Shutter Cleaning USA

[esearing]

Are there any good and reasonable($) LF shutter cleaners in the South East?
Any special problems with 1960's Syncro-Compur?

Also why are prices so varied?
One California person charges $45, SKG= $80+, and local Atlanta repair shop wants $135+.

 

[Dave Parker]

I have always used Grimes for my shutters for several years now, they most of the time end up charging me less than they have quoted, they have been around a long time now, and are very reliable.

As far as pricing differences, I guess it is the same as why some sellers charge $13.00 to ship an item that weighs less than a pound and others charge $3.85.

I have heard the person in CA that charges $45.00 is good, but have never used her services, I know of one Ebay seller that swears by her.

Dave Parker
Satin Snow(TM) Ground Glass

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Yes, that is Carol Miller of Whittier, CA. I am a very satisfied customer.

 

[doughowk]

You might try Southern Photo Tecnical Service which has several locations throughout Florida. A friend used them for a LF lens, and seemed satisfied.

 

[bobfowler]

Another Carol Miller fan here. Don't let her rather low price fool you, she's very, very good.

 

[BradS]

Well, I can't think of anything good to say about the German guy on Villa street in Mountain View so, I'll say nothing at all...if you know what I mean.

After leaving that shop, I took my 1950's vintage synchro-compur shutter straight to Apollo Camera in Oakland, CA. They charged $65 -- which seems to be their minimum charge -- and did a fine job.

Incidently, there were only three people in the shop when I arrived with my old compur shutter -- me, the guy who worked the counter and talked to customers, and a technician. The technician was seated about twenty feet from the counter with his back to us the whole time. As the other guy did a preliminary inspection of my shutter, I told him that I thought the shutter needed a CLA. He cocked and fired it several times at several different speeds and apparently wasn't convinced. He said something to me kinda indicating that there was really nothing wrong with the shutter and that it probably just needed to be excercised...I persisted because I tend to be a little pedantic about maintenance. At this point, the seated technician joined the conversation. I forget his exact words but without looking up from his work, he said something like "those old **compur** shutters run erratically like that on 1 second when they need to be cleaned"

The point of this rather lengthy digression is that the technician knew it was a compur shutter just by hearing it excercised. Neither I, nor the counter guy had ever mentioned that it was a compur and the technician never looked up from the camera he was working on. He was seated twenty feet away with his back to us the whole time.

I was greatly impressed and amazed untill my wife pointed out that she could identify a Jeep Cherokee by the sound of its starter motor...

 

[Dave Parker]

It has always been easy to identify a Chrysler product by the sound of their starters, Chrysler has been using a reduction gear starter for several decades now, that has a very distinctive sound...

LOL

Dave

 

[John Koehrer]

Frequently the difference in $$$ is whether you are dealing direct w/the repair shop or not. When I handled repairs for a retail shop we used a 30-50% markup.($80+$40=$120 etc.) That's what the retailer pays his rent with.

 

[John Z.]

Does anyone have information for Carol Miller--how to reach her and a list of services? Thanks for the info.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Does anyone have information for Carol Miller--how to reach her and a list of services? Thanks for the info.

Here is a copy of Carol Miller's description of her services on a current eBay posting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15248&item=3866533948&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW



"Are you tired of your sluggish shutter, those slow speeds just don't have the get up and go like they used to or maybe they never did. Do you even know what speeds that your shutter is actually shooting at...Well then it's time for a CLAC!

I will - C - Clean your shutter, get rid of that old sticky lubrication

I will - L - Lube your shutter so it runs smoothly

I will - A - Adjust your shutter so it can be as true as it can be to the Dial settings (see Note)

I will - C - Check your shutter again and provide you with a timing sheet.

Note: Servicing a shutter involves the following steps...cleaning out the old lubrication, relube it and adjust the shutter speed the best I can, replace springs when necessary. An old shutter can have its speeds restored to the stated setting on the dial but occasionally they will return to the original speeds that the shutter came in to me at. The lower speeds, I can usually get back to the correct speeds, the higher ones.. not always for there is only so much you can do when parts begin to wear, unless you overhaul the whole shutter!

All you have to do is "Buy it Now" for the low price of $45.00 plus Shipping and Handling. Insurance is Optional but Recommended, I am not responsible for what happens after I have mailed it back! I make every effort to get the shutters out within a week or two. I do like to let the shutter sit for a few days just to make sure all that old sticky lubrication is out and isn't causing any problems. This sometimes takes a bit longer with some shutters.

I have been asked what I want for Shipping, this is hard for I don't have the package and I don't know the weight or now how much insurance you desire. You can either go to www.usps.com and figure it out, using Priority Mail and please add $2.00 for my handling Or you can take your package to your local Post Office unsealed they will tell you. At the same time you can get a Postal Money order slip it into the package and mail it away. Also I prefer that you do not send the lens, this will cut down on shipping and if a mishap occurs during shipping your lens won't get damaged. If your lens needs to be worked on then go ahead and send them, but Please inform me first!

Any spare parts needed are extra and depending on the shutter may not be readily available but please feel free to E me ahead of time if you have any questions at flutotscamera@earthlink.net

I have been repairing shutters for the past 20yrs. You may know my favorite patron, who has been keeping me busy for many years...Dagor77!

We are quick and reliable service shop, that you can count on!

Thank You, for looking!

Sorry, but I do NOT take paypal and I Prefer Postal Money Orders

Please provide a contact phone number and or Email address in the box with your lens/camera so I can contact you in case I have a question regarding your item. I would like to keep you informed on the progress of the repair and if it needs parts or additional cost etc. Once again, please enclose this information with your items when you send it to me. Thank You!!"

 

[veriwide]

Are there any good and reasonable($) LF shutter cleaners in the South East?


There is a great guy on the North Carolina coast. He specializes in older german lenses and has done fantastic work for me. I had him service my 150 APO-Lanthar in a Syncro-Compur. When it came back it worked like a champ, and he sent along the speed test results.

Z-V Service (Oriental, North Carolina) 919-249-2576

You can also look here for help:
Dead Link Removed

 

[Jennifer]

Hi,
I have used: Lens Services owner is Paul Ebel
he is in state of WI.

No website He gets $46.00 view lens CLA
$16.00 for Critical Accuracy
Adjustment.

I had him do my new 120 and 180 view lens for the critical. He send a paper back with the speeds on it. It's amazing how far off a new shutter is, and the fact that 1/500 is really only 1/300 !!. My 135 optar which goes to 1/400
will in reality only do 1/165 which he said is normal.

Jennifer

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

S. K. Grimes is still good, particularly for Compound shutters.

I also highly recommend Frank Marshman in Harrisonburg, VA. His business is called CameraWiz, and his number is 1-800-471-8133. He does shutters for Sally Mann, Michael A. Smith, and he's done a fair amount of work for me, particularly with my old Bronicas, but also some folders and LF stuff. Recently a friend was having a problem with a Supermatic shutter that was CLA'd by someone else and still way off, and Frank listened to the shutter OVER THE PHONE, diagnosed the problem, and said, "that's an easy one, I'll charge you half price, since you've already had it cleaned." His prices are reasonable, he stands by his work, but turnaround time can be long during busy seasons like November/December.