Just recently I took delivery of an E&T Underwood "Instanto" quarter-plate camera, complete with original meniscus lens, two DDS, the original (totally worn out) case and a shutter to mount on the front of the lens. I believe the camera to be circa 1890, and after a clean up I've been using it to take some images using paper negatives.
The camera after cleaning...
A couple of the images taken using it...
The camera came with a lens mounted shutter - no maker's mark - but the metalwork and woodwork were in good shape (just dirty).
The shutter cloth was completely gone however. Anyhow it was taken apart and cleaned up...
Which leaves the problem of rebuilding the shutter curtain. I decided to make a template using paper cut to 44mm wide and had to guess the length. For a first attempt I was quite pleased... after the video I cut 2cm off of one side to improve the tension and it runs well with the paper.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidv...posted-public/
I've ordered some shutter cloth and shutter tape and once it arrives, I'm hoping to get the shutter up and running properly
It's completed! When I bought the c1890 E&T Underwood 'Instanto' quarter-plate camera, it came with a shutter that could be fitted to the front of the lens.
The shutter cloth had completely disintegrated and was totally missing, save for the end bits where it attached to the axles; hence I had nothing to base a new shutter on.
I built a template which could then be transferred to new silk / rubber shutter material that was ordered from Japan... and awaited it's arrival here in the UK.
The aperture in the shutter curtain is created using split and trimmed bamboo sticks and shutter tape. Shutter speed is about 1/15th second (there is only one setting!).
Good job.
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