Building a Packard shutter

[illumiquest]

I'm trying to figure out how to make a shutter for a new barrel lens I have, the Packard would be great but I need one with a 4" opening which seem to be pretty rare and/or very expensive if purchased new from Packard. I was wondering if anyone had tried building their own using the packard design. I was thinking I could borrow a shutter from a friend, pull the blades out, scan them into the computer, enlarge them and then print out new templates to be cut onto thin plastic. I could probably figure out some kind of air piston or just actuate the shutter by hand.

Of course if there's a simpler way of getting this done I'd love to hear it. I've seem the Jim Galli dark slide shutter but shooting outdoors with no aperture in an F6 lens it seems like it'd be tough to be anywhere close to consistent.

Thanks for any input.

 

[removed account4]

hi illumiquest

i can't really help you on the packard shutter idea
but reinhold, here on apug .. the person who makes
the wollaston lenses is working on a shutter project ...
i don't know how huge it would be, but he might be able to
custom make you a large one, once he gets the kinks out

http://www.re-inventedphotoequip.com/Site/Shutters.html

good luck !
john

 

[Ian Grant]

I've fitted a large Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter on the front of a large Darlot by using it without the lens hood. These too are uncommon in the largest sizes but have the advantage of a reasonable range of shutter speeds. I demonstrated this working combo to Eddie Gunks last summer. I have about a dozen of these shutters and they are very useful with shutter-less lenses. They were sold under the importers name in the US. TP shutters were made fror iver 70 years.

Thornton Pickard focal plane shutters are also available but again less common but they could easily be adapted to fit many LF cameras.

Ian

 

[t-royce]

If you want to look at the Packard, a visit to the Google Patents site will get you the original patent, with the drawings and description of how it operates:

PHOTOGRAPHIC SHUTTER
CULLELSR C. PACKARD et al
www.google.com/patents/US549681

 

[jon.oman]

You could build a guillotine shutter as described here:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/guillotine-shutter/guillotine-shutter-construction.html