Shutter wont cock - Synchro-Compur 1 M/X

[markuspaulsen]

I recently purchased a LINHOF SCHNEIDER KREUZNACH TECHNIKA. 1:5,5/270MM off ebay and the shutter wont cock. Everything else seems ok. The Shutter release doesn't seem stuck and functions.

I'm fairly new to large format and wondering if there was some easy fix that I am unaware of. Otherwise I guess it goes out for repair. is there a shop you all would recommend on the west coast?

Thanks.

[HT Finley]

Yes. The mechanism is dried-up and/or dirty, and stuck. The naptha or alcohol trick may solve the problem, but the shutter speeds will still be inaccurate. Service is the best remedy.

[LFFB]

If u live in Portland or Seattle; there a camera shop name "Photo world" that they can provide infos that u need. Alternative, open the lens and take out the slow speed gear and soak it in gasoline over light; clean up all the dirt.

[catalinajack]

Send it to Carol Miller in Whittier, CA. Soaking in fluid may free the works but you will be left with a shutter that is bereft of lubrication and likely badly calibrated. Carol will clean it, lubricate it, and adjust it (CLA) for $50 -$60. She will include a table with the shutter speeds at each setting. However, expect the faster speeds to be slower than design. It is an old shutter and you cannot expect factory specs. Without a CLA, you are shooting craps. I am also very skeptical of dousing a complex mechanism in fluid and expecting a good result. Some folks may have had good results doing so and saved a few dollars but wouldn't you rather have a shutter that has been "fixed". Think about it, we spend lots of money on cameras, lenses, film, and darkroom supplies but, yet, some will cheap out on the one item that, without consistency, will ruin lots of exposures. Just one man's opinion.

[Vick Ko]

yep, washing out all the lubricant will leave you with a shutter that might work, but speeds will all be off. In fact, some functions might not even work, e.g. the T/B functions might not work. Some of the mechanism must have lubricant, and, the correct lubricant, to even work.

I have had shutter functions jam with oil, but work just fine with grease. And of course, the reverse. Grease may gum up a mechanism that needs to run freely, for instance the slow speed mechanism. That has to be lubricated "just right", not too little, and certainly not too much.

In this realm, experience speaks volumes. Don't be afraid to try, and be prepared to learn, if you want to DYI

:-)

[BrianShaw]

... Carol will clean it, lubricate it, and adjust it (CLA) for $50 -$60. ...

I think she is up to around $85 now.

I have had very good service from Steve's Camera Repair in Culver City. Higher priced than the aforementioned but quicker turnaround. $135 was what I last paid and 1 week. My shutter went from a studder to running like a Swiss watch.

[markuspaulsen]

Thank you all for the advice. I think I will leave it to the experts and agree you catalinajack. We spend too much money on our craft to waste time and money. I appreciate all the feedback and will try either Flutot's or Steve's Camera repair.

[HT Finley]

56, 60, or 80 dollars for a CLA means the poor slob who does it is NOT getting rich. I can work on them, and I'm poor as dirt--poorer than dirt, and I wouldn't touch it for that kind of chicken feed. So the moral is if you know of an expert who will, use them.

[catalinajack]

Carol Miller of Flutot's is not some poor slob just because you wouldn't do the work at that price. She provides good, quality service at a reasonable price. I'm quite certain that she is aware of what others, SK Grimes for example, are charging for the same service. Condescension is not becoming. Her business model works for her. Check her website. The business was started in 1945 by her father. I'd say she probably has as much experience as anyone in the country doing this work. I've had her CLA at least 10 shutters. She is honest and straightforward.

[moltogordo]

I know that this is an old thread but it deserves to be bumped. I'm in the process of sending two Compurs to Carol Miller at Flutots and want to thank you for bringing her name forth. I live in the hinterland of BC Canada (Prince George), and we have virtually nothing in the Province that resembles a camera repair shop for old shutters.

I'll support this kind of craftsman to the day I die! :)