Hello All,
I have an Ilexpo studio shutter that I am adapting for use with my Deardorff 8X10 camera. I shoot wet plate collodion and like to use my lenses wide open with shallow depth of field. This last summer I ran into difficulty with exposure times.
I recently fixed this Ilexpo shutter with some great advice from our Large Format Photography Community.
I did not want to take off the front standard of the camera. So I thought I would build a behind the lens infront of the standard shutter. The dimensions of the shutter's studio mount allowed me to add shims to bring the width of the shutter to the width of the front standard.
I took an grinder and ground a few hardware repair straps allowing me to attach the studio shutter to the stainless steel of the front tilt adjustments on the deardorff. The thumb screws allow me to attach and take off the shutter. I next attached a "T" hardware strap to the top of the shutter to help stabilize the top of the studio shutter. This along with a shim that is attached behind the front standard (orange in picture) braces the entire top of the deardorff's front standard.
To allow for a snugger fit to the face of the front standard i removed the aluminum backing of the shutter and I bored a few holes allowing for the lens board thumbwheel to slot into the shutter's back plate. I also cut a long grove to allow for the lensboard lower sliding catch to press into the leather backing attached to the protective aluminum shutter backing plate.
Attached are pictures of details, I plan on cutting new lensboards since the studio shutter's are around an inch greater than my deardorff ones. I will also at that time cut better looking wood for the shimming parts made from rulers and yard sticks.
Ideas comments welcome!
eric nelson
chili, wisconsin, usa
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