Bulb & tubing for Packard shutters. Check this out.

[Louis Pacilla]

I wanted to share where you can get the bulbs & tubing for the Packard's. I have quit a few big hole Packard's running. This poses a problem w/ bulbs & tubing.

a while back when my Father was in the hospital . I was sitting in his room & noticed the great tubing & bulb on the blood pressure equipment.I thought MAN, would make a fantastic bulb releases for my Packard's. Well low & behold this was a great idea both in function & in overall price.

I quickly strolled to a near bye pharmacy. Just about all Pharmacies in the nation & abroad sale cheap(relatively) blood pressure kits. you'll want the least expensive blood pressure kit. Not the motor pump model. They run around $15.00-$17.00. This is far less than ordering the bulb & tubing from Packard( Yes they are still in business).

There are a couple of things you must do to the bulb so it function properly. You will need to take the regulator off the bulb( the largest metal part) after you remove this you will notice a piece of black rubber . Remove this piece of rubber( this allows air to flow unimpeded). Now put bulb & regulator back on the bulb . Now take the small metal piece on the other end of the bulb. This piece has a baring that needs to be knocked out. (Again this allows the air to flow unimpeded or in this case the intake pot) I put this piece in the vice put a small nail in the hole & give it a little whack. the barring will pop right out.now put it back on the bulb & attach the long coupled tubing (3 feet combined). Now the tubing will be in two pieces. These will need to be patched together. I take a small piece of tubing( small enough to tightly fit the ID of the larger tubing) Use hair spray so they slide together easily & when it drys it hold great. dam near forever. This piece will patch the two into one length of tubing about again is three feet of tubing(plenty of tubing)this will go on the bulb & then the other end to the brass barb on the lens board ( unless you use the stethoscope tubing in place of the double barb)see below.

* all the photos are after modification . I have knocked the bearing out, the rubber regulator was removed & tubing connected.

Now the Kit you will have bought will contain a stethoscope . I have found this has two uses.

#1 is use the tubing (which is a little different in material) makes great tubing for the rear were the Packard Piston will attach to the lens board port. Now I use (from home depot) a 1/4" double Barb this has the ridges that grip the tubing. This goes through the lens board so hose can be attached on either side of the board.

Now use #2 for the stethoscope . I have used & it works fine the metal tubing from the ear piece. With care, you can cut the metal tubing & use as the transition piece (the one that goes through the lens board. This way you use as much of the 15.00 blood pressure kit as possible .

I hope this helps some one looking for tubing/bulb for their Packard shutter's If you have questions just PM me & I will answer any questions you may have. It may just be me but this was an issue. It's not like eBay or supply house's are swimming in Packard accessories. At least not at a price I could live w/ .

As a comparison I retrieved the 2009 list price from Packard is 4' of tubing $10.00, bulb $15.00 & fitting for lens board $13.00 for a total of $38.00 + tax & shipping. .
Probably one hundred ways to skin this cat. this is one & at $15.00 + tax + gas or shipping.It wins hands down in my book.

I have posted some photo's & will make a second post to show the remaining photos.

BTW & more importantly (at least to me) Please share & show your solution to this problem.

Peace
Louis P

[Louis Pacilla]

Here are the remaining photos. Please share your solutions & ideas. Happy Holidays .

It would great if this helps just one person & OH YEA it sense.

The last photo is whats left over. from two kits

[Toyon]

Great discovery!

[Richard Wasserman]

Very nice, thanks!

[Mark Sawyer]

Siphon pumps are also a good cheap solution, usually $5 to $8 at a hardware store. They are slightly lighter-duty than an original Packard or blood pressure bulb, but they run my Packard shutters just fine!

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi

Awesome man . That's what I was hoping for. another great resource .

I don't know about you but I have developed a couple of obsession's as a direct result of my passion for the big lenses Most have been separated from their caps. So here is another obsession for ya:eek:

I look for lids , storage containers, tins, cooking pot lids hell anything that has potential. I gather as I go paint them black( I give them a couple of coats) put them in a box. When a new lens comes to live at my house. I have a cap in waiting. I find a close fit. At least close enough that after the felt is applied it perfect. . Sometimes add a knob if going on a brass lens or appropriate to the lens the cap will cover. I Line the inside rim w/ sticky back felt to fit. Now I have a cap that fits great strong enough to take a good blow(most important) & it visually pleases me:) . Hey why not try & make it sharp.

Again Mark. The siphon pump is a great idea:) . Thanks my friend.
Peace
Louis

[Erik Larsen]

Nice touch. For about 2 bucks at the grocery store you can use one of those baby nose suckers, it works like a charm.
erik

[Keith Fleming]

Wow, this info comes just when I needed it! Perfect timing! Thanks!

Keith

[Paul Ewins]

For the bulb I just use one of the dust blowers used for spreading dust all through your SLR. For the tubing I have tried automotive stuff like fuel line or washer line.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Paul

That's some funny stuff:)

"For the bulb I just use one of the dust blowers used for spreading dust all through your SLR"

Hey Paul what's the automotive fuel line made of? is it flexible? You know, like latex tubing. This was one of the problems w/ common hosing I have found in national stores. you know like Home Depot / Lowes / Auto Zone / So On. most other tubing I have found was a bit stiff. More plastic than rubber. Also, What's the I.D. of the fuel tubing? Is it 3/8" or 1/4" or another ?
That's a good idea , Fuel line & again the blowing dust all through your SLR. That's funny.

Great idea's Thanks for sharing Paul

Peace
Louis P


For the bulb I just use one of the dust blowers used for spreading dust all through your SLR. For the tubing I have tried automotive stuff like fuel line or washer line.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi

I needed to make an amendment to the original post. The double bard is 3/16" & inside diameter of tubing is 3/16" & not 1/4"or 3/8th. Sorry

Hey Paul, amendment to my post to you. Is the Fuel line 3/16" not 3/8"?

Again my apologies. Peace

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Thanks for the bulb suggestions, very helpful.

If you are gong to the trouble to work with those pretty lenses you might as well make real leather lens caps for them. It really is easy and they look great, much better than a painted plastic cap off a butter tub. There are detailed instructions on how to make them in Tomosy's Restoring Classic & Collectible Cameras. For what it is worth you can read the entire description of how to make them on Amazon's preview, so you don't even have to buy the book.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Jason

Yep, I agree.That would much look better.
"If you are gong to the trouble to work with those pretty lenses you might as well make real leather lens caps for them".
Thanks for the information. great stuff:) (Tomosy's Restoring Classic & Collectible Cameras)
Peace
Louis

[Paul Ewins]

Hi Louis,
the exact details are a bit hit and miss because I just went along to the local automotive parts store and said I wanted some rubber tubing. I then explained that it was for low pressure air line so almost anything would do. What I ended up with is fairly thick walled (3.5mm - 4mm ID and 8.5mm OD) but still very flexible. It has a manufacturer's code but I couldn't get an exact match when I checked their website. Looking at their categories it is more likely to be "Emission Control, Fuel Vapour & Vacuum Hose" than "Wiper Tubing". It is gray coloured, but feels like rubber.

Best plan is to take the shutter to the store and see what tubing fits. 3/16" ID does sound about right.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Paul

Thanks my friend. Great information. I'll take a look @ the local automotive store tomorrow:). Great idea.
Peace
Louis


Hi Louis,
the exact details are a bit hit and miss because I just went along to the local automotive parts store and said I wanted some rubber tubing. I then explained that it was for low pressure air line so almost anything would do. What I ended up with is fairly thick walled (3.5mm - 4mm ID and 8.5mm OD) but still very flexible. It has a manufacturer's code but I couldn't get an exact match when I checked their website. Looking at their categories it is more likely to be "Emission Control, Fuel Vapour & Vacuum Hose" than "Wiper Tubing". It is gray coloured, but feels like rubber.

Best plan is to take the shutter to the store and see what tubing fits. 3/16" ID does sound about right.

[Harold_4074]

Another possible source of very flexible tubing is the local lawnmower shop. It is available in various sizes, down to the three millimeter or 1/8 stuff used as fuel line on little two-stroke engines in chain saws, leaf blowers, and the like.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Harold

Yea man . That's a great idea & Resource:) . Thanks for sharing.

Peace
Louis



Another possible source of very flexible tubing is the local lawnmower shop. It is available in various sizes, down to the three millimeter or 1/8 stuff used as fuel line on little two-stroke engines in chain saws, leaf blowers, and the like.

[Chauncey Walden]

Or, go to Harbor Freight and get their rubber blower for $1.49 (thanks, Jim Galli) and to Petco for some aquarium air hose for 10 cents a foot or so.

[Jim Galli]

Hey Louis! Been down at the street car museum stealing the headlights again? Happy New Year! J:p

[Merg Ross]

Hey Louis! Been down at the street car museum stealing the headlights again? Happy New Year! J:p

Louis, I had many good years with a Packard shutter. Thanks for your solution. Also, a Luc is a good shutter if you come across one.

Jim, Happy New Year to you and yours!