Just realized something about old shutter springs...

I was watching a YouTube video about clock repair of all things, and this guy mentioned how springs in old clocks were usually tempered way hotter than modern ones. It hit me - camera shutter springs from the 50s and 60s are probably the same way. Last week I had a 1953 Leica IIIf with a sluggish shutter, and after hearing that, I measured the tension on a replacement spring and it was way out of spec. Makes me wonder if we should be checking spring temper before swapping them out, not just assuming new parts are good. Has anyone else run into weird issues with reproduced shutter springs?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_wells10d ago

Had a similar problem with a 1958 Canon P a few months back. Bought a reproduction spring set from a reputable seller and the curtain speeds were all over the place. Ended up swapping the original spring back in and cooking it in my toaster oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes to re-temper it. Worked perfectly after that. Now I test every spring with a simple tension gauge before I install it, originals and reproductions both.

bettym8910d ago

Tried the toaster oven trick on a stuck shutter once. Worked fine for a week then the spring snapped on me. Gave up and bought a parts camera off eBay for cheap. Pulled the original spring from that one and it's been running smooth ever since. Some things are better left as factory originals even if they're old.