First, the issue is primarily restricted to Model II, III, and IIIS cameras; you could sometimes see this with a Model B camera, but this is not as likely as the Model B’s are still comparatively young. As they get older, they may start to exhibit this problem as well, but that won’t be for a while yet.

While it is possible for shutter blades and springs to wear out or break, Don indicates that more often than not the underlying problem is the shutter brake assembly. As its name implies, this assembly “brakes” or slows down the gear train armature at the end of its travel so that the shutter blades don’t slam to a stop and cause shock, wear and tear unnecessarily. When the brake assembly fails, the blades and springs are subjected to much more shock and could get damaged or break entirely as a result.

The critical component here is actually a very, very small black rubber washer, or “bumper”; for size comparison, this part is less than half the size of the tiny buttons near the collar of a dress shirt. In cameras that haven’t been opened in years for service, the rubber can dry rot and come apart, pieces falling about inside the camera. The critical problem for do-it-yourself home repairpersons is the extremely micro-fine tolerances used in making these bumpers very difficult to do at home. Although deceptively simple in appearance, Don states firmly that if you make the bumper too small, it won’t to its job properly and shutter damage could result; make it just a micro-bit too large, and you’ll find your picture taking definitely hampered as the 2nd shutter curtain will not release.

Don also cautions the home repairperson that if you are disassembling your Minox to replace shutter blades, you should visually inspect the removed blades carefully to determine if any piece of it has been torn off. Chances are that the broken or torn off pieces are now somewhere inside the camera works, and need to be located and removed. One of the more common problems is a bit of broken blade being caught inside the guide slot, out of sight, where a new blade can then slam into it and damage itself.

Don routinely checks the shutter brake assembly during every CLA (clean, lubricate and adjustment) he performs on Minox 8 x 11 cameras sent to him, and will advise the owner if he sees any problem with it that needs to be addressed.

For those of you who really do have bad or broken shutter blades and/or springs, you might consider purchasing a replacement set from Martin Doctor. Martin has been making replacement shutter blade/spring sets for some time now, and reports from the field have been very positive. His blades and springs are of uniformly excellent quality and finish, and as the blades are made of a stainless steel that is just slightly thicker than the factory original part, seem to be a little stronger overall. Very reasonably priced at $25.00 for a set of blades and springs, the user must specify the exact model camera they are intended for so that he can send you the proper set that will allow the shutter cocked indicator to display correctly through the lens window. Martin can be contacted via email addressed to nhdoc_at_aol.com.

Don thinks quite highly of the Doctor blades, having used them himself, and will quite willingly install them (when supplied by the customer) in a users Minox on request.