Year End Graphic

<p>Welcome to 2010 ! Glad you made it. I had intended to go out to Joshua Tree and shoot some cactus or some such, but since it looked like I'd be out there by my lonesome, I decided to stay home and do a lot of nothing. Which means I got bored. When that happens I tend to take things apart...</p><div></div>

<p>Well, that done, everything has to be cleaned, and who knows how, re-assembled. This old shutter seemed to have some issues. So I put everything in a bag, shook it up, and drew parts out and assembled it in that order...seemed to work OK I guess. I didn't have any parts left over, which according to my younger days, is not always the case. </p><div></div>

<p>The shutter parts in the first image seemed to fit together and become the one mounted on the Speed Graphic 45 on the left. With 6-3/8in Kodak Anastigmat 1943 coated glass, it seems the parts came out of the bag in a reasonably good order, so it at least looks good. The Century sports the 2.8 80mm Schneider Xenotar of Rolleiflex fame in a #1 Compur, which the camera barely closes. </p><div></div>

<p>Very pretty, and a job well done. After just taking apart my own speed 4x5 and graflex shutter this is no small feat! You have some beautiful cameras and at least one great image: Happy New Year Sir!</p>

<p>Matt</p>

<p>I found this old can about ten years ago along side the road at an undesignated wizz stop. I spent a good part of New Years Eve trying to photograph it. Not being a indoor photographer, I found it not so easy. Those white plastic grocery bags that blow around in the wind, yeah those, turned out to be rather convenient lamp diffusers. Just be careful not to melt them... This is the Kodak Anastigmat on the 4x5 using a 120roll film back and 400 TMY in HC 110 dil B. </p>

<p>Then I had to get out of the house on New Years day and this Century is one of my run around cameras. Not much landscape around town, so what the heck, time to take an interest in the Seascape genre...? </p><div></div>

<p>The 80mm Xenotar shows why it is a good walk around lens. It also covers 6x7 very well. The Century is a solid camera and shoots well at 1/25 with the shorter lenses.</p><div></div>

<p>I have no experience with these seascapes, but I brought along some goodies to play with. So for the image above I tried out my 65mm f8 Super Angulon which hasn't seen hardly any use since I got it. I set up the tripod for this as it required GG focussing, and then decided to pack on a shade and #25 filter. The results seem pleasing with a 1 sec exposure for a sharp contrasty foreground and a more painterly sea and sky. Seascape #2 is from a roll of FP4. I expose this metering for ISO 64, and then dunk in HC 110 dil B. I've been walking along this little section of coast on and off my whole life. Based on these quick walk around shots, maybe I ought to pay a little more attention to my backyard? </p>

<p>Beautiful to behold! But I would be scared to walk along those rocks especially with a camera! You are adventurous. Regards, sp.</p>

<p>Excellent post.</p>

<p>S. G. ,have a (168?) lens in the Supermatic shutter. The speeds are way off. Great work with yours.</p>

Yeah ..What Gene said!

<p>Supermatics may not look pretty on the inside like a Compur, but they are well designed, and serviceable. Value engineered in the good sense of the term.</p>

 

<p>Awesome...Your ability as a technician, the beauty of the machinery, and your photographic skills always make for a fascinating post.</p>

<p>The old Compur dial set shutters are reasonably simple, like the Supermatics, but the later stuff is a bit more complicated for sure. The Wollensak Rapax (same as Graphex) fall somewhere between. Then there's the focal plane curtain shutter in the back of those Speed Graphics which I akin to being a wind up jack in the box service technician. Those Pacemaker Speed Graphics, get pretty heavy with a big lens and shutter on them, I akin that to wielding a vintage typewriter. <br>

This shutter I took apart above had a couple stripped threads in the shutter leaf retainer plate which has the diaphragm wings attached, which if I couldn't very carefully get those seated flush, they will prevent and possibly cause damage tot he shutter leaves when assembled. Those are the smallest fasteners in the Kodak shutters. Besides stripping the threads in two of the holes in the leaf base plate, one head was partially broke off, and someone, probably the same person, used Graphite in the shutter. I see that a lot. Which if you use Graphite, it will migrate all over the shutter and like this one, and every other one I have encountered, get on the shutter leaves and cause them to bind; it also gunks up worse than old lubes and prevents the entire mechanism from working well. That and getting on the inside glass surfaces of the lens is why I jump on anyone who suggests lubing a shutter with the stuff. </p>

<p>Remember that Ed Romney always said not to lube a shutter. So, agree with your comment about graphite.</p>

<p>Those rock formations are so cool! Only larger format could get that kind of texture. OK, now I've gotta get that 4x5 Crown Graphic out of my closet and start shooting Big Negs.</p>

<p>Russ, the seascapes were shot with the Century Graphic using first the 80mm and then the 65mm wide. But still a lot bigger than a 35mm, something like 6 times the size? A lot more information. <br>

Jack, certain things I do not try to lube, learning the hard way of course, but quickly fortunately. But I do lube certain areas as prescribed in the original manuals, which a couple are the highly detailed military versions sent to me by a couple nice people from graflex.org. I don't lube in any way that can migrate to things that need to stay absolutely clean and dry like diaphrams and shutter leaves. I do lube with light grease the high wear areas where things rub when cocking the shutter which also makes it smooth to cock the things. On the Supermatics, there is a long spring attached to the setting lever (cocking lever) that rubs along the internal retaining plates around inner housing, so I lube this spring using a needle so it slides freely and this really helps. I try and do any necessary lubing as little as possible, and after most re-assembly is done. When I re-install the self timer set ring ( used as the flash retard on Flash Supers) I lube that, and then the rim set ring and face plate edges. I use a sewing needle to apply grease or light lube dabbing off any excess. I actually have some of the original mil.spec. lubes and cleaners called out in the old literature. Some of which can not be manufactured since the 80's. </p>

<p>Seascape #1 is great, as is Mac's #13, but I'm impressed that you re-assembled that shutter from all those parts. Good work on all accounts. </p>

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<p>Some of which can not be manufactured since the 80's.</p>

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<p>I sure do miss molybendum disulfide, the slipperiest stuff ever.</p>

<p>...and 1,1,1,trichloroethane. Nothing like having all the moisture sucked out of your skin faster than you can blink. </p>

<p>Great shots. and excellent study in texture. Well done SG.</p>