Leica LTM Degraded shutters, do you find it is the "first curtain" that is rotten?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
V

Vickko

Veteran
Local time
4:02 PM
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
2,827
Location
Canada
View My Gallery
Degraded shutters, do you find it is the "first curtain", i.e the one that you see when the shutter is released, that is rotten?

Any reason why that is? Is it that storing a shutter wound up, in a roll, rots the rubber?

Vick
 
The first curtain is wound on a quite tight (under 1/4") drum when the camera is not cocked. The second curtain is flat when the camera is not cocked, and rolled on a 5/8" drum when the camera is cocked. So the first curtain has a tougher life.
 
Quite right, John

So, I anticipate that many to all Leica LTM's will be due for a shutter curtain changeout in the next 5~10 years.

Assuming that film survives, and LTM aficionado's likewise survive, there could be a healthy business to be changing shutter curtains.

Is that right?

Vick
 
I think that the more they are "used" the better condition they stay.........I have cameras that have the original curtains still in them from 1943 and 1945, also a good moderate climate is good for the cameras as well 🙂

Tom

PS; The "K" stamp of the IIIC K's is on that first curtain, so it's that curtain that sadly goes first, I've seen a few rotten K shutter curtains, mostly on mint or near mint condition cameras! 🙁
 
Last edited:
Film will survive. The red curtains in my 1940 3c are in fine shape. I intend to keep them that way.

I've seen plenty of brittle ones, or disintegrating ones -- on neglected cameras that get holed up in a box in a hot or humid garage or worse.

I agree with Tom, using 'em is the best prevention.
 
Interestingly, Peter at CRR can "revulcanise" a curtain, providing it has not deteriorated too far. He did it on my M4 and the curtains now look like new.

I don't know if it would work on a curtain with a K stamp - the process involves heat and sulphur, both of which might either damage or discolour the K.
 
I probably wouldn't do this on one of my Leica cameras, but I've patched Zorki I curtains where the rubber was crumbling off by applying a thin layer of Liquid Electrical Tape.
Indeed it was the first curtain that was starting to crumble from 40 years of disuse.
 
The only really bad one I've seen lately was a old Sears Barnack clone that the lady admitted she had - forgotten? - in the trunk of her car since last winter.

Curtains were fused ... we've had almost 50-days of 90+ degrees F temp this summer.

BTW - Mr Fibble:
Rick, you're going to beat me to 1,000 posts, aren't you. ;o)
Old Rick in Maryland USA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom