Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to fix a stuck shutter on a 1970s SLR

I spent 5 hours last saturday trying to unstick the shutter on a Minolta SRT-101. It was this tiny burr on the main gear that I kept missing because I was looking at the wrong part. My back hurt so bad from hunching over my desk. Has anyone else had a repair that took way longer than it should have because of one tiny thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek_ramirez1mo ago

The SRT-101 is notorious for that specific gear burr, I've seen it mentioned on the photo forums. My first time fixing one I spent three hours chasing a loose screw that was just sitting in the bottom of the mirror box. Tiny stuff like that makes you feel like you're losing your mind.

ericnguyen23d agoMost Upvoted

Used to roll my eyes when I'd see posts like that from @derek_ramirez, thought people were just making excuses for sloppy work. Then I tore down a dead Minolta and found a tiny spring sitting loose behind the shutter curtain. Not even in the parts list. That thing had probably been rattling around since the 70s and nobody caught it. Completely changed how I look at those forum warnings about "hidden surprises" in old gear.

loganbaker1mo ago

There's something about that whole process @derek_ramirez that reminds me of how everything breaks down in layers. You fix one problem and discover three more hiding underneath, like pulling a loose thread on a sweater. It's like life in general where you think you're solving one thing but really you're just uncovering the next complication waiting for you. The screws and burrs are just physical versions of that same old pattern.