old plate camera? No, not all... bellows can be a big deal problem. If the camera is expensive, make sure that the bellow is light-tight! If you can get the camera for cheap, you might accept a leaking bellow, since it can be fixed by either gaffer's tape or replacement.
Right, and now comes the really important part of buying an old plate camera! Make sure that you get some fitting plate film cassettes with it, in good shape that is! Said cassettes are usually made from thin sheet-metal, which can corrode easily! Corroded film cassettes are very hard to restore! Also, finding cassettes for your particular camera can be really difficult.
Hence, the most important part when looking for a folding camera is the presence of cassettes in good condition.
This particular tripod needs to be equipped with a 3/8 inch screw, since this was the gauge of the time. It is the gauge of today too, but not for the camera. 3/8 is still used to mount your tripod head onto the tripod itself. However, this requires that you selected one with a removable head.
For my very own camera, I use a MeFOTO RoadTrip.
A camera that does shift, rise and fall, you would usually not need a ball-head. However, if it makes you feel more comfortable, you will need a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch adapter screw.
You might use a general purpose meter and calculate your way down from ISO 100 to ISO 6 or ISO 3, no problem, however, I prefer spot-metering: "expose for the shadows, develop for the lights" (we'll come to this later again). So, is you meter shadows, put them on zone 3 on your Starlite II (which does actually know the zone system!).
And here comes the split:
Most photographers working with paper negatives recommend a #2 gradation (which is "medium soft" photographic paper). Paper, in comparison to film, is considered "hard", i.e. having high contrast.
The following needs to be considered when choosing the paper:
OK, there is some equipment you really need: a safe-light!
Why is that? While film is developed in total darkness, paper can be developed in safe-light lit environment. Meaning, you can actually see for yourself the development process and stop it at your liking! How cool is that?!
That brings us back to the "develop for the lights" part ... well ... you'll see them coming up!
The paper is fixed by a 9+1 Ilford fixer solution.
At a later point in time, I will add photographs showing the various peaces of equipment I am using personally. Stay tuned!
As the name suggests, a paper negative is a negative on paper ... haha ... you might think. But, think again!
The idea is to take photos, i.e. negatives, using photographic paper. Photographic paper itself works very much the same way as photographic film, despite being a lot less sensitive.
First thoughts before jumping into the experience of the paper negative:
- what kind of camera?
- what kind of tripod?
- light-meter?
- paper?
- lab equipment?
- chemicals?
The Camera
I would suggest to get a folding camera with a film format of around 9cm x 12cm (I will come back to this later).Those cameras usually come with a 135mm lens and various shutters.
Often the shutters make the difference. Since we are aiming for using the camera with paper, it is important that the slow speeds are working properly. I recommend looking for a "Compur" with self-timer. Those are "fairly" modern and can be fixed with some patience. As I wrote before, make sure the slow speeds are working, unless you're confident you can fix the shutter.
As important as a working shutter is that both parts of the lens (if it is a 2 part lens) are clear. I have seen lenses so fogged up that you cannot see your finger touching the opposite side. (Stay away from those! - no way to fix easily!)
Shutter and lens, the most important items to an old plate camera? No, not all... bellows can be a big deal problem. If the camera is expensive, make sure that the bellow is light-tight! If you can get the camera for cheap, you might accept a leaking bellow, since it can be fixed by either gaffer's tape or replacement.
Right, and now comes the really important part of buying an old plate camera! Make sure that you get some fitting plate film cassettes with it, in good shape that is! Said cassettes are usually made from thin sheet-metal, which can corrode easily! Corroded film cassettes are very hard to restore! Also, finding cassettes for your particular camera can be really difficult.
Hence, the most important part when looking for a folding camera is the presence of cassettes in good condition.
The Tripod
You'll need a tripod no matter what! Exposure times will be between 1s/10 and several minutes.This particular tripod needs to be equipped with a 3/8 inch screw, since this was the gauge of the time. It is the gauge of today too, but not for the camera. 3/8 is still used to mount your tripod head onto the tripod itself. However, this requires that you selected one with a removable head.
For my very own camera, I use a MeFOTO RoadTrip.
A camera that does shift, rise and fall, you would usually not need a ball-head. However, if it makes you feel more comfortable, you will need a 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch adapter screw.
Light-Meter
Unless you are very sure what you are doing, you should get a decent light-meter. Why am I saying this? A decent light-meter will allow you to get exposure values for ISO 3, which is exactly what you need for paper negatives. Mine is a Gossen Starlite II.You might use a general purpose meter and calculate your way down from ISO 100 to ISO 6 or ISO 3, no problem, however, I prefer spot-metering: "expose for the shadows, develop for the lights" (we'll come to this later again). So, is you meter shadows, put them on zone 3 on your Starlite II (which does actually know the zone system!).
Paper
Here, the opinions split. Well, not as to the type of paper to use, PE (aka RC) is the call!And here comes the split:
- fixed gradation
- variable gradation
Most photographers working with paper negatives recommend a #2 gradation (which is "medium soft" photographic paper). Paper, in comparison to film, is considered "hard", i.e. having high contrast.
The following needs to be considered when choosing the paper:
- photographic paper is very blue-green sensitive
- variable gradation paper provides specific contrast for specific wavelengths of light
- fixed gradation paper with colored filters will lead to a defined sensitivity of the paper negative
- variable gradation paper with gradation filters will lead to a defined contrast of the paper negative
The choice is yours!
Pre-flash the Paper
This is a trick to sensitize the paper by homogeneously pre-exposing the paper, shortly before the shot, with an amount of light that does not (substantially) darken the negative. The effect is believed to be temporary only, since the Bromine in the emulsion might re-collect the lost electron.
Many folks pre-flash by means of their enlarger of other contraptions in the darkroom.
Personally, I figured out a different method:
- meter a homogeneous light source (e.g. the sky) for zone IX or X
- de-focus whatever was metered for (e.g. close focus for a cloud)
- open the dark-slide
- expose widest open as possible
- close the dark-slide
Now the paper is pre-flashed and ready to take a picture.
This procedure might give you 1 stop of sensitivity.
Lab Gear
This is real easy, you need to pick some meals from your favorite Chinese take-away, and you'll be supplied with plenty of paper processing trays.OK, there is some equipment you really need: a safe-light!
Why is that? While film is developed in total darkness, paper can be developed in safe-light lit environment. Meaning, you can actually see for yourself the development process and stop it at your liking! How cool is that?!
That brings us back to the "develop for the lights" part ... well ... you'll see them coming up!
Chemicals
Well, that's a good one. Of course you can use whatever you want or are used to. I am actually using a Caffenol developer. Caffenol is a lot slower than traditional paper developer, so be patient. I once developed a paper negative for 70min. The good thing is, using paper, you can observe the developing process under safe light conditions.The paper is fixed by a 9+1 Ilford fixer solution.
Some results
In a previous post, I already was displaying what can be done with an old camera and photographic paper.At a later point in time, I will add photographs showing the various peaces of equipment I am using personally. Stay tuned!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Like Chinese Food?
Here are your free processing trays!
No joking here... honestly. I do like Chinese take-away food, and the particular restaurant provides me with free paper negative processing trays.
Right... let's talk about size. Size matters, doesn't it?
My next step in photography was supposed to be large format and it was. I obtained a LF studio camera for a decent (still high) price. For further adventure, I decided to also get a more portable view camera. Ebay-fate decided that my portable camera would be a Ihagee-Photoklapp Patent-Duplex. Anyway, talking about size, we need to consider 12x9cm. Although this size is considered "large format", it still feels somewhat small, in particular when having the developed paper negatives in hand.
Speaking of paper negatives, they look real good, however, the paper I used shows a lot of structure and even maker's marks and is therefore not suitable for contact prints.
Yep, what you see are paper negatives in the fix and the wash baths.
The paper negatives scanned:
The light leak on the bottom of both exposures is due to me having pulled the dark-slide out too far, thereby allowing light to leak into the cassette.
For you technical guys out there, I was using grade 4 matte paper.
OK, I owe you digital photos of the scenes, which I took with my Pentax Q and the 01 standard prime.
You will notice, there is much more drama in the large format photos.
No joking here... honestly. I do like Chinese take-away food, and the particular restaurant provides me with free paper negative processing trays.
Right... let's talk about size. Size matters, doesn't it?
My next step in photography was supposed to be large format and it was. I obtained a LF studio camera for a decent (still high) price. For further adventure, I decided to also get a more portable view camera. Ebay-fate decided that my portable camera would be a Ihagee-Photoklapp Patent-Duplex. Anyway, talking about size, we need to consider 12x9cm. Although this size is considered "large format", it still feels somewhat small, in particular when having the developed paper negatives in hand.
Speaking of paper negatives, they look real good, however, the paper I used shows a lot of structure and even maker's marks and is therefore not suitable for contact prints.
 |
| left to right: caffenol - water stop - fix - wash |
The paper negatives scanned:
 |
| f/11 - 1s @ ISO 6 |
 |
| f/4.5 - s/4 @ ISO 6 |
For you technical guys out there, I was using grade 4 matte paper.
OK, I owe you digital photos of the scenes, which I took with my Pentax Q and the 01 standard prime.
 |
| Pentax Q, 8.5mm f/8 |
 |
| Pentax Q, 8.5mm f/1.9 |
You will notice, there is much more drama in the large format photos.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Oh No! WD-40!!!
This post is not for the faint-hearted or any glove wearing gear lover!
I have not yet posted about my latest turn in classical photography, which brought me into large format. Yes, you read correctly, I am into large format now, more about that in a later post.
Along with a very nice Plaubel Peco Supra outfit came a 65mm Super-Angulon lens with a #00 Synchro-Compur shutter. All was fine with that shutter, but the slow speeds, which were gunked up.
"What do I care about slow speeds, since we have fast film!", you may think ... not so fast my friend. Large format lends itself to very slow film speeds, e.g. by use of photographic paper, rather than film. Now we are talking ISO 3-6 actually.
For me, the slow shutter just had to work!
So, I decided to give a try and dismantled the Synchro-Compur, well, ok, I just took the lid and the speed-cam off.
First attempt to free the gears:
Zippo lighter fluid. Essentially, I swamped the entire mechanism with that stuff. Firing the shutter gradually freed the gunked gear and the slow speeds were coming up again. After some struggle with some springs, I managed to get the cam-plate back in place, closed the lid and had the shutter firing normally again. All speeds working! .... YEAH! Well ... not for long.
The slow speed mechanism got sticky again a day later.
Cleaning with lighter fluid only did thus not do the trick!
Second attempt to free the gears (this is were real geeks should stop reading!):
WD-40 next to Duck-tape is the technicians best bet. Both are known for some severe and unwanted side-effects. Actually, the side-effects are somewhat similar, sticky gunk, which is difficult to remove!
WD-40 however, has the brilliant property to to loose old grime real good.
With the motto: no shutter is as good as a useless shutter, I tried to carefully spray some WD-40 into the stuck gears. Of course this did not go to plan... WD-40 ended up everywhere... in the shutter blades, on the aperture blades, etc. etc.
The result was, all shutter speeds ran extremely smooth! The volatile light highly viscous component of WD-40 did an excellent job.
Now, let's remove WD-40 as quickly as we can from the shutter.
In a first step, I flushed the shutter with Zippo lighter fluid.
In a second step (now look away if you are a purist!) I bathed (!) the entire shutter in medium hot water with a high a concentration of neutral (no perfume, no coloring) dish soap. Actually, I poured some of the dish washing soap right into the shutter and on the blades. Having done so, the entire mechanism experienced a dive, during which the shutter had to operate many time through all the gears (speeds).
Some time later, the Synchro-Compur experienced a hot shower of plain water, whilst firing, to be dried on a heating radiator a moment later.
Contrary to the first attempt of freeing the slow gears, the second attempt's result holds up. Fully dry, showing no signs of "lubricant", the shutter speeds, down to 1s, are just fine, finally, thanks to WD-40!?
Time will tell if I managed to also remove the heavy component of WD-40, which has the reputation to keep water away by greasing up, i.e. becoming sticky.
Use with care! Please understand the risks of using WD-40 in such delicate mechanisms as photographic shutters. Having warned you, I wont sign responsible when you messed up your $$$ camera mechanics.
I have not yet posted about my latest turn in classical photography, which brought me into large format. Yes, you read correctly, I am into large format now, more about that in a later post.
Along with a very nice Plaubel Peco Supra outfit came a 65mm Super-Angulon lens with a #00 Synchro-Compur shutter. All was fine with that shutter, but the slow speeds, which were gunked up.
"What do I care about slow speeds, since we have fast film!", you may think ... not so fast my friend. Large format lends itself to very slow film speeds, e.g. by use of photographic paper, rather than film. Now we are talking ISO 3-6 actually.
For me, the slow shutter just had to work!
So, I decided to give a try and dismantled the Synchro-Compur, well, ok, I just took the lid and the speed-cam off.
First attempt to free the gears:
Zippo lighter fluid. Essentially, I swamped the entire mechanism with that stuff. Firing the shutter gradually freed the gunked gear and the slow speeds were coming up again. After some struggle with some springs, I managed to get the cam-plate back in place, closed the lid and had the shutter firing normally again. All speeds working! .... YEAH! Well ... not for long.
The slow speed mechanism got sticky again a day later.
Cleaning with lighter fluid only did thus not do the trick!
Second attempt to free the gears (this is were real geeks should stop reading!):
WD-40 next to Duck-tape is the technicians best bet. Both are known for some severe and unwanted side-effects. Actually, the side-effects are somewhat similar, sticky gunk, which is difficult to remove!
WD-40 however, has the brilliant property to to loose old grime real good.
With the motto: no shutter is as good as a useless shutter, I tried to carefully spray some WD-40 into the stuck gears. Of course this did not go to plan... WD-40 ended up everywhere... in the shutter blades, on the aperture blades, etc. etc.
The result was, all shutter speeds ran extremely smooth! The volatile light highly viscous component of WD-40 did an excellent job.
Now, let's remove WD-40 as quickly as we can from the shutter.
In a first step, I flushed the shutter with Zippo lighter fluid.
In a second step (now look away if you are a purist!) I bathed (!) the entire shutter in medium hot water with a high a concentration of neutral (no perfume, no coloring) dish soap. Actually, I poured some of the dish washing soap right into the shutter and on the blades. Having done so, the entire mechanism experienced a dive, during which the shutter had to operate many time through all the gears (speeds).
Some time later, the Synchro-Compur experienced a hot shower of plain water, whilst firing, to be dried on a heating radiator a moment later.
Contrary to the first attempt of freeing the slow gears, the second attempt's result holds up. Fully dry, showing no signs of "lubricant", the shutter speeds, down to 1s, are just fine, finally, thanks to WD-40!?
Time will tell if I managed to also remove the heavy component of WD-40, which has the reputation to keep water away by greasing up, i.e. becoming sticky.
Use with care! Please understand the risks of using WD-40 in such delicate mechanisms as photographic shutters. Having warned you, I wont sign responsible when you messed up your $$$ camera mechanics.
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