robert.raymer
Newbie
I have recently come across a Series D that I was able to obtain at a great price. Originally I was going to try and take it apart and refurbish it from the ground up, but surprisingly, aside from some peeling leather everything is in great shape except for the shutter curtain, which has enough pinholes to effect the image on some, but not all settings, including one section that is about 2mm wide across more than half the width of the shutter that is missing quite a bit of rubber. Now Im toying with complete refurbishment, just replacing the curtain, or attempting a temporary repair until I make up my mind what I want to do long term.
I have heard a number of solutions on this and other forums, ranging from sharpie markers to fabric markers to elmers glue mixed with acrylic paint to liquid/spray electric tape. My concern is that I usually see these offered as solution to fix pinholes in either bellows or much smaller format cameras (it seems to be a popular fix for Leica's with burn holes from the sun), but I haven't seen anyone mention using them for large format focal plane shutters like speed graphics or Graflex SLR's.
Does anyone have experience good, bad, or otherwise with this type of curtain repair on a Graflex? Any tips or advice? Or should I just replace it completely?
Thanks in advance for your help.
I have heard a number of solutions on this and other forums, ranging from sharpie markers to fabric markers to elmers glue mixed with acrylic paint to liquid/spray electric tape. My concern is that I usually see these offered as solution to fix pinholes in either bellows or much smaller format cameras (it seems to be a popular fix for Leica's with burn holes from the sun), but I haven't seen anyone mention using them for large format focal plane shutters like speed graphics or Graflex SLR's.
Does anyone have experience good, bad, or otherwise with this type of curtain repair on a Graflex? Any tips or advice? Or should I just replace it completely?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Last edited:
Steve M.
Veteran
I use this for bellows repairs. It will work for your shutter, just don't put it on too thick or the curtains will probably not work right.
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81158-Silicone-Adhesive-Sealant/dp/B000AL6WLA
These cameras are capable of nice photos, especially portraits. I always felt that the curtains were the weak link. Those are big pieces of material to be flapping around. If it were mine I might try to put a lens in a leaf shutter to simplify shooting it, but then you would lose the image IQ of your current barrel lens. There are a few people who specialize in refurbishing these cameras, but their prices are super expensive. Is yours a 4x5 or 5x7 model? You can pick up the smaller models at good prices, so you might want to look at that rather than refurbishing yours.
https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81158-Silicone-Adhesive-Sealant/dp/B000AL6WLA
These cameras are capable of nice photos, especially portraits. I always felt that the curtains were the weak link. Those are big pieces of material to be flapping around. If it were mine I might try to put a lens in a leaf shutter to simplify shooting it, but then you would lose the image IQ of your current barrel lens. There are a few people who specialize in refurbishing these cameras, but their prices are super expensive. Is yours a 4x5 or 5x7 model? You can pick up the smaller models at good prices, so you might want to look at that rather than refurbishing yours.
robert.raymer
Newbie
Thanks. Thickness is one of my main concerns. I have a bunch of pinholes to cover and even putting it on very thin I am worried that the thickness over the whole curtain will build up too much and cause me issues. I know that using replacement material that is even a small bit too thick will cause issues for this reason.
This particular one is a 4x5. I also have a 5x7 that is in almost new condition, including a perfect shutter curtain, but it does not have a rotating back, and as such does not get nearly as much use as I shoot mainly portraits in "portrait" orientation. I know they make 2x3 and 3.25x4.25 versions as well, but I don't really care for those formats. If Im shooting larger than 120 I want at least 4x5.
As for the lenses in shutter, to me anyway, it would take away some of the appeal of the camera. As it is the curtain drops automatically as the mirror rises, which allows you to capture the image exactly as you see it on the ground glass. A lens in shutter would require you to focus, then cock the shutter, then trip the mirror, then fire the shutter. If I am going to go through all that, I prefer using my monorail camera. Not to mention, without modification the lens mount would make cocking/firing the lens somewhat difficult from the position it would be sitting in.
rjbuzzclick
Well-known
I believe that the member shutterfinger on APUG (sorry...photrio) has provided some info on repairing these curtains and might even do repairs.