Studio Shutter Info Needed (Conley Portrait) [Archive]

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Chauncey Walden

27-Jun-2009, 08:37

I picked up a 10 inch (5x7) Conley Portrait II yesterday (Wollensak Vesta?) in a Studio shutter. The shutter is missing the Open/Close lever. Anyone have one and can post an image of the lever and its cam surface? Thanks.

CCHarrison

27-Jun-2009, 15:43

see the bottom of this page for a line drawing

http://conleycameras.sevenels.net/shutters.html

and here for a page on the shutters at Sean's site http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/wollensak_9.html

and here for an ebay item http://cgi.ebay.com/14-5-F4-WOLLENSAK-VERITO-DIFFUSED-FOCUS-SHUTTER-NICE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQhashZitem334bd5d625QQitemZ220315637285QQptZCameraQ5fLensesQQsalenotsupported

Dan

Doug Howk

28-Jun-2009, 02:24

Try Flutot's (http://www.flutotscamerarepair.com/) Carol is very helpful.

Mark Sawyer

28-Jun-2009, 09:17

Hi, Chauncey!

I think this is what you want. I took this from my 9.5" Velostigmat in a #1 Studio Shutter. I included the macine screw and washer along with the lever, The screw tightens against the washer so that the lever can be slightly loose (so it can rotate) while the screw is tight.

BTW, you can also use a locking cable release until you find or fabricate a replacement lever.

~ Mark

Chauncey Walden

28-Jun-2009, 18:07

Thanks, guys. I figured it was probably just a round pin but wanted to be sure. Mark, it will probably be easy to make one up with the shoulder bolt; I might not have thought of that. From your comment, I assume that yours is cable release operated. Mine is pneumatic - at least it will be if I can free up the cylinder! Dan, the Wollensak catalog comment is interesting: "As exposures are made with the leaves opening and closing to the center (thereby diaphragming), the depth of focus [field, I guess it would be now] is greater with this style shutter than with wing shutters [Packard?] when using the lens at the same aperture." Of course, this would mean the exposure would have to be a little longer to make up for it;-) On the other hand, part of the exposure would be at apertures yielding a sharper image thus possibly giving a layered focus effect. Interesting. By the way, I tried the front group (cemented) by itself in the rear as the catalog suggested and it is 14 inch and will probably cover 8x10. I guess this would be a landscape meniscus used this way. The rear group (air spaced) sort of forms an image out around 36 inches (I didn't want to stretch the old bellows this far but that is about where it was headed).

Chauncey Walden

30-Jun-2009, 17:21

Mark Sawyer

30-Jun-2009, 18:12

Mark, you got me to thinking. How about just blocking the Open/Closed slot in the closed position? Then, reverse the piston in the actuator and put enough thread in the air bulb attachment to hold a locking cable release. When you want the lens open, just push and lock the cable release. Unlock to close, and press and release to use as a shutter.

That would work. Actually, that's how the "shutter" is supposed to be used; close the lever and use a cable release to open and close for the exposure. And of course you can lock it open for composing and focusing with the cable release.

BTW, with practice, I can get mine down to 1/10 of a second manually.

Chauncey Walden

30-Jun-2009, 18:26

I'm going to try that as soon as I get the piston moving freely in the cylinder. Reversing it is necessary to put the closed end next to the air line attachment so that it won't exceed the throw of a standard cable release. By the way, for future reference the machine screws that hold the air cylinder and the open/close switch on are standard 2-56. Two of mine were missing.

Diane Maher

1-Jul-2009, 05:41

I have several Studio shutters, but I think that only one of them has the air bulb connector on it. I'll have to look. Mark, I am curious as to what you are talking about when you say "put enough thread in the air bulb attachment"? I'm not even certain I can "reverse the piston in the actuator". Time to check my shutters and see what is what.

Mark Sawyer

1-Jul-2009, 14:20

Mark, I am curious as to what you are talking about when you say "put enough thread in the air bulb attachment"?

That was Chauncey, not me! But I'm guessing he's turning the pneumatic cylinder upside down so the solid surface is at the bottom near where a cable release might thread in. Then he can use the cable release instead of air pressure to activate the cylinder and shutter. Never heard of it being done that way, but if the cable release threads in and has enough extension, it should work. But I think if the cylinder is cleaned up enough to travel freely, the air pressure system would also work...

BTW, none of my studio shutters have air releases; all just take standard cable releases. I don't know that I've ever seen one that operates pneumatically.

Chauncey Walden

1-Jul-2009, 14:22

Diane, that was me, not Mark, whom I'm sure would never deface a fine piece of equipment;-). I am happy to report that I now have a functional pneumatic Studio shutter converted to cable release actuation. I carefully used a 1/8-44 tap to put some threads in the opening of the air bulb connector. The 44 TPI matches the cable release and by just using the tip of the tap got a tapered receptacle. I took a piece of .060 aluminum sheet and made a "plug" that filled the slot of the open/close mechanism and kept it in the closed position. I folded the sheet 90 degrees and used the existing screw hole to keep it in position. I did have to go up to a 4-40 screw because the old hole was stripped - probably why the open/close lever had departed. I think the original lever would have put quite a load on a 2-56 screw. Now, about the reversed piston... I didn't use it. Since the cable release didn't require a tight fitting piston, I made a new piece from a small bamboo stake that moves freely in the cylinder. I cut the stake at a joint so that the cable release tip would have a solid surface to bear on. This works great and the shutter has a much snappier closing action. I did have to find a cable release with just a little longer throw for full actuation, but it turned out to live in the proper camera bag anyway. So, the first semi-organic Studio shutter?

Jim Galli

1-Jul-2009, 16:09

I have both styles and although I rather shyed away from the pneumatic ones at first, I've grown to like them. They work fine when they're cleaned up and bulb and tubing never fail to please any onlookers. (although we're in a generation that considers a cable release just as obscure) I think perhaps the bulb operated ones have a little different dynamic. The air/piston thing definitely has a threshold to overcome and when it does, it moves more quickly than the cable. Maybe I'm dreaming. I have a lovely 18" Verito that's missing the actuator. I'm thinking about grafting a Packard piston onto it. Can't think of any reason that wouldn't work.

Diane Maher

2-Jul-2009, 05:09

Sorry about that Chauncey. I will attach some pictures of one of my pneumatic Studio shutters. It also has a Packard shutter mounted behind it. I've never quite managed to get these Packard things to work properly. I suppose I might need some new tubing.

So I don't get a bunch of questions of "What lens is that?", it is a Wollensak Varium 19" f/4, in a Studio No. 5 shutter.

Jim Galli

2-Jul-2009, 06:19

Diane Maher

2-Jul-2009, 06:33

Yes Jim, it is on a 9 inch board. It was one of the many lenses I got when I bought the Century No. 7 studio camera on its stand. If it is possible to use this thing with the only the Studio shutter and without the Packard shutter which is on the back, I would love it.

The front element on this lens was originally slightly cross threaded and the guy I go to for cleaning and repairs was able to un-cross thread it and get it properly put back. He told me the whole story, but I won't get into it here.

Chauncey Walden

7-Jul-2009, 07:55

One of the references that someone posted showed that by 1916 they had abandoned the pneumatic release for the mechanical one. So my lens is pre 1916. It had its first outing yesterday and looked interesting on the GG in the field. Mark, I'm not as fast as you, I'm only getting 1/8 consistently on the "quick flick". It turns out that this is a reasonably handy speed to have available.

Ernest Purdum

7-Jul-2009, 11:53

Why would a cable release be better than a bulb? As was mentioned, a cable release would have to have a very long throw in order to work.

Chauncey Walden

14-Jul-2009, 18:35

Ernest, it wouldn't be except that because of the way I had to modify the shutter, I would need a "locking" bulb for focusing. Also, the bulb I had was not powerful enough on the suck back to consistently do short exposures. The cable release only had to be about 1/16 inch longer than the run of the mill ones to give me full travel at maximum aperture.

Paul Fitzgerald

14-Jul-2009, 21:53

Chauncey,

"One of the references that someone posted showed that by 1916 they had abandoned the pneumatic release for the mechanical one."

Not quite, I have the same Varium with the same pneumatic release piston, the Varium was released 1925-26. I also have a Voigtlander petzval that was retro-fit with a Studio shutter in 1924, pneumatic release. Wollensak changed over to cable because the pneumatic is really TOO powerful and can break off the internal linkage pieces. No, they don't sell replacements any longer.

Chauncey Walden

15-Jul-2009, 08:52

The 1916 Wollensak catalog states in the shutter section introduction "All Wollensak shutters are now operated by wire release, although should a bulb and tube be desired, a "bulb attachment" can be supplied which screws into the release socket and to which the bulb and tube is attached." The Studio shutter description says "A modern three-foot wire release replaces the bulb and tube and is supplied with each shutter...". Maybe your Voigtlander was put in an NOS shutter. The 1919, 1922, and 1928 catalogs all show wire release for all shutters with an optional bulb attachment that could be screwed in.