Pinhole problem in a Zorki 4

[Spider67]

Hi,

I made some good photos with my Zorki 4 but the I discovered that I had a pinhole showing and growing every 6 frames.
I found it when I had a cloesr look at the curtain.
Is there a quick and dirty fix for thet before I have to change the curtain?

Thanks in advance!

Des from Vienna

[wolves3012]

Liquid electrical "tape" seems to be the generally used stuff - make sure it's completely dry though before you use the camera. Pinholes are probably a sign that the cloth is getting old, so you're probably only postponing the inevitable, however...

[JonP]

Wolves
Where do you get this liquid electrical tape - I can find no details anywhere, so am using Tulip fabric paint - which seems to work, but the liquid tape sounds more usable

[Spider67]

Thanks wolves!
Yes the was my general idea also: Postponing the inevitable and get some rolls of film out of an otherwise well working camera before I have to have the curtain changed. I just have to figure out the names of liquid electrical tape here in Austria.

[pesphoto]

Ive used the black fabric paint. Usually a couple coatings does the trick just fine.

[rick oleson]

You can buy the Liquid Electrical Tape at hardware stores, in the electrical wiring section. It comes in 4 ounce cans for about $4. For practical purposes you do not have to do any disassembly for a quick & dirty job, just paint the exposed part of the curtain that you can reach (both before and after cocking the shutter). I have a FED 3 and a Praktisix that I haven't gotten around to recurtaining, and this stuff is working fine in the meantime. It is ugly to look at, though, you won't have any luck selling the camera with a fix like this.

Paint on the fabric side, not the rubber coated side of the curtain, and give it plenty of time to dry before cocking or releasing the shutter afterwards.

[Spider67]

Thanks all! I am going to try the Liquid Tape method.


The pics just show the way the pinhole is expanding

Best regards from Vienna

[rick oleson]

What the "pinholes" actually are, is cracks in the rubber coating on the back of the curtain. When the light goes through these cracks, it passes between the threads in the fabric which makes it look like small pinholes instead of cracks. The liquid electrical tape works well as far as making the curtain light-tight and still flexible, but the cracks indicate a serious deterioration of the curtain material. The hardening of the rubber which caused the cracks can also make the curtains stiff to the point that it will affect the operation of the shutter, so at some point they will have to be replaced.