Replaced the shutter on a Canon AE-1 and hit my 100th repair milestone

Last weekend I finished replacing the shutter curtain on a Canon AE-1 that had that classic horizontal slit issue. When I was packing up my tools I realized that was my 100th camera repair since I started tracking them back in 2021. I keep a little notebook with each job written down, model, what I fixed, how long it took, and any weird surprises. That 100 number hit me harder than I expected because I started this as a side thing just to fix my own gear. Now I have regular customers who drop off cameras from thrift stores and even a couple local shops that send me their overflow work. It made me wonder how many repairs other people here have done and if anyone else keeps a log like I do. What was your milestone repair that made you stop and think about how far you've come?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan23617d ago

And that notebook idea is something I really respect, because it turns a hobby into a real record of skill building. I bet if you flip back through the early pages you'll see stuff like a simple light seal replacement taking you two hours, but now you probably bang it out in 45 minutes without even looking at the instructions. That's the kind of progress you don't notice until you see it written down in your own handwriting. It makes me wonder if you ever look at a repair you did in 2021 and think "man, I would do that completely different now with all the tricks I've picked up since then." That 100 number is a big deal, especially when you think about all the cameras that were headed for a landfill or a shelf decoration that are now back out there taking photos for someone.

the_emma17d ago

@logan236 nailed it. My first light seal job took two hours, now it's coffee break quick.

shanem3715d ago

haha I don't know man, I think calling it "skill building" like it's some kind of martial arts might be overdoing it. It's just changing foam and wiping grease off mirrors, it's not rocket science. @logan236 makes it sound like we're documenting a spiritual journey or something. I get the notebook thing as a way to remember which screws go where for some weird camera you only see once a year, but most of these repairs are the same five steps over and over. A light seal job is a light seal job whether it's your first or your hundredth, just takes a bit less fumbling around.