Putting a Petzval design lens on almost any camera is possible, it's just a matter of solving the problems you have noted–shutter and mount. Graphics and monorail cameras are easy, since the lens boards are pretty adaptable. Cheap alternatives to fancy brass lenses from the 19th century include lenses from magic lantern projectors, 35mm film projectors, opaque projectors, etc. Or see if you can find one of these, (there was a url link here which no longer exists). didn't know what they were when I posted that. They were meant to take many very small images on a single plate and mount screw-end toward the subject, not toward the film. Another source for lenses, my current favorite for soft portraits, is the objective lens from a set of binoculars, but it's not that swirly. Hot glue has been my friend in many, many modifications–it's quick, holds pretty well and is removable. I haven't tried an rb67, but I've done a few Baby Speeds shooting roll film–certainly the easiest since the shutter is not a problem. I just (today) finished an RB Graphlex Model B 3 x 4 with a custom back for Fuji instant film so I could shoot without having to focus, load and then shoot. The depth of field is really, really shallow with these lenses at portrait distances. The swirlies just begin to show up at the edges with the lenses I have.
One of the issues that becomes important if you want to use film and something like a lens cap or hat to time your exposure is that the Petzval design is a fast lens. Most I have used hover around f4 to f5.6, making exposures that need to be quicker than what you can accomplish with a lens cap, unless you shoot in low light. Even a Packard, topping out at a blisteringly fast 1/20 of a second makes daylight shooting with film difficult. Remember, stopping the lens down with a Waterhouse stop (or the equivalent) will greatly reduce the swirlies you seek in the first place. One way around this is to shoot slow ortho film or paper.
Have fun!
