[LargeFormat] Experiences with Fred Lustig?

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clive Warren" <cocam@blueyonder.co.uk>
To: <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 8:06 AM
Subject: Re: [LargeFormat] Experiences with Fred Lustig?


> At 9:24 am -0400 3/6/03, Les Newcomer wrote:
> >Does anybody on this list have any experiences with Fred
Lustig?
> >He's known for repairing Speed Graphic cameras.
>
> I have spoken with him a few times and he has been very
pleasant and
> helpful, although he seemed reluctant to sell any spares
for a CLA,
> suggesting that the Graflex shutter is complex. He wanted
the camera
> to be sent to him for repair. This is fair enough,
particularly as he
> invested a lot of money in purchasing a bulk quantity of
remaining
> spare parts.
>
> However, the cost of sending the camera on a return
journey to the US
> from the UK was such that I carried out the CLA myself and
learned a
> lot in the process. One of the things I learned was that
the shutter
> is not that complicated - to me anyway......
>
> Cheers,
>         Clive
>
  Fred is a good guy. He doesn't want to sell parts. He will
overhaul Graphics and Graflex's for reasonable prices. He
will also talk your ear off on the phone.
  He is the only person I know of who will undertake to
repair the Graphic 1000 shutter used on Super Speed
Graphics.
I agree that the Graphic/Graflex focal plane shutter is not
very complicated. That is its virtue. Originally Folmer had
designed a self capping FP shutter but it proved unreliable,
so simplified shutter replaced it. This was along around
1910, maybe even earlier. The same basic shutter was used
until the Super Speed Graphic was introduced, can't think of
the date, but around the late 1960's.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com