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Hello,
Does anyone here use air bulbs to trigger their old shutters?
If so, I'd welcome opinions as to usefulness and if positive, recommendations on what to purchase where.
Regards,
Charles

Hi Charles,
If you visit your local branch of Wickes and head for the plumbing department you might find an "additive injector" pack. It has a rubber bulb, a length of tubing and some bits that are only of any use to plumbers. It works on a Packard.
Vanman.

Hi Charles,
The only time I have used an air bulb has been on Packard shutters on "Instantaneous", which is about 1/10th sec. The one I have has a bleed hole in the end, so it needs to be stopped up with a thumb as the bulb is squeezed, and then let open to let the air back into the bulb. It is quite a nice touch on an old camera and gives a sence of occasion to the photographic experience!

Susie

They are extremly difficult to find. I have several old ones but most of them are "dry.
This is a cheap alternative : http://www.giottos.com/Rocket-air.htm
Cut of the wings and you have a "look alike"

Alex

As I said earlier, look for the Wickes product I found it to be better than the original (but ancient) Packard original. I have also used the bulb that primes an outboard engine from the fuel tank. As far as I can remember I had to mess around making an adaptor to use the smaller bore hose for the shutter (pipe and Aeroldite). It worked on a Dallmeyer shutter as well as a Packard.
Vanman.

Does anyone here use air bulbs to trigger their old shutters?

Hello Charles
If I understand well what you need, it should be something like that, in German : Fernauslöser "Pneu", this is a standard HAMA r Kaiser product.
http://www.hama.de/portal/articleId*2854/action*2563
http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/produkte/2_1_produktanzeige.asp?nr=6144

If we actually speak about the same device, then I have one of this kind, bought from Jessops in England (but like for the HAMA or KAISER product, probably manufactured somewhere East of Ramsgate); I use it, not routinely, but from time to time.

More comments later if we actually speak about of the same thing (which I am not sure)

Thank you all for your suggestions.
The first posts are what I am after. It's to trigger a compound shutter. Not sure about the mechanism inside, but it seems a column of air replaces the usual plunger. So those last Hama products are not useful in this case. Although I could use the bulb and tube parts, and discard the plunger bit. I had thought of using a standard blower like the Rocket (I have one here for the digi), but I don't seem to have any tubing. After all those years surrounded by tubing in my lab work, I suddenly seem to have none. Does anyone have any tubing? If you can help, I'll check the diameter.
Thanks.
Regards,
Charles

Other ideas taken from the watchmaker's wolrd

Two kinds of blowers (Bergeon is a famous Swiss supplier of watchmaking tools)

Emmanuel Bigler wrote:Other ideas taken from the watchmaker's wolrd

Two kinds of blowers (Bergeon is a famous Swiss supplier of watchmaking tools)

Thanks. the small one looks very similar !

Chales

just take the lens caps off and count..........................

works just great with slowish film

best regards

andrew

......................all of the old Packards that I've seen have just had it, really they have, completely and utterly shot, dead in the water in fact

but new Packards are still produced

andrew

I have a few Packards and they all work, albeit after being taken apart and cleaned. There is usually a button which switches from bulb to instantanious.

Susie

Hi Andrew,
I suggest that you pay a bit more for your Packards (and Dallmeyers). Mine work really well. There really isn't a lot in them to go wrong, just a quick clean and they're as good as new ones (and probably made to a better standard).
Vanman.