Found a 1963 repair manual in a Portland junk shop that changed how I see old shutters

I was digging through a box of old books and found a Kodak Retina IIc service guide from 1963. The section on the Compur shutter had a hand-drawn note in the margin about a specific spring tension, 2.1 Newtons, that fixes a common slow-speed hang-up. I've been using that exact fix on three cameras this month and it works every time. Has anyone else found a golden nugget in an old manual like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_bennett2911d ago

Found a 1950s tractor manual with a grease pencil fix for a seized hydraulic pump.

jordangibson11d ago

That's the kind of find that makes digging through dusty boxes worth it. Always figured those old manuals were just for parts diagrams, but someone's handwritten fix is pure gold. It's like what robert_bennett29 said about the tractor manual, those practical notes from someone who fought the same problem are the best. Used to think if the factory specs didn't fix it, the part was just worn out. Now I look for those little scribbles first.