truls
Lifetime Member
Posts: 568
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Post by truls on Jan 15, 2015 12:31:09 GMT -5
Today most cameras have som kind of metal curtains? But earliercameras used some kind of fabric. What kind of material did they use, did all camera makers use the same material. I have heard of nylon type materials. How about those russians, did they use a different material than Japanese cameras?
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retina
Senior Member
Posts: 72
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Post by retina on Jan 15, 2015 14:15:03 GMT -5
The material used for shutters traditionally was usually described as 'rubberised silk', but I don't know if was actually silk that was used, or what substitutes worked well enough.
Regards, Chris
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Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Jan 15, 2015 16:35:35 GMT -5
The cloth was usually silk, but many other cloths were used, with rubber coating. Replacement can be done, but it depends on the make, Exakta for instance will operate with any cloth, but Leica require the correct cloth and sewing. I think Micro tools in the States sell generic cloth, some people say it is OK, other say it has pinholes. Tape for the pulls is usually milliners silk, or typewriter ribbon, after soaking the ink out.
Most modern Shutters are steel, based on the Copal or Seiko mechanisms. Some like Nikon use titanium blades or curtains
In most digital mirrorless reflex camera the shutter is a miniature Copal with a double action. Compacts often use plastic blades now.
Stephen.
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Post by rickoleson on Jan 19, 2015 6:14:38 GMT -5
I've encountered problems with at least 2 different materials from Micro-Tools. They have several, so some may be good, but I'm not sure which ones. The most surprising was a camera that had been recurtained and sent to me to be done over... he had used red curtain stock from MT and all his photos were coming out red: the rubber was not opaque and was bleeding light right through. Another MT material I have is so thick that I've never found a camera that could take it, plus it's kind of sticky on the rubber side.
The easiest material to work with that I have is a sheet of darkroom curtain material, which I assume is rubberized cotton. The weave is a little coarse, but the thickness and flexibility are correct for most cameras and it's light tight. I don't know if the stuff is even made any more. I've used it on most East German cameras - Exakta, Pentacon Six, Contax S, etc.
That material is too thick for a Leica, and I think also for a Nikon rangefinder. For Leica and a couple of others I got thinner material by cutting up an old nylon film changing bag. That material is really thin and will run in just about anything. It is, however, hard to work with as it curls up severely when you put cement on it. A trick for that problem which seems to work well (so far) is to use pressure-sensitive transfer adhesive instead of liquid contact cement to avoid curling and make it easier to handle.
rick
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Post by lesdmess on Aug 26, 2015 11:51:55 GMT -5
Today most cameras have som kind of metal curtains? But earliercameras used some kind of fabric. What kind of material did they use, did all camera makers use the same material. I have heard of nylon type materials. How about those russians, did they use a different material than Japanese cameras? Today's camera curtains are apparently not some kind of metal curtain. For instance even in all of Canon's pro cameras such as the EOS 1V or EOS 6D, the manual states not to point the camera towards the sun with mirror lockup as it can scorch or damage the shutter curtains. In Nikon's development of the F, they specifically selected titanium curtains so that this will not be a problem -> Vol. 10. History of the Nikon cameras and shutter mechanisms (Part I)Interestingly enough, the Canon New F-1 has titanium curtains even though it doesn't have mirror lockup. I am not sure when they transitioned away to a different material. I know that the Nikons F, F2 & F3, Minolta XK and Pentax LX all have titanium curtains. I believe that all of the vertical travel shutters of the manual focus camera era were all metal. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 17:27:58 GMT -5
I got red curtain material from Micro Tools severay years ago and had Oleg in Russia use the material to recurtain a Leningrad and it worked fine. several years back I acquired several Leica type curtains for FSU cameras--probably would work on some of the Japanese Leica knock offs, too. Still have the curtains but retired from doing it myself.
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Post by rickoleson on Sept 7, 2015 16:34:51 GMT -5
Hi Wayne: Check that curtain carefully in bright light (say, with a strobe). One of my first encounters with Micro-Tools material was replacing a set of red curtains that a fellow had installed in a Contax S. He got red fogged images and thought he had a light leak, but it turned out that bright light would come right through the curtains like a red filter.
This was some years back, though, so they may have improved materials by now.
rick
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