Strange TP shutter

[IanG]

I bought this shutter along with some others aboiut 2 or 3 months ago, it appears to be quite unique having a completely different spring control mechanism to other Thornton Pickard roller blind shutters.

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/strange-tp1_md.jpg

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/strange-tp2_md.jpg

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/strange-tp3_md.jpg

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/strange-tp4_md.jpg

It's a front mounting shutter (6cm/2.375")with basically one speed and well as T, it's extremely smooth compared to other TP shutters, it's marked "Time" and Patent, the usual TP shutters are Time & Inst, or Snapshot and there's also a Studio shutter as well all in a similar range of case sizes. It appears to be quite a late shutter as the curtain etc are in excellent condition. Although the Ltd company ceased trading befeor WWII there was still a workshop repairing TP cameras and making new shutters up until the very late 1950s.

If anyone has any information about this particular shutter I'd appreciate some help, I've asked the one person who I thought might know and he's never seen or heard of this version.

Ian

[djdister]

You probably already found this info...

144528

[IanG]

You probably already found this info...

144528

:D I restore them all the time for other people, and I have about 50 . . . . . . . .

This one's quite rare, almost unique :)

Ian

[Tin Can]

Could it be a watchmaker one off?

Easy work for a watchmaker.

[Paul Ewins]

So the internal spring in the spindle has been replaced with an external one on the bottom of the shutter? Does the age/condition of the brasswork at the top and bottom look consistent? Just trying to see if it has been manufactured that way or is a later repair/refurb. I've only got a few but do pay attention whenever I see them for sale and can't recall anything like that.

[Steven Tribe]

An excellent example of a later mounting of an adjustable tensioning device. The U shaped locking spring has been dismantled from the usual side, but the mounting screw hole is there - T-P would have mounted a more standard, simpler, brass bearing. All the Focal plane shutters I have worked on (mostly German) have had terminal problems with the coil spring.

It wouldn't surprise me if the assembly was taken from another type of FP shutter.

[IanG]

Do you have any examples Steven ?

Ian

[Steven Tribe]

No, afraid not!

I try to avoid FP shutters, after having spent too many hours (days) with Goetz and Mentor. T-P and later European copies is as far as I will go these days!

It could have been an example made to support a patent application by T-P or a would-be competitor?