air release/self timer for strong shutter?

[Dean Lastoria]

For your amusement only: OK, this isn't my idea -- I wasn't sure, so I looked it up in one of my old books -- an old Kodak "Here's How" publication. I wouldn't do this, but for laughs here it is. Kodak said to tie a mouse trap (or in your case, I guess, a rat trap) to the tri-pod, stick the cable release where the mouse's head should go, put string on the cheese part, and viola, you have a 5 to 50 foot cable release. Don't ask about vibration. There you go, Dean

[Mark_437]

Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. Rob, I'll try the canned air trick, and Bob, I'll look into the Kaiser release. Also, if anyone has had any luck with a mechanical self-timer on a self-cocking shutter I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Cheers!

[David A. Goldfarb]

Before you try rigging up something complicated, have you had the shutter serviced lately? I sent a self-cocking Ilex #5 to Steve Grimes for a CLA. Before CLA even a cable release wouldn't always make the long throw, and I assumed that was just how it was, being a self-cocking shutter, but now it works like a charm. I gather this is pretty common for old shutters of this type.

[Mark_437]

Good idea, David, except that I bought the shutter from Steve Grimes and he made adapters and mounted the lens in it. I'm afraid it's as good as it's going to get, but thanks for the suggestion!