Hit 100 shutter repairs on old manual cameras today

I kept a tally in my bench notebook since January, and somehow I crossed the 100 mark this afternoon without even noticing. Has anyone else found that working on mechanical shutters gives you a weird sense of accomplishment compared to the electronic ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_wilson7314h ago

Wait, you kept a tally since January and just crossed 100? That's wild. I've been doing this for like five years and I'm barely at 60 myself. I mean, I'm mostly a hobbyist, but still, a hundred repairs in less than a year is insane output. Gotta ask, are you doing this full time or just really dedicated on weekends? I swear, every time I open up a shutter it's like a different puzzle each time, especially on those old leaf shutters with their weird little springs. But you're totally right about that sense of accomplishment being way stronger than with electronic shutters. What's the most common issue you see in these old mechanical ones?

joseph5297h ago

Wait, you seriously kept a tally since January and already hit 100? That's wild to me, Alice. I'm just a weekend warrior and I've barely gotten through 30 shutters in the last two years. Most common issue has to be dried grease - it turns into this sticky tar that just gums everything up.