replacing shutter curtains

[jan normandale]

I have been looking at some Leica - 'Likea' (pun) style cameras. Miranda, Canon, etc. I read at one blogger site that the silk shutter curtains on most are either gone from dry deterioration or are about to go.

So... RFFers comments are appreciated here

1. This may or may not be an exaggeration regarding the silk
2. If the curtains must be replaced or repaired where do you go for this work.
3. What about cost, anyone ever paid for this repair?
4. How do you know before you purchase (over the net) without running film thru

thx , Jan

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Unless abused, or left in moist conditions, the curtains should last. I have not replaced any of the shutter curtains in my cameras, they are all original.

 

[jan normandale]

Unless abused, or left in moist conditions, the curtains should last. I have not replaced any of the shutter curtains in my cameras, they are all original.

thanks Brian,

what vintage are we talking about for your cameras, 50 yrs, 60yrs?
ie 1945 - 1955?

Jan

 

[kiev4a]

Depends a lot on the camera. I have a Pentax SV from the early '60s with curtains that are pretty iffy and will probably need replaced soon. I have a Petri and Mamiya from the same period with curtians that look fine.

I've had to replace the curtains in a lot of my Russians Cameras from the '30s and '50s. Don't know if the material was silk. One of the key factors is whether the cameras have been used regularly. If so the curtains seem to stay pliable. If they has ssat for long periods with no use they have a tendency to become brittle. The curtains on the Japanese cameras seem to hold up better but most of them aren't as old.

On russian cameras our repairman over there will replace curtains for about $30 with $20 postage each direction. But I doubt he would have proper curtains for Japanese cameras. I've replaced the curtain material on some russian cameras, -- ones where the curtains were wrapped around the laths rather than crimped.

 

[jan normandale]

thanks Wayne,

Do you have any URL or email address for the Russian repair service? I could write and see what they could do and costs. It would be good to know before I go too far on the camera I'm looking at.

Jan

 

[kabkos]

The Minolta 35 Leica copies are famous for the shutter curtains failing. These cameras are from 1948-1959. The rubber that they used in the cameras appears to have a high reactive sulfur content and they become brittle. It was not uncommon for this to occur within 15 years of manufacture. The Canon and Leica cameras from the same era typically have curtains that last about 40+ years (this is based on discussions I have had with camera techs from the mid 1980's as well as on cameras that I have replaced curtains in).

karl

 

[payasam]

I sold a 1956 M3 at the end of 2002. Slow speeds giving trouble, owner flat broke, but curtains fine. At the same time, I sold a VT Deluxe whose curtains too were fine. When, some months ago, I was waiting for my present IIIc, I procured curtain material because I was convinced that it would be needed. It was not needed. The camera is from 1946-47 and, to my knowledge, was not used for over twenty years. The curtains of my Canon FTb, 1975 or earlier, show no sign of developing trouble.

You can get curtain material from Aki-Asahi and see, on their site, instructions on the making of a shutter unit.

 

[jonasv]

Jan, there was a thread about replacing shutter curtains on a Leica just yesterday on photo.net: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00GnBM&tag=

It has quite a bit of info on where to get the material and how to do it, if you're going to do it yourself. If you don't want to do that, I too recommend Oleg, he can replace the shutter curtains and CLA a barnack copy for less than $100.