Old Studio Shutters . . .

[Marco Milazzo]

What devices were used to trigger old studio shutters? I have one that has an externally-threaded tube that suggests that a cable-release is needed. But no cable-release I know of will fit it.

Or were they pneumatic -- i.e., requiring a rubber bulb?

Question #2: does any technician still work on these old shutters?

TIA

Marco

[lenser]

Carol Miller of Flutotscamerarepair.com. She done several very old shutters for me. I have some that take air bulbs and some that take cable releases unlike any modern cable release that I have found. Straight threads instead of angled.

[jnantz]

if you can find an degroff cylinder they work the best .
they just need blood pressure tubing and a bulb, both are inexpensive
the degroff fast as well as slow times and timed exposure depending on how
i squeeze the bulb.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Marco

The external treads fit wollensak studio cable releases as well as a an air release attachment. Some as lenser has mentioned some left the factory with air release & I have several made this way.

It seems that Wollensak Varium & B&L Sigmar came with air release. At least mine did. I also know Wollensak made an attachment that screwed into the external threads & turned it to a air release. The one I have is made by Wollensak & is for #4-5. They work wonderfully . It will be hard to find & not necessary .

I added a couple of snaps to show the air attachment. Also a long throw release
(the one on the right).

There is also inside the external threads an internal thread that should fit a normal cable release. tapered releases will work. Most tapered will work but not all .

What you will find is you will need a very LONG throw cable release as most do not open the shutter to full opening. At least not the #4-5 studio shutters I think GEPE has long through releases that are around 1 1/2 ish inch throw apposed to around 3/4-1inch .

I had to go on a hunting spree when I picked up a bunch of diffused/portrait lenses in Studio shutters.
One brand that is available in the used market made by Prontor/ Compur company release. They tend to have a very long throw & are plentiful on the used market.
Also if you go to B&H to cable releases you will see they give the throw distance.

[Jim Galli]

There are at least 2 styles of Studio Shutter. The earliest ones are all brass and only come with a pneumatic release. No cable release even possible on these. The later black painted ones usually have the cable release adapter, but I've seen some of them too that were just pneumatic.

Louis covered the rest. The cable release with outside threads are dinosaurs. I've only seen one instance of them, a Tektronix Oscilloscope Camera C12 and C27 that come with the cable release with female thread when they still have their original equipmt. release. A good heavy long throw modern cable works the best on these though. The original Wollensak release for these had straight threads, not tapered.

Kind of sad, when there were old school camera stores on Main St. back in the day, you could walk in and ask if they had a box of used cable releases and in most cases they would produce just such a box and let you take your pick for 3 or 4 bucks.