Thornton-Pickard Shutter Repair leads?

[Paddy]

I recently picked up a fairly functional Thornton-Pickard shutter. Everything's still working, even the various shutter speeds, but the material of the roller shutter is showing it's age (late 1890's ;~)) I was hoping someone might possibly have a lead on who/where I might have the roller blind material serviced/replaced.

[David H. Bebbington]

I live in the UK - the first people I'd try would be:

Newton Ellis & Company
29 Cheapside
Liverpool
L2 2DY
England
Tel. 0151 236 1391
http://www.camerashop.btinternet.co.uk/

Regards,

David

[medform-norm]

I recently picked up a fairly functional Thornton-Pickard shutter. Everything's still working, even the various shutter speeds, but the material of the roller shutter is showing it's age (late 1890's ;~)) I was hoping someone might possibly have a lead on who/where I might have the roller blind material serviced/replaced.

Hi Paddy,

it's really not too difficult to replace it yourself. You need shutter curtain material from e.g. Microtools - get them to cut it in the size you need. And some glue - we use a Sicaflex type - a sharp knife and a little patience. If you want to know how to do this yourself, send us a pm, we might be able to guide your through the process.

[ineffablething]

Ken Ruth at Photography on Bald Mountain is the man you should speak with. Google him and you'll find his phone number. He replaced the shutter in an old focal plane slr I have and the work he did is nothing short of amazing. He takes his time and you'll pay for the service, but he is a great repairman and a great source of knowledge.

W.

[medform-norm]

Ken Ruth at Photography on Bald Mountain is the man you should speak with. Google him and you'll find his phone number. He replaced the shutter in an old focal plane slr I have and the work he did is nothing short of amazing. He takes his time and you'll pay for the service, but he is a great repairman and a great source of knowledge.

W.

Him, or else maybe Bert Saunders, who can be found on the graflex.org forum. He made us new stiffners for a 1A Graflex and they were cheap. He also seems to replace shutter curtains on a weekly basis. If you mail him via the forum, he's likely to respond very fast.

[Donald Qualls]

Umm. Guys, I think the Thornton-Pickard shutter he's referring to is the tambour type, like a roll top desk, rather than a cloth curtain like typical focal plane shutters. These were usually mounted behind the lens like a Packard, and the above suggestions about using cloth to replace the curtains completely ignores the wood...

[Paddy]

I think the Thornton-Pickard shutter he's referring to is the tambour type, like a roll top desk, rather than a cloth curtain like typical focal plane shutters.

Donald, the shutter curtain is certainly a coated cloth material. In fact, it's very similar in function, in a very simple but effective way, to today's focal-plane shutters.

Thanks for the lead, Ineffablething. I've sent off an e-mail to Ken Ruth with a request for some more info, specific to this shuttersince he's worked on them before.