Hot take: was my own stupidity or bad luck with this shutter repair?

I had a Canon AE-1 shutter curtain go sideways on me last week. One side snapped clean off its drum, so I'm debating whether a $60 replacement curtain kit is worth the headache versus just parting it out. In my experience, these older cloth shutters either fix up easy or fight you till the end. Has anyone here had luck patching a broken curtain hinge with super glue and tape, or am I just asking for another failure?

3 comments

3 Comments

parkerbrown22d ago

Super glue and tape? That's a recipe for fixing it twice. @wesleyb20 is right about the timing marks being the real headache. Parting it out seems like a lot of work too. Just get the kit.

kimr7422d ago

Oh man, I gotta jump in here. I think you're overthinking it a little. Super glue and tape on a shutter hinge? That's asking for trouble down the road. I've seen guys try that quick fix on AE-1s and it always comes back to bite you. Usually what happens is the glue gets brittle and fails mid-roll, or it messes up the curtain timing and you get light leaks. For $60, a proper curtain kit is cheap insurance compared to trashing the whole camera. I'd say roll the dice on the kit, take your time with it, and you'll have a solid shooter for years. Parting it out is just giving up before you even try.

wesleyb2022d ago

Kimr74 brings up some good points but I think there's a mix-up on the price. A proper shutter curtain kit for an AE-1 usually runs closer to $80 or $90 these days, not $60. That extra money is still worth it compared to trashing the camera though. If someone is patient and follows the repair guides online step by step, that fix can last for years without trouble. Just be careful with the curtain timing marks, that's where most people get tripped up.