Making a rubber bulb shutter release?

Candlejack · Nov 8, 2021

So Id like to make a rubber bulb shutter release. Im looking on Amazon and other sites and see that rubber bulbs themselves are for sale. ($4 to $8) and I would think a gasline hose from the locsl hardware store would serve as a tube. ($2-$4)

My question would be this.. does the size of the bulb matter as per force applied? Larger bulbs would force more air, but do smaller work just as well foe the application?

Based on prices.. bite the bullet and buy a premade one? ($25 -$27) but they seem to have longgg tubes etc.

BrianShaw · Nov 8, 2021

YES!!! I made one that works quite good using automotive vacuum hose and a pediatric nose syringe.

https://www.babycenter.com/baby/bat...yringe-or-nasal-aspirator-to-clear-a-stuf_482

The
Amount of air required really depends on the device being actuated, so no easy answer. The shutter I was clicking originally came with a small bulb. But the larger bulb is now required to work. I suppose after nearly 100 years the shutter needs a bit more incentive.

removed account4 · Nov 8, 2021

you might also keep your eye out for a de groff air piston, they are priceless!

juan · Nov 8, 2021

The one I bought from Packard shutter works far more reliably than any I was able to devise. Maybe the Packards require more force than other shutters.

Jim Jones · Nov 8, 2021

The tubing should be small, or a large bulb may be necessary. A length of tube no longer than necessary works best.

mgb74 · Nov 8, 2021

And keep in mind that the "purpose built" bulbs typically have a valve to allow air in while the ones for pediatric use will draw air in from the same place the air goes out of.

mshchem · Nov 8, 2021

I bought a box of scrap blood pressure bulbs. Best I've found for replacing a "real classic bulb"

Is there a company that sells a ultra high quality purpose made bulb and tubing?

There's more demand for buggy whips than these things, the ones on Ebay, last I looked leaves a bit to be desired.

BrianShaw · Nov 8, 2021

mgb74 said:
And keep in mind that the "purpose built" bulbs typically have a valve to allow air in while the ones for pediatric use will draw air in from the same place the air goes out of.

Punch a hole in the nose sucker. Put finger over hole while squeezing. Not as easy as as automatic valve and yet very easy to do.

AgX · Nov 8, 2021

BrianShaw said:
YES!!! I made one that works quite good using automotive vacuum hose and a pediatric nose syringe.

The ones I got, german and japanese from the 60's to 80's, have got PVC tubing, so soft I could not get locally. Alternatively I would have to use silicone tubing, which would be thicker an mich heavier.
The issue with the german ones is that the bulb may have deteriorated, and with one japanese model that the tubing is sweating plastiziser heavily.
But the softness of those tubings (at least at average temperatures) is one major advantage over all cable releases.
For the bulbs, there are various rubber substitutes to improvise on.

Jim Jones · Nov 8, 2021

The tubing used with medical oxygen generators should be readily available and looks like it might work.

Candlejack · Nov 9, 2021

mshchem said:
I bought a box of scrap blood pressure bulbs. Best I've found for replacing a "real classic bulb"

Is there a company that sells a ultra high quality purpose made bulb and tubing?

There's more demand for buggy whips than these things, the ones on Ebay, last I looked leaves a bit to be desired.

Found this on amazon, I dont have measurements on hand but i wonder if this tube diameter is acceptable.

https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Rep...S,B06WLLD6ZY,B08R32GS7Z,B014SN8AQA,B081TDGL79

BrianShaw · Nov 9, 2021

Nice find; great price.

maltfalc · Nov 11, 2021

mgb74 said:
And keep in mind that the "purpose built" bulbs typically have a valve to allow air in while the ones for pediatric use will draw air in from the same place the air goes out of.

if by purpose built you mean for shutter releases, no they don't. the bulb needs to suck air back in from the cylinder to reset it.

maltfalc · Nov 11, 2021

Candlejack said:
So Id like to make a rubber bulb shutter release. Im looking on Amazon and other sites and see that rubber bulbs themselves are for sale. ($4 to $8) and I would think a gasline hose from the locsl hardware store would serve as a tube. ($2-$4)

My question would be this.. does the size of the bulb matter as per force applied? Larger bulbs would force more air, but do smaller work just as well foe the application?

Based on prices.. bite the bullet and buy a premade one? ($25 -$27) but they seem to have longgg tubes etc.

the cylinder actuating the shutter will need a certain amount of air. the bigger the cylinder, the bigger the bulb you need. same goes for the tubing. the longer, wider and more flexible the tubing is, the bigger the bulb has to be.

Alan Edward Klein · Nov 11, 2021

Here's one for $12. OF course, it's on backorder, might be on one of those cargo ships off California waiting to be off-loaded. Of course, by the time the store gets it, inflation may have doubled its price.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/81702-REG/Kalt_NP10129_Air_Shutter_Release.html

SteveInNZ · Nov 12, 2021

Candlejack said:
Found this on amazon, I dont have measurements on hand but i wonder if this tube diameter is acceptable.

https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Replacement-Tubing-Adjustable-Sphygmomanometer/dp/B077X8D94C/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=3BLB0GJQ1QY06&keywords=blood+pressure+pump+bulb&qid=1636470418&qsid=147-2309024-4966058&sprefix=blood+pressure+pump,aps,141&sr=8-3&sres=B077X8D94C,B08114HSG4,B00OBVQLKW,B07QB122ZG,B08H7NR3W1,B00F4LHIZK,B087D12M92,B00OBVR2F0,B07B661XX6,B0011MFOES,B06WLLD6ZY,B08R32GS7Z,B014SN8AQA,B081TDGL79

I use one of these types on my Kodak Pony Premo #2. You need to pull the bulb off the thumbscrew valve and pull out the one way valve inside with pliers or tweezers. Put the bulb back on and you're in business. It works well and will hold a "Bulb" exposure for as long as I've needed. The only thing I don't like is that it looks horribly modern compared with the 100+ year old camera.

Steve.

FotoD · Nov 12, 2021

maltfalc said:
if by purpose built you mean for shutter releases, no they don't. the bulb needs to suck air back in from the cylinder to reset it.

I believe the Packards have two holes. And for long exposures it's quite useful. Press the bulb with the hole covered by your thumb to open the shutter. Then remove your thumb and let go of the bulb, now the shutter stays open as long as you want. Just do it in reverse to close the shutter.

removed account4 · Nov 12, 2021

FotoD said:
I believe the Packards have two holes. And for long exposures it's quite useful. Press the bulb with the hole covered by your thumb to open the shutter. Then remove your thumb and let go of the bulb, now the shutter stays open as long as you want. Just do it in reverse to close the shutter.

the Packard I used had only 1 hole 1 speed with a flash sync, there was no T or B setting. If you went too slow or if you didn't have your thumb on the bulb's hole the shutter wouldn't fire. You might be thinking of the Wollensak Studio shutter? they looked similar but were vastly different. The wollensak had a mechanism where you could squeeze the bulb fast or slow ( at least with a de groff air piston ) and the shutter would do different speeds, and if you slowly squeezed the bulb you could get the shutter to stay open for a timed exposure. I'm not sure, but maybe you are confusing the 2 shutters?
https://packardshutter.com/shop/
https://www.cameraeccentric.com/static/img/pdfs/wollensak_9.pdf
(page 26 )

cowanw · Nov 12, 2021

Lee valley tools has a nice bulb
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/home/cleanup/76106-silicone-dust-blower?item=03J0230
Match it with whatever length vinyl tubing you wish from Home Depot. It is important that the tubing is rigid (vinyl is better than silicone) so that the pressure generated in the bulb is not dissipated, especially if the length is long.

FotoD · Nov 13, 2021

jnantz said:
I'm not sure, but maybe you are confusing the 2 shutters?

No, I was just talking about Packard bulbs having two holes, not their shutters. Easy to miss if you didn't read the post I replied to.

The Wollensak shutter looks interesting with different speeds.

removed account4 · Nov 13, 2021

FotoD said:
No, I was just talking about Packard bulbs having two holes, not their shutters. Easy to miss if you didn't read the post I replied to.

The Wollensak shutter looks interesting with different speeds.

Lol. I know…. I'm kind of obtuse ..

The packard bulbs I saw ( and used ) only had 1 hole .. the bulb seemed original. who knows maybe it was the cheep one. my boss was kind of a penny pincher since she grew up poor and lived through the Great Depression.

yea that wollensak is beautiful.. most people these days don't realize how versatile they are, and don't use them with
one of those air pistons, if they did, they'd realize what they had . most people just use them with a long throw cable release and flick it ( that's what I originally did ) until ...
you can usually find the de groff pistons on ebay for like nothing, and some are elaborately engraved, a work of art nouveau art themselves.. ( they just need a little graphite dust in them to lubricate and they work for 100+ years , like an old pencil sharpener )

FotoD · Nov 13, 2021

Maybe they sell several types then. I referred to the type I've seen in their videos.

Being cheap, I made my own just like it instead of buying it. Love their shutters anyway.

Petrochemist · Nov 13, 2021

AgX said:
The ones I got, german and japanese from the 60's to 80's, have got PVC tubing, so soft I could not get locally. Alternatively I would have to use silicone tubing, which would be thicker an mich heavier.
The issue with the german ones is that the bulb may have deteriorated, and with one japanese model that the tubing is sweating plastiziser heavily.
But the softness of those tubings (at least at average temperatures) is one major advantage over all cable releases.
For the bulbs, there are various rubber substitutes to improvise on.

At work we have silicone tubing with outside diameters as small as 1/8" so it needn't be heavy.
I think there's a catalogue at work that would have around 50 suitable types of tubing each available in multiple sizes & a wide variety of prices.

I suspect a more flexible plastic than nylon would be preferable & the more exotic chemical resistant/biocompatible materials wouldn't offer any advantage.
I suspect the old ones I've seen were simply made from rubber.

AgX · Nov 13, 2021

Silicone rubber is s soft that tubes need a thick wall not to kink.
Thus depending on use the non-kinking version is to prefer.

removed account4 · Nov 13, 2021

FotoD said:
Maybe they sell several types then. I referred to the type I've seen in their videos.

Being cheap, I made my own just like it instead of buying it. Love their shutters anyway.

HA! you only know what you know

thanks for that link I have never seen that before, obviously the lady I worked for didn't want me to know how to do anything but what she wanted me to do!
I don't know which packard she had but I can tell you it was a monster, mounted to a ansco 8x10 studio camera ( on something like a semi century stand with casters ) .. it had a giant 18" barrel lens on it (guessing). not sure if it had the old school wall plug sync or the modern one, but it attached to one of those Photogenic Flash units that looked like a hoover vacuum cleaners ( oh so chic! ) ... now that I think about it, my guess is it was a modern sync cause they looked circa 1970ish purchased when she could no longer get the giant bright bulbs for the barn door'ed hot lights she originally worked with.. part of my training in the beginning was to come in early every day and turn on the synched light and practice with the packard shutter and getting the light to pop. I can still hear her telling me if I didn't squeeze it hard and fast / the "right way" the shutter wouldn't open and the flash wouldn't go off. — I guess she just wanted me to make sure I didn't put it on T by mistake .
thanks again for posting the video .. I love being clueless and learning stuff
John

Making a rubber bulb shutter release?

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