New shutter curtains for the Gallus Derby-Lux

When I finished the restoration of the Gallus Derby-Lux, the shutter curtains were my main concern.
So I made a test roll. I was pleased with some of the results...



...but the exposures were not consistent.

I was thinking that it might be a good idea to make a new set of curtains, when my good friend Dirk asked me about the size of them, he had the same camera and needed that info.

I disassembled it, took of the curtains, so I could measure them and that was when I decided to make new ones.

I started by laying flat the old curtains, sticking them to a sheet of paper with tape, so I could measure them precisely. As you can see in the top image.

I had to order the fabric from Japan, after a few days it arrived and I started by tracing, with a tailor's pencil, the form of the old ones


the fabric with the cutting marks, that I was checking by the old curtains.


Cut it with a fabric cutter, used in the making of quilts.


Left: I left a small stretch uncut in all four corners, just in case I cut it too much.
Right: I finished the corners with a small, sharp scissors.


Double checking the sizes, before going any further.


Rollers and shafts cemented with contact glue.


Installing the rear curtain. In here I used a steel nail and a small hammer to fix the metal bars to the curtains.


Left: Both curtains installed and the rollers already tensioned. The tension is achieved by turning the inner rod of the tension rollers, that you can see on front left side, looking like head screws, retained by a steel wire.
Right: Rear box in place.



Testing the speeds using a, home made, shutter speed tester, connected to the mic plug of the pc soundcard.

Here you can see how I built the shutter speed tester.


Shutter assembly in place.


Camera ready for a new test.

I'm very pleased with the results, of course, that's not a camera for a daily use but, for it's looks, the amount of work and fine results that I achieved, she has a special place in my collection


The proud owner.

Some more pictures taken with it:


        

Stay tuned (o;