Garrett SHHH! The prices will go up!Originally Posted by goamules
Garrett SHHH! The prices will go up!
Yes wide open - my film is ISO .0875
I might be wrong but - The Wollensak Series A Portrait Lens is also a Petzval but without the focus adjustment knob and is slower at f5 vs. f3.8 Later they name was changed to Vesta Portrait - when Vollensak decided all lenses must start with the letter 'V"
More on the studio shutter. Opens and closes with the lever. I don't have a long throw cable release, but when I tested with a paper clip, the shutter will open up and close fine only if I don't open it up all the way. If I push the paper clip in deep enough to open it all the way, and then remove it, the shutter will stick in the open position. Doesn't close back down. If I suck the piston nipple (NO jokes please) it will close again.
I just went out and got an air release (surgical supply house) bulb and hose, but same thing. It pops open fine but stays put in open position. I'm guessing it needs a bit of lubrication (boy this post is just full of steamy imagery), but the question is where. Shutter leaves or piston? The leaves themselves appear spotless. At lease the parts that are visible.
Thoughts?
DON'T EVEN THINK OF OILING ANYTHING! I'm serious if you don't know what your doing then don't. The shutter mechanism is just dirty, try just gently exercising it with the lever. The aperture "leaves" will disintegrate with any solvents - Can you suck it closed with the airbulb? NO OIL EVER!
Got it.
No, the air bulb doesn't provide enough negative force to close it on its own.
Sorry I yelledYou can probably safely take the release mechanism off the outside of the lens and make sure the piston is free - If you can safely disassemble it, clean it with a little alcohol. All a lubricant will do is attract dust and dirt and in time gum everything up.
Clean the piston first, you should be able to get at it without taking the shutter apart.
If memory serves correct there are three screws, one for the cover that protects the
shutter linkage and two for the piston barrel.
Clean the bore of the piston barrel with a cotton swab and naptha, same for the
brass piston, you also should polish the piston and the bore so that it moves smoothly.
It can get pretty hairy working on the innards of a Studio shutter, but you'd be surprised at
the decades old gunk that is in there.
In case your curious what's in there here's my Studio shutter type A #2 in the process of getting cleaned.
Cleaned the barrel and piston with alcohol (didn't have naphtha on hand) with q-tips and cotton balls. All is working fine now. Snaps open and shut with authority. Many thanks.
Would Ronsonol have worked? It no longer contains Naptha (it contains "light petroleum distillate"). Or hows about pure mineral spirits?
It is tempting to lube the inside of the newly cleaned barrel with something that doesn't gunk up. Is there anything used with success just in the piston barrel (not on the shutter leaves)? Graphite powder? I would think that I could get a faster click if there were less resistance.
Very happy its working now, though. Great advice, Jim.
Clean the piston first, you should be able to get at it without taking the shutter apart.
If memory serves correct there are three screws, one for the cover that protects the
shutter linkage and two for the piston barrel.
Clean the bore of the piston barrel with a cotton swab and naptha, same for the
brass piston, you also should polish the piston and the bore so that it moves smoothly.
It can get pretty hairy working on the innards of a Studio shutter, but you'd be surprised at
the decades old gunk that is in there.
In case your curious what's in there here's my Studio shutter type A #2 in the process of getting cleaned.
Ronsonol would work fine, not a huge user of mineral spirits so I don't know, naptha/ronsonal are essentially same.
Polishing the bore and piston with a fine metal polish like Flitz <sp?> helps a lot you'll have to re clean the bore and piston.
I don't recommend putting anything on the piston or barrel, if it's cleaned and polished put the piston ( providing you took it off the linkage to clean )
in the barrel and rock it back and forth it with your finger over the bore opening, it should glide inside the barrel freely,
if not polish the bore and piston again. Don't lube the piston or barrel. but if if the lube demons beckons and you can't resist, there is a spray graphite
available that seems to leave a nano film, Jigaloo Graphite Extreme is the brand and I bought at Home Depot.
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