Went to a shop in Austin and saw someone using a heat gun on a shutter curtain

I was visiting a repair shop called Austin Camera Works last month and watched a guy hit a cloth shutter curtain with a heat gun to tighten it up. I always thought you had to replace those things if they sagged, but he showed me it takes 30 seconds and works fine if you don't overcook it. Has anyone else tried this trick or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.victor1mo ago

Well, wait, you've actually seen someone do this in person? That's wild. I've heard about the heat gun trick from old school repair guys online but I always figured it was a myth or something you'd only try on a beater camera. Was the shutter cloth like a regular black rubberized curtain or one of those weird silk ones? I gotta say, my gut tells me this feels risky, but props to the guy for having the guts to try it right in front of a customer.

blair_davis1mo ago

Honestly, I think people overestimate how fragile these old cameras are. Your mileage may vary, but I've seen guys do crazier stuff to get a camera working and it turned out fine. That shutter cloth is tougher than folks give it credit for, rubberized or not. A heat gun on low isn't going to destroy it if you know what you're doing, you just have to keep it moving. My gut says the risk is way overblown by people who've never actually tried it.