Servicing an old lens... worth it?

[jpheneger]

"Carol in Whittier"? Not much to go on... can I get a bit more detail please?

I found another post using "Carol in Whittier" and found flutotscamerarepair.com. I've reached out to Carol for help, we'll see where that goes! Thanks a TON for the name Lezek Vogt!

[Leszek Vogt]

Pardon, I didn't have her email handy. Glad you found it.

[Steven Tribe]

Go visit http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/cata...enecalp262.htm

If you havn’t already found Vaubel’s catalogues!

[Jim Jones]

If the aperture sequence is 4, 8, 15, 32, 64, 128, it is the old U. S system where 4=f/8, 8=f/11, 16=f/16, 32=f/22, etc. This system made more sense in the days before practical light meters where exposure was often mentally calculated.

[Louis Pacilla]

The front element says "Wollensak 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 Rapid Symmetrical" and the shutter says "AUTEX". The plate above the aperture slider reads from f/4 to f/256, but I just noticed that it has numbers for multiple focal lengths, so it may not actually be f/4 for this particular configuration.

Your lens is marked in "US" stops NOT "F" so it's US4=F8 US8=f11 US16=f16 US22=f32 US32=F64 & so on.

Each half of your convertible rapid rectilinear when combined has a focal length at US4 or F8. With each cell being a different focal length so that each half can be used on it's own as a landscape lens of longer focal length. The half being used should be placed in the rear of shutter and of course your US or F stops doubles for each half used individually. Hope this makes sense and good luck.

[Louis Pacilla]

If the aperture sequence is 4, 8, 15, 32, 64, 128, it is the old U. S system where 4=f/8, 8=f/11, 16=f/16, 32=f/22, etc. This system made more sense in the days before practical light meters where exposure was often mentally calculated.

And I was beat to this by brother Jim.

[Two23]

The lens is a fairly common type. Probably won't be economical to repair.


Kent in SD

[Greg]

Seriously I'd consider removing the front lens elements and the shutter's top plate. Twice I've done this, once with a Betax #5 and another time with a shutter that looks very much like the one you have and was able to fix the shutters by just "reconnecting" parts. Unfortunately more than twice I have done this but have not been able to get the shutters working. Best to do this inside a 16x20 darkroom tray that is in the darkrooms sink. If a part jumps out you'll have a way better chance of finding it as opposed to having its trajectory lead it to fall on a rug...

[C. D. Keth]

I would go with Greg’s method just above. It’s going to be expensive to service by a pro. Chances are, you can open it up carefully and DIY. Have some dental picks, toothpicks, cotton swabs, alcohol, a couple little plastic pipettes, machine oil, and light grease handy when you do it. That way you’ll be prepared to clean and re-oil or re-grease any spots that look like they need it. Note that the actual shutter blades in most shutter are meant to run totally dry and you’d have to be very careful to keep them that way. They shouldn’t have any oil on them at all, the large surface area will make a lot of surface tension that will bind up the blades.


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[Whir-Click]

Firstly, that’s a gorgeous Seneca.

Secondly, your lens/shutter combo dates between 1909 (the introduction of the Autex) and about 1911 (the discontinuation of the Rapid Symmetrical).

The lens is triple convertible, as your aperture scales indicate. What’s interesting to me is that I didn’t know Wollensak offered the the US scale on shutters - even the earliest Rauber and Wollensak shutters I have seen bear f-stops - but I guess Wollensak gave the customers what they wanted.