Why does nobody talk about the old Kodak Retina shutter springs?

I was fixing a Retina IIc from 1955 last week, and the main shutter spring just snapped when I was adjusting the tension. In my experience, those old springs get brittle and you can't find a direct replacement anymore. What's your go-to source for vintage parts like that, or do you just try to salvage from another camera?

3 comments

3 Comments

val9497d ago

Tell me about it, my Retina spring snapped last year.

robinson.hannah11d ago

Feel your pain, that exact thing happened to my Retina IIIc. Those springs are a known weak point now. I usually check with a guy on eBay who sells parts from junked cameras, but it's a gamble. Sometimes you just have to buy a whole broken camera for one piece, which is frustrating.

-1

hollyl4511d ago

Ugh, @robinson.hannah, that's the worst! It's like the camera parts version of buying a whole car just for the cup holder. I spent forty bucks on a "for parts" Retina last month, and the only good thing in it was the lens cap. The spring was already toast!