Putting shutter blades back

[Joakim Ahnfelt]

Hi
Just in theory of course. No one could possibly be this stupid.
If some one somehow managed to drop all the shutter blades out while dismanteling an old enlarger lens in order to replace the lens elements with some other ones. Just becuse the threads would fit and the new elements needed something to hold them together so this theoretical person could see if his new (old) Zeiss Tessar could be used for anything fun.
Would there be any humanly possible way of putting the shutter blades back again?
Just asking out of curiosity.

[Michael Graves]

I know your pain. I tried to disassemble an old shutter. Springs went everywhere. I used the lens to burn ants after that.

[Patrik Roseen]

Joakim, you talk about an enlarger lens and shutter blades. Do you really mean shutter blades or do you mean apartureblades...the apertureblades are usually easier to put back I assume since those that I have seen usually do not have any springs attached...but then again I'm not an expert.

[GPS]

I agree with you, nobody could be that stupid. But to answer the question, it is fully possible to put them back. For some just in theory, of course.

[mark anderson]

in theory it is fun to burn ants.

[Melchi M. Michel]

I have (accidentally) done this before to a symmar convertible and succeeded in replacing the blades. It's a pain but it is possible. To start, you'll probably have to lock the shutter open and replace the blades in consecutive clockwise (or was it counterclockwise?) order. My shutter was a compur #1 and I'm guessing yours is too, so you should be fine.

[Joakim Ahnfelt]

I was very tired last night. It's of course the aperture blades that has fallen out and nothing else. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
So does any body know any trick how to put them back again?

[Patrik Roseen]

You could try to post a question on the 'classic camera repair forum'.
classic camera repair forum

It could be they have studied the theory of replacing aperture blades after finishing the 'The theory of human emotions burning ants using lenses nolonger attached to a working enlargement barrel"

[GPS]

clockwise or anti clockwise order - it's all the same. Just do it in one direction.

[Terence McDonagh]

I did the same thing a few weeks back (there's a thread on apug.org documenting my stupidity), and I spent a couple of frustrating hours getting nowhere. I put it aside, and had a few beers. It didn't get the blades back in, but I felt much better.

It's very easy until the last couple of leaves which have to go UNDER the first few without popping out the first few. I'm going to try it again and put a little tape across the pieces that go easily so that I don't lose there relative positions and then try to slide the last few under. A small pair of hook-nosed pliers (hooked perpendicular to the hinge) would be handy. Patience would be even better, but harder to find. It LOOKS so easy, but it's a PITA.