FED 2 Shutter Curtain Hole

[theotse]

Hi, I got my FED 2 yesterday and I found out that there is a one cm patch where the rubber has worn off. This is causing huge amounts of light leaks. What material can I use to patch and fix it?

Thanks!

 

[feenej]

Fixed the pinholes in mine with a paint-pen, tho it took three tries. People here have said to use liquid electrical tape. Maybe you can get that at the hardware store?

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Liquid Electrical Tape worked fine for me. I used it on Zorki I curtains. Just apply it in thin layers. I used a q-tip to brush it on.

 

[theotse]

Okay, Thanks! Will get some this weekend.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Oh, and give the stuff a few hours time to dry out between layers.

 

[theotse]

by the way, which side should I apply it to? The side facing the lens are the side facing the film.

 

[Brian Legge]

One centimeter hole is a rather large hole to patch with liquid electrical tape. That is usually used for pinholes. Patching it with cloth is more common when you're dealing with a size like that.

I haven't done it myself but you can find a bunch of info on it with a few google searches. I'd provide a link but I don't have any definitive info.

edit: I think I misunderstood. I was reading that as a hole, not just as thin cloth. ignore me. 🙂

 

[Kim Coxon]

I have used fabric paint to good effect in the past with the odd pin hole. Your area seems rather large though. Have you thought about new curtains?

Kim

 

[wolves3012]

Liquid electrical tape is often used but for an area as large as that it suggests the curtains are shot. The patching idea will be temporary, other areas are likely to follow suit. Time to get new ones, as Kim suggests...

 

[pschauss]

I have a FED-2 which had random pinholes over the an area at least 1.5 cm square on the first shutter curtain. I painted almost the entire portion of the curtain which covered the film gate with fabric paint. That was eight years ago and when I used the camera earlier this year the curtains were still light tight.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Large[r] holes (technically, no longer pinholes) need to be patched first with a thin material before painting over. One good material I found suited for this is fabric typewriter ribbon. I don't know if you still have these- those which come in small metal reels and threaded reel to reel across the typewriter's width.

The ribbon is first cleaned of any oily ink. Then cut to a piece large enough to cover the hole. It is then glued over the hole and once the glue sets, is painted over with black fabric paint.

As the others have said, this will only work if the coating on the blinds are still supple. If dried and cracking, other holes will soon form, and therefore curtain replacement is the only feasible solution.