Now these are apparently not uncommon, though I’ve yet to be able to find one. It may be another case of things that never really took off in Australia…the only thing that seems common here is Six-20 box brownies. Anyway, if you come into one, these links might help.
The Living Image: Roller blind shutters
Paul Ewins: Thornton-Pickard Shutter Rebuild
Patent No. 697,350. Invented by L. Moretti, assigned April 8th, 1902: Focal Plane Shutter (Thornton Pickard Company)
Patent No. 779,665. Invented by E. V. Piercy, assigned January 10, 1905: Photographic Shutter (Thornton Pickard Company)
Patent No. 976,712. Invented by F.P. Whitehead, assigned November 22nd, 1910: Photographic Shutter (Thornton Pickard Company)
Relevant thread on APUG
And if anyone has one they want to get rid of, contact me, I kinda need one…
They are quite common, I have seven and have restored a few others as well.
If I get some more I’ll keep one for you Alex, I have BJP Almanacs 1890′s, early 1900′s with the TP Catalogues in.
I restore them, make new shutter curtains etc and use them with two an early 1890′s/1900′s plate cameras.
I’m part way into writing an magazine article about them.
Ian