Storing a Barnack: shutter cocked or not ?

[Luddite Frank]

Another "urban legend" ?

A collector/friend whom I greatly respect insists that he read somewhere in a camera book (pre-Internet), that "Leicas should always be stored with the shutter cocked".

Supposedly, this somehow protects the shutter ?


Regarding other spring-powered devices, I've seen conflicting info:

Talking machine people recommend leaving the Victrola idle with the spring wound only a few turns, to keep the hook engaged on the arbor.

Some clock people suggest storing a clock with the mainspring wound, but the movement "blocked": the tighly wound coils are less exposed to the air and less likely to rust.
(Victrola springs are usually inside a barrel (case), and heavily greased, so rust shouldn't be as big a threat.)

With regard to cameras, the majority of info I have read was that for long-term storage, the shutter should be left un-cocked....


Does anbody know if there were any "official" statements from Leica, Nikon, etc, on the subject ? ( I'm not concerned with cameras that still have some film in them, between shooting expeditions...)

Thanks...

Luddite Frank

 

[Dralowid]

Uncocked according to Peter at CRR Luton.

Unwound according to those (like me) who collect clockwork movie cameras.

Unwound according to the Bolex H16 manual.

...and don't store a camera in a leather case (which can hold moisture)...and , if you leave a lens for a long time, take the cap off to allow dry air to circulate freely, or even remove it from the camera.

Michael

 

[ErnestoJL]

A shutter cocked means a spring tensioned, allways.
And AFAIK, that´s the only way to reduce the springs K (spring´s constant). It means that if you leave the spring either compressed or stretched, you are altering K in the long run, or reducing the force (or torque) available.

Cheers
Ernesto

 

[icebear]

Use it from time to time

Use it from time to time

I can't give a quote but somewhere in this forum there was a statement along the lines :
Because of the capacity range of the spring the difference between cocked and uncocked is like 40% vs 60% meaning it does not really make a big difference. More importantly is you should maybe every 1/4 or 1/2 year take the camera from storage and shoot all settings from slowest to fastest speed for a few times in order to prevent the grease from becoming sticky - this is what causes trouble, not the tension of the spring.

 

[Rob-F]

Icebar has it right. 40% uncocked, 60% cocked. It matters not.

 

[Peter A (NYC)]

John Maddox is one of the supreme experts. He told me that my III shutter was is such good condition possibly because it had been stored cocked for many years, although we had no way to verify weather it was stored cocked or uncocked.

 

[merlin]

Assuming good metallurgy and design, springs in things such as cameras and guns mainly weaken from flex – from being used.

Storing a camera for an extended time with one spring or another compressed probably doesn't make much difference – cocked and locked .45 autos with full magazines sure don't care.

A mechanical camera is not a gun but I would imagine a spring is a spring.

 

[uwe zankl]

Hi all

My five cants...

I think the springs are not really the issue but more the tightly rolled up curtains. How ever you store yours, one curtain will be rolled up and one straight. So I would suggest to make up a schedule of 2, 3, 6 months or even weeks if you want and store alternating wound up and relaesed. This way none of the curtains gets the chance to dry out rolled around a roller. I have seen quite a few Leicas where the first curtain was in ruins clearly showing the pattern of the tension roller it was wrapped around for decades...

cheers
Uwe

PS: Can't happen with my Leicas, I "play" with them almost daily😀

 

[giellaleafapmu]

Storing a camera for an extended time with one spring or another compressed probably doesn't make much difference – cocked and locked .45 autos with full magazines sure don't care.

Probably not, in fact the Rollei 35 was even designed in such a way that the lens could be collapsed only with a cocked shutter. I think I read somewhere that the idea behind storing old Leicas with a cocked shutter was to keep the fabric of the shutter in tension but also this theory sounds a bit weird to me. I think the best is not to store old Leica but rather to use them regularly!

GLF

 

[BillP]

Slightly OT, but useful, I discovered tonight that my IID is the same size as my Nintendo DS. The £5.00 semi hard case for the unit takes my IID without lens perfectly, with little elastic straps in the corners to hold it in. Ideal for travel.





Regards,

Bill

P.S. It's cocked, of course...

 

[merlin]

... I think the springs are not really the issue but more the tightly rolled up curtains. How ever you store yours, one curtain will be rolled up and one straight ...

Yeah, that makes sense. Damed if you do, damned if ..........

 

[wolves3012]

Modern spring metals suffer little from being under tension, so it makes little difference. As has been pointed out an uncocked shutter still leaves tension anyway. I doubt that in the lifetime of the camera the springs would suffer "creep" but it's possible. Personally I leave them uncocked but I also use them.

For *very* old clocks and watches they should be left unwound because metal technology wasn't as good and it is a problem - or was, since few remain with original springs, they tended to break!

 

[uwe zankl]

Hi

I just read another reason for storing them cocked...in this state the 1st curtain is rolled around the big drum and the 2nd is straight. That is better since the drum has a much larger diameter than the tension roller and the curtain will not be rolled up so tightly!

cheers
Uwe

...who plays with his Leicas every other day...