Shutter repair

Hello,

Recently I tryed to enter a large-format fotography by acquiring an
old Graflex Crown special model at eBay. I am residing in Italy and it
would be quite hard to find those inexpensive cameras here and so I
decided to pick one in the US. I had a friend there, coming to visit
me for a vacation and he brought this camera to me.

I suppose that, being not much experienced in the field, I could
misoperate a leaf shutter in some way but after a couple of successful
fires it's got stuck in charged closed position and I cannot release
it.

The person who sold me the camera claims that it used to work
perfectly and I don't see a reason why it can be not true since the
shutter fired succesfully first time. I believe it might be a "luck"
of picking-up an old thing at the time when it's ready to break.

I tryed to call some local stores in my town to ask if they know
some repair shop or a person who could give a look at the shutter and
restore its functionality. The only answer I've received so far is
that _camera_ model is unknown to them and they have no idea where I
could go with it.

I don't really know yet if it would so difficult to find a good
reasonably priced service here in Italy and so I thought that I might
give it back to my friend who is returning to the US in the next few
days and he could mail it to some recognized repair shop.

The question is that does it make more sense to locate another used
lens for this camera if it would cost me less than a possible repair
(I don't really know how much it would be)?
Does it make more sense to find a good service within the EU
borders, say in Germany, than to have it sent to the US? I just heard
that services in Germany are easier to find but they are quite
pricey..

I'd be grateful for any suggestions on the matter.

Serge
Brescia, Italy

PS. If you answer privately, please replace "usenet" part of email
with "serge".

Serge Korolev wrote:


I suppose that, being not much experienced in the field, I could
misoperate a leaf shutter in some way but after a couple of successful
fires it's got stuck in charged closed position and I cannot release
it.



I don't really know yet if it would so difficult to find a good
reasonably priced service here in Italy and so I thought that I might
give it back to my friend who is returning to the US in the next few
days and he could mail it to some recognized repair shop.

The question is that does it make more sense to locate another used
lens for this camera if it would cost me less than a possible repair


Which shutter? Which lens? If it's just an old press lens it's likely not
worth getting a pro to fix it. If it's something nicer then it might be.

Look for shops selling large format equipment. They'll have a much
better idea of local repair shops.


Nick

"Serge Korolev"

... Graflex Crown special model ... after a couple of successful
fires [the leaf shutter] got stuck in charged closed position and
I cannot release it.

If you can not find someone to do it for you, you may want to try
to fix it yourself:

http://www.edromney.com/

sells repair guides for amateurs.

The classic quick-fix is to soak the shutter is several changes of
cigarette lighter fluid (naphtha).

The slow speed shutter train may need lubrication after this.

The very best oil is one made for vacuum operation: it won't fog
the lens and it won't migrate. The next best oil is a fulcrum
clock oil. A local clock & watch repair store may lubricate the
shutter for you for a few lira.

Do not use the 'household' oil used for door hinges, sewing machines
.... it will migrate to the aperture and shutter blades, dry out,
gum up and fog.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

If it is a Crown Special it should have a Schneider Xenar in a Compur shutter.
The lens and shutter were made in Germany and should actually be easier to get
repaired in Europe than in the US. You need to find someplace that works on
large format equipment.

If someone changed the lens it may be anything. And you would need to tell us
which lens and shutter is actually on the camera for anyone to give you usful
information.

--

Serge Korolev wrote:

Hello,

Recently I tryed to enter a large-format fotography by acquiring an
old Graflex Crown special model at eBay. I am residing in Italy and it
would be quite hard to find those inexpensive cameras here and so I
decided to pick one in the US. I had a friend there, coming to visit
me for a vacation and he brought this camera to me.

I suppose that, being not much experienced in the field, I could
misoperate a leaf shutter in some way but after a couple of successful
fires it's got stuck in charged closed position and I cannot release
it.

The person who sold me the camera claims that it used to work
perfectly and I don't see a reason why it can be not true since the
shutter fired succesfully first time. I believe it might be a "luck"
of picking-up an old thing at the time when it's ready to break.

I tryed to call some local stores in my town to ask if they know
some repair shop or a person who could give a look at the shutter and
restore its functionality. The only answer I've received so far is
that _camera_ model is unknown to them and they have no idea where I
could go with it.

I don't really know yet if it would so difficult to find a good
reasonably priced service here in Italy and so I thought that I might
give it back to my friend who is returning to the US in the next few
days and he could mail it to some recognized repair shop.

The question is that does it make more sense to locate another used
lens for this camera if it would cost me less than a possible repair
(I don't really know how much it would be)?
Does it make more sense to find a good service within the EU
borders, say in Germany, than to have it sent to the US? I just heard
that services in Germany are easier to find but they are quite
pricey..

I'd be grateful for any suggestions on the matter.

Serge
Brescia, Italy

PS. If you answer privately, please replace "usenet" part of email
with "serge".

Tom tom@localhost wrote in message:
If it is a Crown Special it should have a Schneider Xenar in a Compur
shutter.
The lens and shutter were made in Germany and should actually be easier to
get repaired in Europe than in the US. You need to find someplace that
works on large format equipment.

If someone changed the lens it may be anything. And you would need to tell us
which lens and shutter is actually on the camera for anyone to give you usful
information.

I can read the name Prontor-S on the shutter. It mounts a
f:6,8/105mm Geog Leitmeyr München Weitwinkel Anastigmat lens, looks
very clear.
Would it worth repair?

Serge

"Serge Korolev" wrote in message

[ shutter repair]
I can read the name Prontor-S on the shutter. It mounts a
f:6,8/105mm Geog Leitmeyr München Weitwinkel Anastigmat lens, looks
very clear.
Would it worth repair?

Prontor is a German shutter, so repair should (theoretically)
be easier to find on your side of the pond. There will only
be 2-3 shops in Italy (a guess) that repair LF shutters, you
will have to look. Is there an Italian user group with
an internet presence? - FWIW the best magazine on antique
cameras is out of Italy, maybe there is an add on their
website. Germany would have more repair shops.

A few of these lenses went/going for $40-50 on ebay.
However, there is no guarantee that they will work
any better than the one you have in your hand.

A cleaned and re-lubed Prontor will be good for another
50 years. It is a very good shutter. So, repair may
be cost effective even if it costs more than $40.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

(Serge Korolev) wrote:
If it is a Crown Special it should have a Schneider Xenar in a
Compur shutter.
The lens and shutter were made in Germany and should actually be
easier to get repaired in Europe than in the US. You need to find
someplace that works on large format equipment.

If someone changed the lens it may be anything. And you would
need to tell us which lens and shutter is actually on the camera
for anyone to give you usful information.

I can read the name Prontor-S on the shutter. It mounts a
f:6,8/105mm Geog Leitmeyr München Weitwinkel Anastigmat lens, looks
very clear.
Would it worth repair?

Just received an estimation quote for this shutter from S.K.Grimes -
$100 for a typical CLA only and $125-$150 if the shutter requires
replacement parts/repairs..

I am starting to think that it would worth to find a similar lens
and/or a working shutter cheaper. Any well known sources to start
with? What kind/size of shutter would fit Gralfex Crown lens board?
are those lenses standard to be mounted to any shutter available?
Sorry if the questions sound dumb, I'd appreciate a redirection to a
good online faq as well.

Thanks in advance,

Serge

I would first try the soaking in lighter
fluid, if no go... then buy a new (used)
lens for ****'s sakes. just make sure it
is accurate. But also, SKGrimes does
sell used shutters that they have recon-
ditioned to accuracy. and there are no
doubt several German websites selling
them, also fixed. I would look for the
exact same shutter because machining
out a new set of threaded bushings is
expensive!

Alex

"Serge Korolev" wrote in message m...
Hello,

Recently I tryed to enter a large-format fotography by acquiring an
old Graflex Crown special model at eBay. I am residing in Italy and it
would be quite hard to find those inexpensive cameras here and so I
decided to pick one in the US. I had a friend there, coming to visit
me for a vacation and he brought this camera to me.

I suppose that, being not much experienced in the field, I could
misoperate a leaf shutter in some way but after a couple of successful
fires it's got stuck in charged closed position and I cannot release
it.

The person who sold me the camera claims that it used to work
perfectly and I don't see a reason why it can be not true since the
shutter fired succesfully first time. I believe it might be a "luck"
of picking-up an old thing at the time when it's ready to break.

I tryed to call some local stores in my town to ask if they know
some repair shop or a person who could give a look at the shutter and
restore its functionality. The only answer I've received so far is
that _camera_ model is unknown to them and they have no idea where I
could go with it.

I don't really know yet if it would so difficult to find a good
reasonably priced service here in Italy and so I thought that I might
give it back to my friend who is returning to the US in the next few
days and he could mail it to some recognized repair shop.

The question is that does it make more sense to locate another used
lens for this camera if it would cost me less than a possible repair
(I don't really know how much it would be)?
Does it make more sense to find a good service within the EU
borders, say in Germany, than to have it sent to the US? I just heard
that services in Germany are easier to find but they are quite
pricey..

I'd be grateful for any suggestions on the matter.

Serge
Brescia, Italy

PS. If you answer privately, please replace "usenet" part of email
with "serge".

Find a Polaroid 110a/b. Rip the lens and shutter out of that and use it
on the Graflex.

Regards,

Marv

Serge Korolev wrote:
(Serge Korolev) wrote:

If it is a Crown Special it should have a Schneider Xenar in a
Compur shutter.
The lens and shutter were made in Germany and should actually be
easier to get repaired in Europe than in the US. You need to find
someplace that works on large format equipment.

If someone changed the lens it may be anything. And you would
need to tell us which lens and shutter is actually on the camera
for anyone to give you usful information.

I can read the name Prontor-S on the shutter. It mounts a
f:6,8/105mm Geog Leitmeyr München Weitwinkel Anastigmat lens, looks
very clear.
Would it worth repair?


Just received an estimation quote for this shutter from S.K.Grimes -
$100 for a typical CLA only and $125-$150 if the shutter requires
replacement parts/repairs..

I am starting to think that it would worth to find a similar lens
and/or a working shutter cheaper. Any well known sources to start
with? What kind/size of shutter would fit Gralfex Crown lens board?
are those lenses standard to be mounted to any shutter available?
Sorry if the questions sound dumb, I'd appreciate a redirection to a
good online faq as well.

Thanks in advance,

Serge

I hope you have a 2-1/4x3-1/4 Graphic there as I do not think that lens (unless
it is a wide-angle) will cover 4x5. For what it is worth a Crown Graphic Special
is a late model top-rangefinder 4x5 Crown Graphic with the mentioned 135mm
Xenar. If that is not what it is the seller misrepresented it. If it is a
Special, or other Pacemaker 45, you can replace the lens/shutter with about any
lens between 127mm and 210mm that will cover 4x5. 127's and 135's were the most
common.

If it is a 2-1/4x3-1/4 (6x9mm) Graphic a 100 to 105 lens is normal. All the 23
Graphics had side mounted rangefinders. I do not know that lens, but going by
the basic specs I would think it is a very low-end lens. In that case it would
probably be better to replace it than repair it.

I notice a couple of folks mentioned the Ronsonol (ligter fluid) soak. See my
article on service Graphex Shutters for my negative opinion of that.

http://presscameras.graywolfphoto.com/graphex.html

--

Serge Korolev wrote:

Tom tom@localhost wrote in message:

If it is a Crown Special it should have a Schneider Xenar in a Compur
shutter.
The lens and shutter were made in Germany and should actually be easier to
get repaired in Europe than in the US. You need to find someplace that
works on large format equipment.

If someone changed the lens it may be anything. And you would need to tell us
which lens and shutter is actually on the camera for anyone to give you usful
information.


I can read the name Prontor-S on the shutter. It mounts a
f:6,8/105mm Geog Leitmeyr München Weitwinkel Anastigmat lens, looks
very clear.
Would it worth repair?

Serge