Great Video Fixit Site!

[John Layton]

The slow speeds on the Copal 1 shutter on my favorite (210mm Sironar-N) lens have been sluggish for some time…but I never seem to be able to part with this lens for more than a few days - so the prospect of sending it off for a proper CLA has been daunting.

So I googled “Copal Shutter Slow Speeds Sluggish,” and discovered a youtube site called “Fix Old Cameras,” and quickly arrived at a short video covering the very process I needed, specifically for a Copal 1 shutter. Finding this video to be appropriately detailed, concise, and easy to follow, I quickly had my shutter running smooth once more.

But please understand…had I the time to part with my sluggish shutter, I would have preferred to send it off to a professional!

[domaz]

These videos are great resources. If anything else it can demonstrate how your shutter should be working, is that spring in the right place etc. That makes things much easier to troubleshoot.

[paulbarden]

The slow speeds on the Copal 1 shutter on my favorite (210mm Sironar-N) lens have been sluggish for some time…but I never seem to be able to part with this lens for more than a few days - so the prospect of sending it off for a proper CLA has been daunting.

So I googled “Copal Shutter Slow Speeds Sluggish,” and discovered a youtube site called “Fix Old Cameras,” and quickly arrived at a short video covering the very process I needed, specifically for a Copal 1 shutter. Finding this video to be appropriately detailed, concise, and easy to follow, I quickly had my shutter running smooth once more.

But please understand…had I the time to part with my sluggish shutter, I would have preferred to send it off to a professional!

Be careful - some of the tutorials on that channel suggest some very sketchy servicing techniques, so judge the instructions carefully and with caution. Any tutorial that suggests removing a front lens group by gripping it with bare pliers to force it loose is deserving of some scrutiny.

[John Layton]

Nothing untoward in this particular video (lens groups had been removed prior to the video)...and the level of care exhibited was very high, and, while not exactly a "clean room" environment, the scenario was something that I could easily relate to my own environment, which I think is actually of benefit to DIY'ers in general.

But I cannot say that I've looked at any other videos on that site...so can only say that if, indeed, this same person had recommended something as crude and potentially destructive as you suggest - I'd have some serious questions to ask!

So, to be fair, next time I'll change my thread title from "A Great Site," to "A Great Video." Fair enough?

[grat]

Mike Trost (the "fix old cameras" guy) also does camera repair out of his shop (http://phototronic.biz) in Kansas, and has done some very nice work for me. He also has a reasonable stock of spares-- was able to find a correct replacement leaf for my 100+ year old dial-set shutter.

I'd be a bit surprised about using pliers to remove a lens... Not saying he didn't, but I haven't seen that particular video.

[LabRat]

Beware, there are vids showing how to take apart photo items, but not how to fix specific issues...

Without experience, a beginner will probably make shutter worse or totally inoperative...

A standard CLA/fix will cost much less than a replacement shutter for a botched attempt at "repair"...

Steve K