I recently came into ownership of a magnificent shutter design by Andrew Wollensak in which he received a patent for on June 14, 1910 (US Patent No. 961,192). I toke on the project of refurbishing the shutter and with great care photographed each step of the disassembly with over 100 photos. Cleaned all the parts to mint condition using an ultrasonic cleaner. With great anticipation, I was looking forward to starting the reassembly. I got my laptop out to loaded the photos and start work. The photos where crisp and clear and reassembly was going to be a joy. Installed the first part as per photo, looked up to check the photo and my computer was having a "heart attack", have no idea what happened except all the photos where gone. I tried many different data recovery programs with no look. After an exhaustive look for the original patent, I was able to reconstruct about 90 % of the shutter with parts left with no idea were they go. After studying the patent, Andrew Wollensak was a genius without question. As an engineer, I came to appreciate his design and the era of mechanical innovations.
This forum is my last hope to try and hold on to a piece of history that is worth preserving. Is there any information that some one can offer to help in my quest to preserve this mechanical invention over 100 years old. The ideal solution would be a service manual but any information would be greatly appreciated. The shutter in question is Optimo No. 4, Patent June 14, 1910, Wollensak Optical Co., Rochester N.Y. USA
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