Cloth curtain shutter - replacement cloth?

Marco Gilardetti · Mar 26, 2018

I have a camera that I like very much that developed pinholes in the cloth of the curtain shutter, and of course the negatives are being damaged by the light passing through. My trusted mechanic says he would be able to replace the cloth, but he doesn't know where to purchase the replacement cloth any longer.

Does anyone perhaps know from whom and from where pieces of cloth for replacing damaged curtain shutters can be purchased nowadays?

Thank you very much.

choiliefan · Mar 26, 2018

Aki-Asahi sells shutter curtain material:
http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/html/curtains/shutter-curtain.php

Ko.Fe. · Mar 26, 2018

eBay seller from Japan. Single coated and double coated cloth.

shutterfinger · Mar 26, 2018

Micro Tools Dead Link Removed
there is a Europe store so you may have to search the net for it.

Joel_L · Mar 26, 2018

How many and how big are they? You may be able to repair the old curtain with something like liquid electrical tape or plastidip

Craig · Mar 26, 2018

Is the fabric itself ok? I have repaired a shutter in a 1926 Graflex 4x5 SLR by taking the shutter apart, soaking it in lacquer thinner to remove the rubberized coating and carefully scraping it off with a plastic scraper and then recoating with artists acrylic paint. It's important not to get the coating too thick or the curtains won't roll smoothly or at the proper speeds.

Other sources for shutter cloth is bellows cloth from a player piano. Get the thinnest, I believe it in 0.008" thick. Note also that it is directional, it stretches one way, and not the other so you have to cut it properly from the bolt to match your existing cloth.

Marco Gilardetti · Mar 27, 2018

Thank you very much for the links, they restore many hopes!

I see that the Japanese website has two types of cloth (silk and nylon) and suggests to use the first for smaller cameras, and the second for large format cameras exclusively. I then wonder which kind of material does Micro-Tools provide, there are absolutely no specifications. Is it OK for 35mm cameras?

Thanks also for the suggestions about how to repair the curtains with paint. I have read about it on previous topics as well. I think however that I should have the curtains replaced with new material until my trusted mechanic is still at work. This repair will possibly last my whole life and I believe that I should have it done while it's still feasible, or I might regret it.

E. von Hoegh · Mar 27, 2018

Marco, what camera is it? Cloth was made as thin as .006", ideal for screwmount Leicas. Most 35mm slrs would do fine with .008", larger cameras will tolerate thicker material.
I replaced the curtains in a 1949 Canon IIb with some .006" material, the camera now functions as new and is an absolute delight to use.

shutterfinger · Mar 27, 2018

Graflex Corp. cameras use .007 inch thick shutter material. The thinnest player piano bellows cloth is .007 inch thick with nylon or cotton backing. Graflex cameras fail when the material swells to .015 on some models and .025 on others. The swelling and cracking depends on how the camera was stored and usually occurs after 40+ years of neglect.

The shutter cloth I purchased from Micro Tools, Vacaville, Ca years ago was nylon base. I don't know what they have now or what the European store has.

Marco Gilardetti · Mar 28, 2018

The camera is my beloved Icarex, unfortunately. But I guess the difference is 35mm vs. rest of the world. I think I should write to Micro Tools and inquire for more tech information about the kind of cloth that they sell, and eventually decide if it's better to import the silk type from Japan.

E. von Hoegh · Mar 28, 2018

I would go with the Aki Asahi silk. A-A also sell ribbon materiel, which you may also need.
When I replaced the shutter in my Canon, the old curtains had been patched and the curtain tension increased to compensate for the thicker & uneven result. New curtains made the camera quieter, speeds much more accurate, very Leica-ish.
A-A was very good to deal with, the one time I ordered ribbon from them it was in my hands on the sixth day from ordering.

Marco Gilardetti · Mar 28, 2018

Thanks for your insight, perhaps I should purchase the cloth from Aki Asahi as you recommend it so enthusiastically.

E. von Hoegh · Mar 28, 2018

Marco Gilardetti said:
Thanks for your insight, perhaps I should purchase the cloth from Aki Asahi as you recommend it so enthusiastically.

If possible, get a measurement of the original curtain's thickness and go from there. I always try to match the original material as closely as possible.

phass · May 31, 2018

Did you have a chance to order from Aki Asahi? I have ordered fom them but packag has never arrived, so I have to cancell my otder.

Helios 1984 · May 31, 2018

phass said:
Did you have a chance to order from Aki Asahi? I have ordered fom them but packag has never arrived, so I have to cancell my otder.

I ordered a strap from Aki Asahi about 2 months ago, the package arrived in less than 10 days.

abruzzi · May 31, 2018

I ordered light seal a couple months ago from them and the package made it to the US pretty quick. Probably 10 days or similar. Don’t know about shutter curtain material though.

Marco Gilardetti · Jun 1, 2018

Yes I ordered from Aki Asahi. Exactly as I expected the envelope took forever to reach my house, I didn't note dates on my calendar but it was surely more than one month. Shippings from Asia to Europe are always very very slow.

That said, two months are perhaps too much, and possibly your envelope was lost anywhere in space. In his reply e-mail to my order Aki Asahi said to contact him in case I didn't get the curtain cloth within ten days (!!!). I knew that I was not going by any means to get it that fast, so I haven't written back to him, but I suppose that's what you should do rather than cancel your order, it seems to me that he's willing to send the goods again in case a shipment gets lost.

phass · Jun 1, 2018

phass said:
Did you have a chance to order from Aki Asahi? I have ordered from them but package has never arrived, so I have to cancel my order.

Helios 1984 said:
I ordered a strap from Aki Asahi about 2 months ago, the package arrived in less than 10 days.

The latest update, My order arrived today. I do not know why Aki Asahi did not answer my e-mail after I did not received my order after 12 days. So everything was straighten out.
Cheers.

Helios 1984 · Jul 24, 2018

phass said:
The latest update, My order arrived today. I do not know why Aki Asahi did not answer my e-mail after I did not received my order after 12 days. So everything was straighten out.
Cheers.

Did you managed to replace the curtain on your camera?

Cloth curtain shutter - replacement cloth?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency