Stuck between replacing a shutter curtain or patching it...

I was fixing a 1960s Yashica-Mat last week and had to choose between replacing the whole shutter curtain or just patching the pin hole in it. The replacement curtain kit was $35 but I'd have to take the whole lens apart, which scared me a bit. I went with the patch using some liquid electrical tape and it actually worked... the hole is sealed and the shutter speeds are still close to right. Has anyone else tried patching a cloth shutter instead of replacing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_patel21d ago

Hold up on that patch job lasting. I tried liquid electrical tape on a Zenit-E curtain years ago and it worked for maybe a month before the adhesive got tacky in heat and started peeling off onto the mirror. The real issue is that pinhole is usually a warning sign the whole curtain is getting brittle and the light seals are gone too. You might be sealing one leak but the fabric around it is probably ready to tear next time the shutter fires. If you keep using it heavily, you could end up with a bigger rip that lets all the light in and ruins a whole roll before you notice.

troy99620d ago

Yeah did that trick actually peel off on me too? Patched a spot on an old Spotmatic and three weeks later the repair was stuck to the mirror. I learned the hard way those pinholes just mean the fabric is done for.