The day I finally gave up on CLA-ing old leaf shutters

I spent last Thursday working on a Kodak Retina that just wouldn't cooperate. After three attempts to get the shutter speeds right, I finally admitted the blades were too far gone. What did it for me was seeing a crack in one of the tiny actuating arms that I missed the first two times. I told the customer straight up it wasn't worth the $150 it would cost to find parts and hours of labor. They actually thanked me for being honest instead of taking their money on a lost cause. Has anyone else hit a point on a repair where you just decide it's time to call it?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo_schmidt1mo ago

Two years back I had a Compur shutter from the 1940s that needed three different sets of blades and a new spring, and the total parts cost was maybe $30 from a donor camera I found on eBay. That Retina's actuating arm crack might be fixable with careful soldering or a tiny dab of epoxy if you're willing to gamble your time. Sometimes the line between "lost cause" and "good enough for a user" is thinner than we think, especially if you're not charging by the hour.

claire_walker1mo ago

Got a 1950s Agfa folder once where the entire winding knob broke off. Took a similar gamble with epoxy and it held for maybe 20 rolls before snapping again. Hugo Schmidt's right about that thin line though, sometimes you just gotta try the fix and see if it sticks.