Flex-Seal to mend shutter curtain?

it's_hank_dude · Jun 23, 2022

I just picked up a Canon iii for $30 and it's got a bunch of holes in the shutter curtain (including one where some jack@$$ dropped his screwdriver right through it while disassembling...) but it's not totally mangled. I heard Joe Van Cleve talk about how his Zorki shutter had been painted and that has me thinking about using flex seal on this one. I have some rubber cement thinner and mineral spirits which I was going to experiment with thinning it out since that stuff seems so thick. I wonder if anyone has any insight on this or is there a better solution (i.e. one that doesn't involve taking it apart any further to replace the actual curtain material).

juan · Jun 23, 2022

Keep us posted.

it's_hank_dude · Jun 23, 2022

juan said:
Keep us posted.

Will do. If I don't hear any good reasons not to do it, it'll happen this weekend.

cramej · Jun 23, 2022

You may also try liquid electrical tape.

awty · Jun 23, 2022

You can fix minor holes, anything as severe as a screw driver hole will need the curtains replaced.

If you are going to attempt it you should at least remove the outer case to get better access. Also makes it easier to remove the rubber when it fails.

mshchem · Jun 23, 2022

I would not attempt this for fear of making a big mess. However, in the bold spirit of curiosity, keep us updated. I would use the "fastest" lowest boiling point solvent for thinner, i.e. xylene or lacquer thinner, be careful as that stuff is like a bomb.

it's_hank_dude · Jun 23, 2022

awty said:
You can fix minor holes, anything as severe as a screw driver hole will need the curtains replaced.

If you are going to attempt it you should at least remove the outer case to get better access. Also makes it easier to remove the rubber when it fails.

Keep in mind, I was disassembling a small camera. The hole from the screwdriver is a minor hole.

it's_hank_dude · Jun 23, 2022

mshchem said:
I would not attempt this for fear of making a big mess. However, in the bold spirit of curiosity, keep us updated. I would use the "fastest" lowest boiling point solvent for thinner, i.e. xylene or lacquer thinner, be careful as that stuff is like a bomb.

I'm happy to fling myself into the front lines for fellow camera-curious folks.

I've just done some test swatches on a paper towel with an "art" type paintbrush. One swatch thinned about 50%(with mineral spirits because that's what is suggested for cleanup), one at normal strength applied lightly, one at normal strength applied quite thick. I will wait the recommended 24 hours to see what these tests look and feel like.

I'm not sure yet if I will try to coat the hole curtain or just spot the holes.

mshchem · Jun 23, 2022

it's_hank_dude said:
I'm happy to fling myself into the front lines for fellow camera-curious folks.

I've just done some test swatches on a paper towel with an "art" type paintbrush. One swatch thinned about 50%(with mineral spirits because that's what is suggested for cleanup), one at normal strength applied lightly, one at normal strength applied quite thick. I will wait the recommended 24 hours to see what these tests look and feel like.

I'm not sure yet if I will try to coat the hole curtain or just spot the holes.

Good call to follow instructions! I used some of this stuff to coat some cloth for some hobby thing. IIRC the stuff dries smooth not tacky.

AgX · Jun 23, 2022

What stuff do you refer to? "Flex Seal"?

it's_hank_dude · Jun 23, 2022

AgX said:
What stuff? "Flex Seal"?

It's a brand of rubberized "paint" in the US. It's quite popular lately because of their massive marketing but "liquid rubber" things have been around for decades. I think it has mostly been used to coat the undersides of motor vehicles especially up north here where they put a lot of salt on the roads in winter to help the car not get rusty.

mshchem · Jun 23, 2022

One of the most hyped products ever.

DREW WILEY · Jun 23, 2022

@!&(%^$^*(())) !!!!!!! Horror! But at least the doomed Guinea pig only cost $30.

it's_hank_dude · Jun 24, 2022

DREW WILEY said:
@!&(%^$^*(())) !!!!!!! Horror! But at least the doomed Guinea pig only cost $30.

I'm not sure exactly what this means but you don't seem too pleased about my idea.

randyB · Jun 24, 2022

Good luck with this, you might have better luck than I did using "Flexseal". I tried using the stuff to coat cloth to make thin bellows material for a project, smoothed the cloth out nice and flat and sprayed the black Flexseal evenly and then went in the house for the night. Next morning I found the cloth shriveled up like fried bacon, not flexible at all and not even close to light tight. I abandoned the idea of using Flexseal. For shutter pin holes I've used liquid electrical tape or T-shirt paint, making sure they dry for 24-48 hours.

gone · Jun 24, 2022

On my one (unsuccessful) attempt at shutter repair, I found that whatever you use to patch the shutter with, make sure not to glob it on too thickly. I managed to get the holes patched, but the patched areas interfered w/ the other shutter curtain when the shutter was fired. Once my patched areas dried, it wasn't possible to trim them down.

thuggins · Jun 24, 2022

cramej said:
You may also try liquid electrical tape.

Do not use liquid electrical tape! That experiment ruined a salvagable bellows. After many years and many experiments the best solution is Tulip fabric paint, Basic Black. Let it dry for several days and apply a very light dusting of talcum powder. Light tight, flexible and gumming up.

DREW WILEY · Jun 24, 2022

I once successfully repaired a small hole in a black fabric shutter curtain on an early Pentax with black real silicone RTV sealant. It lasted longer than the shutter gears themselves. "Flex Seal" is a DIY roof leak gorp made to be troweled on thick. And liquid electrical tape is a vinyl compound.

But in this case, it sounds like the camera might deserve a funeral instead.

it's_hank_dude · Jun 25, 2022

I've had a death in the family this week so my experiment will be put off but I will not forget about you all!

DREW WILEY · Jun 25, 2022

Sorry to hear about that. Take your time to emotionally heal. That's more important than any of this photo stuff.

beemermark · Jun 25, 2022

Liquid electrical tape has been used for eons by both amateur and professionals to repair minor holes in shutters and bellows. Why the urge to experiment?

it's_hank_dude · Jul 6, 2022

Okay, folx. I’ve finally gotten back around to this project. The first curtain has been coated, set up for three days, then dusted with talc.

I’ve just coated the second curtain and will dust it this weekend then put it all back together.

I don’t suppose anybody around here has a 28 mm lens for one of these LTM cameras that they would be willing to part with? Maybe a trade for a 50mm cannon telescoping one?

Don_ih · Jul 6, 2022

One problem is the mechanism is not meant to handle the added thickness of a fully-coated curtain. It will strain everything.

I patched holes in a Leica IIIb shutter curtain with liquid electrical tape. It lasted a few weeks then peeled off and got stuck inside the camera. Nothing Youxin Ye couldn't fix. One of the holes in my shutter curtain was 1/4 inch long - from the camera watching the sunset, it seems.

I have fixed pinholes in bellows with flat black acrylic paint.

it's_hank_dude · Jul 16, 2022

Don Heisz said:
One problem is the mechanism is not meant to handle the added thickness of a fully-coated curtain. It will strain everything.

…

Bingo. I can officially recommend you not do this. It slowed the shutter way down.

If anyone wants a telescoping ltm 50mm for cheap, hit me up.

Tel · Jul 17, 2022

I tried this once and it worked. But the camera was a Graflex RB with a big curtain made of heavy cloth and a very powerful spring to drive it. The difference in size is an order of magnitude: you could use the RB to trap small animals if you wanted to. I used some very dilute black acrylic paint to fill the pinholes. It still slowed the shutter down a bit, though I was able to make a couple of decent exposures.

Flex-Seal to mend shutter curtain?

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