Packard shutter blades

[Jim C.]

I purchased a bunch of lens boards of which one came with a Packard #5
Not being that familiar with Packard shutters, other than what I've gleaned
off different threads here, it seems to be in working order I'm curious if
the shutter blades on them are normally loose and leak light ?

I've attached a picture to illustrate where the leak is ( tweaked the levels to show it better )

[Jon Wilson]

Jim, this thread might help you.
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...hlight=packard

I have yet to try it, but I picked up some furniture paste wax to buff the blades and the piston. IIRCC Jim Galli once noted he uses it to get them to glide smoothly. I have picked up a packard shutter or two from Jim and yes his cleaning of these shutters are amazing.

Jon

[Jim C.]

Jon, Thanks for that link to the forum thread, and a special thanks to Doug Kerr for writing that Packard Shutter article too ! Very informative.

But I'm still left wondering if the blades are supposed to be so loose inside, the triangular blades have so much slop that if the unit is tilted light leaks past those
blades. None of the blades which look like plastic seem warped.

[mandoman7]

The blades are loose so that they can be moved by hydraulic air. They're not supposed to be lubricated, and they should be allowed to swing freely. Surprisingly reliable once you get familiar with their operation.

Relative to your test for the light leak: I would guess that holding a very bright light up to the slots in the film holders would also show some leakage. Its generally a good idea to quickly make an exposure after a dark slide is pulled. It could be that the amount of light leaking with your packard is not significant if you don't leave the dark slide out for very long.

[Jim C.]

mandoman7, DannL, thanks for the replies, so even if the shutters
leaked a little light I hadn't thought about the darkslide
in the film holder as a secondary protection.

[Len Middleton]

But I'm still left wondering if the blades are supposed to be so loose inside, the triangular blades have so much slop that if the unit is tilted light leaks past those
blades. None of the blades which look like plastic seem warped.

Jim C,

It might seem that in part you have identified the problem.

If you do not mount the shutter tilted relative to the lens (e.g. mount it so that the lens axis is perpendicular to the shuter face), then it should not leak light onto the film... Otherwise do you care?

Or have I misunderstood your concerns?

I have not had problems in the relatively short time I have used mine,

Len

[Jim C.]

Len,

No huge concerns, I was just very surprised at how loose the triangular blades were,
even at perpendicular to the lens axis, I expected there to be something else in the
housing to keep the blades flush against each other but not so much as to
hinder their movement.
Like I stated when i started the thread that I wasn't very familiar with the Packards
and the one I have is who knows how old, and how it was used /abused,
I was curious since a lot of you guys here use them hence my question.

I've since disassembled it and cleaned, repainted it as well as tightening the
pivot pin for the triangular blades. Cleaning out the piston bore and the piston
makes a huge difference in how well it moves, years of gunk and possibly
even oil made the piston sluggish.

[Louis Pacilla]

Hi Jim c

Welcome to Club Packard .

Peace
Louis