[LargeFormat] DIY shutter work

[philip.lambert]

I tried out something learned from this group on a Synchro Compur size 0
shutter which had a problem with the slowest speeds, particularly 1 second
which tended to infinity...
I took out the Xenar glass and stood the shutter on edge on a pile of
pennies in a jam jar having a screw top lid.  I poured in a thimble full of
cigarette lighter petrol which lodged between the pennies so there was no
petrol inside the shutter to leave deposits.
 The jar was left shut for two hours,when I took out the shutter and fired
it at every speed several times. After this I test fired it through a
Calumet speed checker and found that all speeds were consistently one half
to one third of a stop slower than marked, which in practice I can ignore
with negative film.
The next morning I fired the shutter again. Although 1 second was slow the
first time, subsequent tests were brisker and looked quite usable.  I have
found with other old Compurs that were unused for weeks that it makes sense
to click them a few times before taking a picture
If only I could fix a stuck Prontor SVS as easily!