Further symptoms of a GASaholic..

[Ralph Turner]

Every now and again (and probably too often) I find myself wandering the ‘Bay and rummaging in the bargain basement … had no plans or intentions until I saw this beauty. Opening bid just under £20. It so happens that the closing bid was also just under £20. Of course, I shouldn’t have taken the seller’s description purely at face value as he’d described it as taking 120 whereas it actually takes the obsolete 116 (Luckily it can be modified to take 120 with little adaptors and a bit of masking of the film gate to give an image size of just under six by eleven centimetres). I didn’t let this put me off though. It’s in fantastic condition for it’s years (about 97), it’s even still got it’s little cable release that still works. The shutter fires ok on the faster speeds, but unfortunately the slower ones (1/10th and slower) are far too fast, as if the escapement isn’t working or something.
It’s the first time I’ve played with a dial set Compur shutter. I’m guessing the little arrow on the dial is there for a reason? Sadly, not properly thinking what I was dong, I did rotate it clockwise a couple of times - maybe this caused the issue mentioned above? If anyone could enlighten me on this it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Another little project for a ‘rainy day’.

PS the reason I’m fairly confident about it’s age is that. it has engraved on the hinged film roll pivots “Prov Pat 1926” which I interpret as provisional patent of that year.