Korona Home Portrait camera

[Sighthound Lover]

My son is attending the Glasgow School of Art as a photography major.I just bought a Gundlach-Manhattan Korona Home Portrait camera which I plan on sending to him.The shutter mechanism was frozen up but I was able to free it up so it now opens using the aspirator bulb.However, it will not close on its own.I have to either trip it closed manually or suck backwards on the air line to close it.Can anyone advise me on how to remedy this problem? Thank you.

[Ernest Purdum]

It sounds like you have a shutter which opens and closes by use of a large rubber bulb. If so, the bulb should be open at one end so you can put your thumb over it as a valve. If you want a short exposure, leave your thumb over the hole as you squeeze and relax the bulb. The shutter should open then close. For a long exposure, squeeze, then take your thumb off the hole. When ready to close, squeeze, put your thumb back in position, then relax your hand. This should develop enough vacuum to close the shutter. If it doesn't, perhaps your bulb is too small, you have a vacuum leak somewhere or the shutter is too stiff.

I may not have correctly understood the problem. Please write again if the problem remains.

[Pete Watkins]

If it's a Packard shutter there is loads of information available here. If you're in The UK you need to remember that Dallmeyer imported Packards and put their own transfers on and boxed them as Dallmeyer shutters.. Sometimes known as badge engineering.
Best wishes,
Pete.

[Pete Watkins]

I've just read your other post on this subject, if the camera was that cheap check the bellows for light tightness. Again if you're in the UK and the camera has it's own shutter look for 210mm / 240mm Repromaster or Escophot lenses. They should be dirt cheap 'cos they have a reputation of being difficult to shutter.
Pete.

[Sighthound Lover]

I took the camera into a dark room with a bright light inside the bellows and didn't find any light leaks fortunately.On a whim I searched for Packard Shutter and found that the company is still in business!Plan to call them on Tuesday after the long weekend.This unit does have a big red aspirator bulb but it had a hole in it so I replaced it with one from a blood pressure cuff.This seems to have some sort of check valve in it so it won't reverse suction and close the shutter.The shutter does seem to be a little stiff.Is this something I can totally disassemble to see why?By the way my son is in Scotland at Glasgow School of Art but I live in Rhode Island. Thanks for the responses.

[Ernest Purdum]

The check valve on most medical bulbs can easily be pulled out without damaging the bulb.

Pete Watkins suggestion about lenses works in Rhode Island too. I'm not sure his spelling does, though. Maybe Eskofot? There are other lenses in that focal length range that would be suitable also. Lenses without shutters are called barrel lenses and are much cheaper than lenses with shutters built in.

Packard's tend to feel somewhat stiff when worked by hand. Disassembly is feasible but I wouldn't rush into it. If you find it won't work well with an appropriate bulb, then would be the time for disassembly. Don't try any lubricants.