Need #00 lens board for Calumet 402

[Mike Anderson]

To get started in LF, I got a $250 "system" comprised of a Calumet cc-402 (the wide angle model), and an old Super Angulon 90 with a Compur #00 shutter in a recessed lens board. Everything looks OK, except that it's almost impossible to operate. The shutter has neither a preview lever nor a T setting, and is hard to operate in that recessed lens board. From what I've read, I don't think a recessed lens board is needed with that camera with a 90mm, so I want to get a non-recessed lens board.

So I was thinking of getting one of these and having them drill it for a #00 shutter. I assume this will be simply a hole with no threading (the recessed lens board I have has a threaded insert so the shutter screws into it).

If I get this new lens board drilled with no threading, I'll need a nut that screws on the back of the #00 shutter to hold it to the board. Any idea where I can get such a nut?

Does this plan make sense?

...Mike

[Gem Singer]

Mike,

Are you certain that the threaded insert in the recessed lens board is not actually the retaining ring you are looking for?

Try removing it and using it to hold your lens on the Calumet flat lens board.

[Merg Ross]

Hi Mike, the 90mm will work fine on a flat board. I bought my Calumet 402 forty years ago and used it for commercial architectural photography (with a 90mm Super Angulon). What is the hole size on the 00? I may have a board.

[Mike Anderson]

Mike,

Are you certain that the threaded insert in the recessed lens board is not actually the retaining ring you are looking for?

Try removing it and using it to hold your lens on the Calumet flat lens board.

The threaded insert is glued into the recessed board. The threaded hole in the insert seems about 24mm, and it's fit into a hole in the board that's about 36mm diameter. There are 2 numbers on the insert: "AA07" and "103", it looks factory made (not custom made), but the glue job to the lens board doesn't look like factory work.

These measurements I made (24mm and 36mm) aren't making sense to me with respect the chart on this page.

Thanks for your help.

...Mike

[Gem Singer]

Hi Merg,

Mike will need a Calumet flat lens board with a 27mm opening for his #00 shutter.

[Mike Anderson]

Hi Mike, the 90mm will work fine on a flat board. I bought my Calumet 402 forty years ago and used it for commercial architectural photography (with a 90mm Super Angulon). What is the hole size on the 00? I may have a board.

Not sure exactly what you mean by "hole size". The thread on the shutter is about 24mm diameter.

...Mike

[Gem Singer]

Mike,

You will probably be able to carefully knock that glued insert out of the recessed lens board.

The insert can then be used as a retaining ring for your #00 shutter. Shutters are not normally screwed into threaded lens boards.

The original hole on the recessed lens board was bored for a Copal 0 shutter (34-35mm).

The threaded insert is a bushing used to reduce the size of the opening, enabling the recessed lens board to accept the smaller #00 shutter.

[Merg Ross]

Mike,

You will probably be able to carefully knock that glued insert out of the recessed lens board.

The insert can then be used as a retaining ring for your #00 shutter.

The original hole on the recessed lens board was bored for a Copal 0 shutter (34-35mm).

The threaded insert is a bushing used to reduce the size of the opening and enable the recessed lens board to accept the smaller #00 shutter.

Mike, I think Gem has good advice.

Checked my extra board and it is drilled for a larger shutter.

[rdenney]

I ran into the same issue with a 47mm Super Angulon that is also mounted in a #00 shutter. I found an off-brand recessed lens board (needed for that lens on most cameras), but it was drilled only for a #0 shutter. Rather than have a board custom-made (read: expensive), I bought an adapter from S. K. Grimes that threads onto the #00 shutter, providing threads for a #0 board and retaining ring. The whole thing was well under a hundred bucks and it solved that problem completely.

Most retaining rings will have a lip, and the lip should fit into the opening on the board. That's why the sizes vary a bit. 26mm is the "conventional" size for a #00 shutter, but any given example may be a bit smaller or bigger depending on the retaining ring that was being fit.

In your shoes, I would buy a #0 recessed board and an adapter from Grimes. Then, if that heavy 90/8 ever causes damage to the shutter (which was a problem with these), you can find a later 90/8 in a #0 shutter and mount it without having to drill out the board.

Rick "who packs a magnifier and LED pen-light for adjusting the settings on that #00 shutter" Denney

[Mike Anderson]

Mike,

You will probably be able to carefully knock that glued insert out of the recessed lens board.

The insert can then be used as a retaining ring for your #00 shutter. Shutters are not normally screwed into threaded lens boards.

The original hole on the recessed lens board was bored for a Copal 0 shutter (34-35mm).

The threaded insert is a bushing used to reduce the size of the opening, enabling the recessed lens board to accept the smaller #00 shutter.

I think the threaded insert is too thick to be used as a retaining nut, if I used it that way the rear piece of the lens couldn't be screwed in all the way. Maybe I could simply reglue it into the new lens board. Better yet find a unglued copy of that threaded insert.

I really appreciate your help.

...Mike