Kodak Synchro Rapid 800 shutter on Tourist II

blee1996 · Oct 9, 2022

Hi, I recently acquired a Kodak Tourist II in excellent shape with the top of line lens/shutter combo: Kodak Anastar 101/4.5 (Tessar formula) set in Kodak Synchro Rapid 800 shutter. But as expected, the infamous Synchro Rapid 800 shutter is quite dead.

I'm really into Kodak lens from that era, and the Anastar lens glasses looks pristine. So have anyone tried to transplant a lens out of the Synchro Rapid 800 and into a more reliable shutter such as the Kodamatic or Flashmatic shutter?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Ian Grant · Oct 9, 2022

You need to check, but I think your camera was made as the US Wollensack/Kodak shutters were discontinued.

Here in the UK Kodak lenses were always in standard sized Compur/Gauthier (Prontor) sized shutters, unlike Eastman Kodak's. It's important to remember that Gauthier was a major shareholder in Deckel (Compur/Compound). The Deckel factory was very badly damaged by Allied bombing in WWII, the Gauthier (Prontor) factory was relatively unscathed. Kodak Ltd used Prontor shutters and the old Nagel factory was under Harrow control.

Gauthier made a lot of shutters for Kodak cameras after WWII.

Ian

blee1996 · Oct 9, 2022

I got stumbled on this step trying to detach the lens elements from the shutter. Front and back groups came out easily. But the middle group was difficult since it needs a special type of wrap wrench with diameter of about 30mm. Anyone has other ways to safely remove this middle group?

Dan Daniel · Oct 10, 2022

Removal- if you are in a good mood and feeling lucky- get a metal hose clamp at the hardware store. Also get some thick red rubber gasket material. Now clamp the lens with the hose clamp, using the gasket material as a wrap between the clamp and the lens group. DO NOT tighten the clamp to the max. You don't want to distort the lens. You want grab but not more.Wear heavy gloves to get a safe hold on the shutter body without little knobs digging into your skin.

Note or mark original position of this lens. There will be multiple starting points on the threads and you want it to end up in the same spot so that the front threading is also the same.

On the shutter- check the flash sync assembly. I've had to remove this on a couple of Synchro shutters to get them to work properly.

blee1996 · Oct 10, 2022

Thank you @Dan Daniel , you are always very helpful! I ordered some lens filter wrench, which are in similar dimension. Hopefully the middle group will come off and let me get into the shutter. And I will mark the original position of the lens.

blee1996 · Oct 10, 2022

Regarding the flash sync assembly, that was one of my suspects. The other one is bent shutter trigger assembly.

The shutter does work in some sense. If I do the following, I can trigger the shutter mostly:
1) Pull up the shutter release (which also closes the 2-blade rear shutter)
2) Tension the shutter
3) Push down the shutter release (which also opens the 2-blade rear shutter)
4) Gently push back the shutter tension lever. And the main 5-blade shutter will trigger. And most speeds sound ok, except maybe 1s and 1/2s. B also works fine.

Two other things of note:
- The shutter release cable socket does not work either.
- The shutter release does not return automatically, so maybe there is a spring missing as well.

jay moussy · Oct 18, 2022

blee1996 said:
Regarding the flash sync assembly, that was one of my suspects. The other one is bent shutter trigger assembly.

The shutter does work in some sense. If I do the following, I can trigger the shutter mostly:
1) Pull up the shutter release (which also closes the 2-blade rear shutter)
2) Tension the shutter
3) Push down the shutter release (which also opens the 2-blade rear shutter)
4) Gently push back the shutter tension lever. And the main 5-blade shutter will trigger. And most speeds sound ok, except maybe 1s and 1/2s. B also works fine.

Two other things of note:
- The shutter release cable socket does not work either.
- The shutter release does not return automatically, so maybe there is a spring missing as well.

Ah.. just got same shutter, but in the Graflex Crown Graphic version, with same issue.
Your above procedure seems to work on mine as well, except that the shutter release does come back up on its own.
Actually, I do not recall if it did when I first got to play with it, and wonder if applying your move above may have changed something for the better. The release feels a bit firmer, it seems(?).

In listening mode, here...

blee1996 · Oct 18, 2022

Still trying to get the middle lens group out safely. Will look for the smallest pipe wrench, or 3D print a lens filter wrench...

jay moussy · Oct 18, 2022

We need a forum tool library, with borrowing privileges...!

By how much the middle group protrudes off the shutter body?

albada · Oct 18, 2022

blee1996 said:
Still trying to get the middle lens group out safely. Will look for the smallest pipe wrench, or 3D print a lens filter wrench...

Here's a trick that's worked for me for this situation. Make your own "wrap" tool out of sheet aluminum or sheet acrylic or lexan (polycarbonate) a few mm thick. Cut it to the shape of the proper tool, but a bit thicker because your material is weaker than the correct tool (which is probably brass or steel). Cutting a round hole of the correct diameter is the difficult part. I cut a crude hole with a coping saw, and filed it until it fit the lens.

blee1996 · Oct 20, 2022

Good news and bad news. Following Dan Daniel's good suggestion, I was able to remove the middle group safely. But in the process of removing the synchro part, I broke some parts. So the project is on hold until I find another 800 shutter.

As Dr. Dan Daniel prescribed, I bought supplies from Home Depot.

Cut a strip of gasket, and pick the clamps of right size:

Tighten but not over-tight, use the gloves to grab and use your muscle. It came off nicely after two tries. Remember to mark where the two part separate since there are multiple threading positions.

Kodak Synchro Rapid 800 shutter on Tourist II

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