Thornton Pickard shutter help

[Jim C.]

I've been mucking around restoring a Thornton Pickard shutter and
I picked up some string at a fabric store to replace the missing string
after a few test firings it broke, I was wondering
what others have used to replace the shutter cocking string ?
Venetian blind string seems a tad too thick.

The other problem I have is determining the correct length of the shutter cloth,
the one that was in it was in piss poor shape, sewn, painted patched with
I don't know what. I soaked the petrified remains in lac thinner to get it
to relax and flatten out and it seems short, my best guess at the length is 13.75 inches.
This TP shutter has a 45.50 mm opening on the lens board, anyone restore a
similar shutter confirm the length ?

[Mark Woods]

Dental floss??

[BarryS]

You're on the right track--you just need a thinner cord. I got mine from http://www.windowblindservice.com/blindcords.html

Here are my scrawled notes for a TP shutter curtain that may match yours:

[Jim C.]

Barry, thanks for the lead on the blind cords, never knew they came in .9 mm size
and it just may be the what i need. Now to find a local supplier.
Your shutter cloth seems to be larger in width than mine, what I have left of it
measures only 2.5" wide, .625 difference. But your notes give me a good starting point
to recut another shutter cloth.

[Steven Tribe]

Shutters come in a number of sizes. Some UK members have a variety of these and will contribute quite soon. I'm sure.

[E. von Hoegh]

See if any local sporting goods shops have any of the old style braided fishing line. I'm pretty sure it's still being made. I use it in the heavier tests to replace the dial cord on old hollow-state radios.

[Jim C.]

See if any local sporting goods shops have any of the old style braided fishing line. I'm pretty sure it's still being made. I use it in the heavier tests to replace the dial cord on old hollow-state radios.

My place of work used to have some of that old braided fishing line,
and unfortunately it's not made anymore since we tried to get more of it.
The newer braided stuff is thin too, I may snag a foot of it from work
to try if I can't find any local suppliers for the blinds cord.