Does anyone know a cheap send-away place that can do a very basic CLA on a Wollensak

If you don't mind the hassle of dealing with shipping and customs I would be willing to try my hand at it for free. If the manuals are as available and to the quality people say then it shouldn't be too difficult. For reference I'm a 4th year apprentice Millwright by trade.

Send me a pm if you're interested.

try zack's in providence or midstate camera repair in warwick (rhode island )
they both have websites and do fantastic work.

Cheap? Or fair?
Would you trust a once in a lifetime photo road trip to cheap tires, or cheap untested film?:rolleyes:

Carol Miller at Flutot's has always treated me fair.
And I'm good with that :D

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Originally Posted by RLangham

Hey, so I've mentioned in the past that the front shutter (standard Wollensak-made "Graphex" in an Optar 135mm) on my Pacemaker Speed Graphic is gummy--as in, the slow speeds don't work at all, the high speeds all look like about 1/125th, and the dial is literally painful to turn.

I'm on a very tight budget but I'm too afraid to CLA it myself. I was going to replace it with a Compur #1 rimset in a 135mm Xenar, but I realized that the Compur won't work with a standard solenoid, and I did want to do flash sync. Also I think I'd miss the 1/400th top speed of the Graphex.

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Hmm. You cry poverty but want to use bulb flash. Electronic flash doesn't need the solenoid. I will never understand people.

An alternative that will take a little patience to find at a really good price is the 127/4.7 Tominon in Copal Press #1 (self-cocking, top speed 1/125) sold for Polaroid CU-5 and DS-34 cameras. Fine lens and a great value.

Yes, I know you said you want higher flash speeds but people who shoot 4x5 rarely use 1/500. Remember that with ISO 100 film Sunny 16 ==> 1/100 @ f/16. We usually shoot in dimmer light and at smaller apertures.

I might add, it does depend a bit on what type of flash is going to be used and for what

I have used flash BULBS with slow shutter speeds as they burn slowly

I also use Nikon SB800 or Studio strobes, Their high speed flash stops motion regardless of shutter speed

I mostly use 1/30 shutter as I sometimes use a Packard shutter with DIY sync for portrait and don't need a fancy shutter

So I don't damage my old brain, I often just use 1/30th for all flash

There are many ways to do any of it

Wet Plate is so slow they just take off the lens cap and count seconds, that can also be done with any camera with some thought

Open Bulb shooting...

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Originally Posted by Dan Fromm

Hmm. You cry poverty but want to use bulb flash. Electronic flash doesn't need the solenoid. I will never understand people.

An alternative that will take a little patience to find at a really good price is the 127/4.7 Tominon in Copal Press #1 (self-cocking, top speed 1/125) sold for Polaroid CU-5 and DS-34 cameras. Fine lens and a great value.

Yes, I know you said you want higher flash speeds but people who shoot 4x5 rarely use 1/500. Remember that with ISO 100 film Sunny 16 ==> 1/100 @ f/16. We usually shoot in dimmer light and at smaller apertures.

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Except for some electronic shutters no mechanical shutter actually reaches 1/500.

American Traffic Systems needed lenses for their traffic cameras that actually fired at 1/500. They had bought Hasselblad ELX cameras and they tighten the springs so the shutter would actually fire at a 500th. After about 100 exposures the springs broke.

They then used Rollei 6008 cameras the have a true speed of 1/500 or 1/1000 with their PQ and PQS electronic linear motor shutters.

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Originally Posted by Bob Salomon

Except for some electronic shutters no mechanical shutter actually reaches 1/500..

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Wait, so what about the stock shutter on the Super Speed Graphic?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan Fromm

Hmm. You cry poverty but want to use bulb flash. Electronic flash doesn't need the solenoid.

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I mean, that's really my business.

Anyways, the Xenar/Compur I have is unsychronized, so I would need to to do solenoid to synch an electronic flash too.

Also, as few flash pictures as I take in a year, the old Press 25 bulbs aren't that expensive. I once got more than 20 for eight bucks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RLangham

Wait, so what about the stock shutter on the Super Speed Graphic?

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That only hits maximum speed, whatever it really is, at small aperture openings.