As new owner of a Crown Graphic camera, I've noticed that the slower speeds of the shutter which has a 135mm f4.7 lens fitted to are a bit "iffy". Would it be possible possible to overhaul the shutter, myself, or is that a job for an "expert"? I see from some of the Search Engines that there was a posting about this topic, but it appears to have been archived. I'd like to make the flash synchro work too if that's possible.

Benny,
Remove the front and rear optical elements and douse the shutter innards with a mixture of lighter fluid and powdered graphite. Work the shutter through all speeds a couple of times, also run it through all f-stops. When all the fluid has evaporated, reinstall the glass. I've revived two Graphex #1 shutters in this fashion, and they continue to give reliable service; no overhaul was necessary. As for the flash synch, I also revived the same two shutters by tearing down the shutter just so far as was minimally necessary to get at the contacts, which were slightly misaligned. Once adjusted, they work fine. For this it helps to have a "shop manual." I recommend the one from Finger Lakes Photo Books at http://photobooksonline.com/books/manual03.html , item #90026, "Graflex Graphex Shutters (1,2,3)". Good luck!

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Henry on 2001-07-29 11:52 ]</font>

Where do you get the graphite powder? Is is as simple as shaving some pencils? How about moly?

How come the lighter fluid doesn't get gummy on he shutter blades?

and

If the lighter fluid does dry out how to you keep the graphite power from flying around and ending up as specs on the inside of the lens cell?

Buy powdered graphite at any hardware store. It's sold as lock lubricant, and comes in little plastic tubes like miniature toothpaste tubes.

Lighter fluid is very fugitive, similar to alcohol in that respect, and I've never had a problem with it gumming, nor have I ever found any little graphite specks on the lens surfaces. But it's good you raised these questions, Les, because it gives me a chance to add that you don't want to overdo it. Just squeeze a couple of puffs of the graphite into a pin-point oiler (hobby shop), then add about a teaspoon of the fluid, shake it up real good, and fire away. The graphite likes to fall out of solution rather quickly, so keep shaking the stuff between squirts.

I recommend the Ronsonol lighter fluid; it seems to be more widely available than Zippo (I get mine at the drug store), and also evaporates faster.

By the way, I can't take credit for this method. It appears in Thomas Tomosy's book "Camera Maintenance and Repair".

While I agree with the Naptha as a cleaner I do not agree about using powdered graphite as a lubricant.
The original lubricants were very light oils similar to "watch oil". You can get a suitable light oil at hobby shops specializing in model railroads. One brand is LeBell. Get the lightest grade. Another suitable oil is Nyoil. Neither is expensive. A small amount is applied to the pinions of the gears in the regulator mechanism.
Sometimes simply cleaning with the naptha is enough. The problem is that the original oil oxidizes with time and gets gummy.
Most other parts of the shutter should be cleaned and allowed to run dry.
Be very careful not to get any oil or residue on the shutter blades or diaphragm blades. Shutter blades are _never_ lubricated.
Wollensake shutters are very good, it should be possible to get them back to nearly original performance.
A weak drive spring may cause the fast speeds to run a little slow but the slow speeds in a Graphex or Rapax shutter should be quite accurate and consistent.
Lighter fluid is the simplest way to get naptha in small amounts but its much cheaper to buy it at paint stores by the quart.
Be careful, naptha is similar to gasoline and is very inflamible.

I'd suggest you do it right. Send it to Fred Lustig. Fred Lustig's phone number in Nevada is 775-746-0111.

He has the parts to fix the whole shutter, incl. the sync. He is very reasonable.

I have a better chemical. Grease and wax remover that can be bought at most auto parts stores. It's used for wiping down auto paint before priming. I have used this to fix several rolleicords, ciroflexes, and a few argoflexes. It works good on leaf shutters and evaporates very quickly. I put it in a cap and drop the shutter in minus the glass. Swish it around a bit and blow it dry with an air compressor. It may take several tries. After dismantling several shutters I found that most slow ones suffer from a build up of dust and oil and a "professional" CLA is a waste of money.

Read "Kodak Shutter Problems" in the lens help section?