Related Links:
Bellows Repair Tips
Do It Yourself
Bellows Construction
Bellows
Resources Page
Bellows Fix
Solution
Alternative
Bellows Source (Monte Collard)
Replacement Bellows Sources (Ken Rockwell) [9/2002]
From a link from
midwestern photoshopper Marvin Olsen's ads page
Marvin H. Olsen
8011 Garnet Lane S.W., Lakewood, WA 98498
Voice: 206-582-8436 * Fax: 206-584-8858
Collectible Cameras & Images
=================
Restoration Tip: Folding camera bellows are typically made of black fabric with a gloss exterior coating. Hopefully, the coating penetrates the fabric and stays locked in place. (I am not going to address the variation that has little strips of paper pasted into the folds.) However when the coating chips or flakes off the bellows, almost always in the corners, you will have a negative ruining light leak. Typically the fabric is intact, it is just that it's lost its opacity. Issue 77 of Brand X (The Camera Shopper), has an article that goes on at length about using black rubber cement, and thinning it down. Most of the article deals with the problems inherent in this method. My solution: Take some Elmer's glue, thin it somewhat with soapy water, and add black dye. Alcohol base leather dye works; I am guessing that water based would too. Why the soap? So the mixture penetrates the fabric, and does not bead up on the surface. With the camera bellows extended, paint the inside of the bellows; usually just the corners, for this is where the wear occurs. Carefully fold the camera so that the mixture is squished into the folds and corners of the bellows. Pickup the excess mixture with a damp towel, Q-Tips, whatever you are comfortable with. Then extend the bellows again and let it dry. DO NOT, upon pain of death at the hands of the Great Camera God, let the camera dry with the bellows folded up. Elmer's Glue remains more flexible than you realize. After the bellows dries, the bellows again should be flexible, it should fold OK, it should not leak light. I have also been known to feed either fabric or leather bellows with Pledge Wax, to help maintain softness, and flexibility. I tried the rubber cement route, and the stuff is God-Awful unforgiving, while Elmer's/soapy water/black dye is not. Elmer's is not totally water resistant, so don't take your camera swimming after this procedure.
| Bellows Patch Solution |
|---|
| What? Only a few holes? Be advised that they may multiply like rabbits, but you can get along for a long time with patching. Forget the tape. Forget the silicone. Mix the below formula and daub it, using a small brush, on the INSIDE of the misbehaving corners, with the bellows stretched out as far as you will be pulling it. Let dry. This material turns out DRY and FLEXIBLE: 1 thimblefull white Elmer's glue, two drops dish detergent, & a couple drops liquid lampblack [paint stores, in tubes; used to color paint] |
Related Reference:
Western Bellows co.
9340 7th street #G
Rancho Cucamonga CA 91730
909 - 980-0606
Notes:
From Modern Photography, April 1982, p. 88 by Andrew Davidhazy - see info on
making bellows...
From: camera@collector.org
[1] Re: Bellows making
Date: Sat Feb 14 1998
Check out Ed Romney's Web Page.
http://www.edromney.com
He has a book on how to make your own bellows.
I bought the book years ago and have used the instructions to make both
straight and tapered bellows.
Good Luck
Bill
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: luvantique@aol.com (LuvAntique)
[1] Re: Bellows Repair
Date: Thu Apr 30 1998
Try your local dive shop. They sell the kind of liquid neoprene used to
repair wet suits. Paint it into the holed corner, just enough to cover
the hole, leave the bellows etended for the drying time indicated on the
product. Works great.
Michael Cleveland
Past Reflections
A Collection of Historical Photographica
From Medium Format Digest:
From: Kai-ming Mei kai-ming@newclear.com
Subject: Response to Repairing a folding camera bellows?
Date: 1999-01-04
Fabric glue is what I use. And I just tried black gutta (used in silk
painting) to seal some light leaks. It's very black, lightproof and
stays flexible. You can find gutta a an arts and crafts store.
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000
From: boede boede@northnet.net
To: rmonagha@post.cis.smu.edu
Subject: bellows repair
Try using 3M -3905 vinyl silk screen paint to repair pin hole light
leaks in bellows.
Question: I'm looking for a spray can paint that produces a fine grain
pattern (like a 320 grit) for texturing patterns. You camera guys
probably have some trick.
Bob Boede
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000
From: "Joe Merry" jmerry@turnerbellows.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.marketplace
Subject: Replacement Bellows
Leading Photographic bellows manufacturer announces the expansion of its
bellows department necessitated by market demand for replacement bellows.
All makes and models manufactured. For further information or sales
inquires visit our web site.
www.turnerbellows.com
Joe Merry Turner Bellows Inc. 526 Child Street Rochester NY, 14606 (716) 235-4456 x 202 jmerry@turnerbellows.com
Date: 14 Feb 2000
From: wmmutch@anise.ee.cornell.edu (William Mutch)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: ellows patch works well; was Folding camera
experiences
dmcw@cyburban.com says...
>Hemi4268 wrote: >> >> Hi >> >> This is still not a big deal. Just a little black masking tape over the hole >> and your good to go. >> >> Larry >Not so easy to do on the corners. You have to REMOVE the bellows to do >it properly. Ever tried that?
I've had good results patching bellows even at the corners without
major disassembly by heavily diluting black silcone bathtub caulk with
xylene (Toxic stuff! treat your lungs with respect) and painting the
pinholed areas, inside and out. Use two coats, the second thicker than
the first, and let each cure overnight with the bellows in normal extended
position before trying to close the camera.
rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
From: uablyfl@uab.ericsson.se (Lyndon Fletcher)
[1] Re: Old Folder Bellows Help Wanted
Date: Fri May 12 2000
I 've heard good things about the black rubber glue used to repair
wetsuits. I have no idea which brand it is. I have some that I bought
from a local dive shop and it proved to be too thick to be usefull. I
wasn't able to find a readily available thinner here in Sweden.
I have had good success using a mixture of Elmers glue and black
Acrylic art paint. You will only need a tiny amount of paint to make
the glue opaque, once it is dry you wil have difficulty seeing the
repair from a distance.
Some pointers
1) You will have to remove the bellows from the camera. If you get
pinholes in the upper edges you will get them in the lower ones too
even if they are not so obvious. Pinholing usually continues into the
area that remains inside the camera.
2) Critically assess the bellows while they are outside the camera. As
designed most bellows have 2 layers and both should be individually
light tight. A lot of pinholes means that the materials used to make
the bellows are failing bigtime. Replacing one layer or usng fabric
tape may be a better solution if the damage is extensive.
3) You only need a small amount of black paint to colour the glue. Get
the darkest black you can and make sure that it's water soluble. Use a
small art spatula to apply the mixture then use a paintbrush to smooth
and feather the glue.
4) extend the area of paint beyond the area of the holes and do the
whole corner even those areas that don't currently have holes
5) this technique works best. Get a long thin dowel or paintbrush and
a small modelers spring clip (or binder clip). Wedge the end of the
brush/dowel against the corner of the bellows at the lens end. Now
streatch the bellows out along the brush/dowel so that the folds are
open all the way along one edge. Use the model clamp/binder clip to
fasten the frame end of the bellows to the brush/dowel. One edge of
the bellows should now be streatched out with all the folds open.
Apply the mixture and allow to dry. Then repeat for the other 3 sides.
Kodak bellows are very bad, in many cases the only way to go is to buy
a cheaper Kodak camera for the same format size and transplant the
bellows. It seems that as a general rule the cheaper and newer the
camera, the better the bellows, probably because they don't get used
as much as the more expensive models. I'm looking into transplants
from Tourists to Monitors at the moment. I'll let you know how it
turns out.
Lyndon
"Alvin Lee" stinkey@bellsouth.net wrote:
>I have a growing collection of old Folder Bellows style cameras a few use >120 film and I have taken quite remarkable photos with them, but I would >like to use two or three of the others also, and compare them against each >other. My problem is that they are not light tight at the bellows. What I >want to know is if any one has a good idea of what can be used to seal these >bellows where the covering has come off the cloth at the corners. It would >have to be something flexible and black to match the color of the bellows, >anyway... if anyone has any Ideas I'd appreciate hearing from you. > >Thanks! > >-- >Alvin Lee >Gainesville, Fl.
rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
From: rgivan@cix.compulink.co.uk
[1] Re: Old Folder Bellows Help Wanted
Date: Sat May 13 2000
.....
Hi,
I've fixed several old Agfa folders using nothing more than ordinary black
electricians tape. Its a very good colour match and is invisible to the
naked eye unless you look really closely. I use small scissors to cut a
little shaped piece that fits over the whole. Mainly this is at the corner
of one of the folds.
The Agfa Isolette II I have pictured on my site:
http://www.cix.co.uk/~rgivan/
has been extensively repaired in this manner and as you can see still
looks good as well as taking great pictures.
:-)
Roland.
PS please excuse the humble plug for my site - having visitors encourage
me to do more work on it ;-) Lots there already on Agfa and Russian
cameras, plus a few other bits and pieces I've picked up on the way.
From: "Fujinon" pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000
Subject: Re: Bellows material, etc.
I have a couple of suggestions. First, the best cloth I've found is from
Adorama. It's thin and opaque. I'd use it for the inside. Darkroom
cloth from Calumet is good too, but it is thicker. Another source is to
use a thin variety of cloth made for player piano bellows. Second, why
not use a good (thin) ballistic nylon for the outside? You could pick
from a range of purdy colors. Third, glue is a problem. If you get it in
the creases, it has to be flexible, but it also has to *hold*. Plus, it
shouldn't be too thick. I used 3m spray for my first bellows. It sucked.
I'm thinking about the following method: Drymount drymount adhesive to
both sides of a sheet of index card stock, or something of similar
thickness. Then cut out the ribs. Lay them out on the cloth properly
(easier said than done), and tack them in place. Then, put all of it in
the drymount press. This would work for everything except the last seam.
In theory, this would evenly spread a thin layer of adhesive, get little
or no glue in the creases, and provide a strong bond. At the moment,
however, I want to stress that this is just a *theory*. This brings me to
my most important suggestion. Because of the often substantial difference
between theory and practice, build a bellows first out of cheap materials
to get all of the bugs worked out. Also, make sure to make a small test
with the materials that you plan to use so that you don't waste expensive
fabric. For example, one fabric, glue, stiffener combo looked pretty good
until I glued it all together only to find that the combo was way too
stiff.
Good luck,
Peter De Smidt
Jess4203 jess4203@aol.com wrote
> Fellow LF fanatics: > > I am thinking of upping my level of fanaticism by making my own 8x10 and even > constructing my own bellows. I have Bert West's book and, I think by > extrapolating from there I can figure out how to make a tapered bellows, but I > am stumped on the best material. West recommends a rubberized nylon for the > outer layer and a Cordura nylon or ballistic pack cloth for the inside layer, a > cut up file folder for the stiffeners.
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000
From: "Nicholas O. Lindan" nolindan@ix.netcom.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: ~~How is silk for focal-plane shutters treated?
Richard Knoppow wrote:
> I am not sure of the process by which cotton or silk is coated with > rubber. Modern materials are not much different except they are coated > with neoprene or similar substances which are more resistant to > oxidizing than natural rubber. > I've tried to patch up pinholes in shutter curtains using various > compounds but have never had much luck, the same for bellows.
Another problem with silk that is dyed black is that it rots. The black
(well, actually very deep purple with a bit of brown) dye reacts with
the silk over time and the silk disintegrates. The silk is OK until it
is creased and then the crease turns into a hole.
The old clothing collectors discussion groups would have more information.
--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio nolindan@ix.netcom.com
From Rollei Mailing List;
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001
From: william lawlor wvl@infinex.com
Subject: [Rollei] Re: bellows
> Fuji told me the replacement bellows are no longer > available.
Bellows IS currently available.
......
That will be good news for those who need a new bellows. A trick I
discovered recently is to use flexible black vinyl paint intended as
fabric paint to fix pinhole leaks in bellows. A few coats on the
cracks in folds seems to work. I also was able to repair some holes
in a fabric shutter curtain on an old Canon this way. I got the paint
at a craft store for about three dollars.
Bill Lawlor
From Rollei Mailing List;
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001
From: Andrei.Calciu@hn.va.nec.com
Subject: Re: [Rollei] Re: bellows
To improve on the tip below, you can mix in a little glue in the paint and
that will make an even better repair medium for pinholes.
-_______________
Andrei D. Calciu
From Rollei Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 2 May 2001
From: David.Clark@Walsworth.com
Subject: [Rollei] Re: Lexol
Lexol is the best dressing for vegetable tanned leather - older cases,
straps, etc. It does contain some neatsfoot oil, but also has a lot of
lanolin. It is easy to ruin something with pure neatsfoot oil or
neatsfoot oil compound, but it is almost impossible to put on too much
Lexol.
Bellows are chrome tanned (usually goat) and will not absorb any kind of
dressing. Any kind of oil will just soak in like a sponge and ruin it.
The best you can do is put on a thin coat of wax and hope for the best.
From Camera Repair Mailing List;
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001
From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com
To: camera-fix@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [camera-fix] Bellows light leak
Use black Liquitex artist's acrylic from an art supply store. It will
be flexible when it dries. We went over this before not long ago here.
Is this list archived?
Bob
From Camera Repair Mailing List;
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001
From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com
Subject: Re: [camera-fix] Re: Bellows light leak
> From: "Luis R. Anaya" papo@dcentral.com > Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 > Subject: [camera-fix] Re: Bellows light leak > > I > have not used Liquitex myself though. How does it work Bob?
You paint it on with a small brush on the inside of the bellows.
You can thin with water and use multiple coats if you like. It bonds
with the bellows material permanently, but remains flexible. I use
it for pinholes in shutter curtains, too. Great stuff. A tube will
cost you three or four dollars and last for ages.
Bob
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001
From: "Francis A. Miniter" miniter@attglobal.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bostick and Sullivan (was:Repairing bellows)
I got some at a dive shop (not a dive) a while back. Not too expensive.
But it is a use once and discard product. After opening, it will harden.
Francis A. Miniter
WL wrote:
> And they charge a premium for them. > > dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow) wrote > > largformat@aol.com (Largformat) wrote: > > > > >CALL BOSTICJK AND SULLIVAN. THEY HAVE A BRUSH ON MATERIAL THAT MAY SOLVE YOUR > > >PROBLEM. > > > > > >505-474-0890 > > > > > > > > >STEVE SIMMONS > > >VIEWCAMERA MAGAZINE > > > > This is Elastoseal used for wet suits and roofs. Its worth a try. B&S > > carries it in small amounts. You can get it at retail but have to buy > > a gallon or maybe its five gallons. > > B&S is at http://www.bostick-sullivan.com The site is worth > > visiting even if you are not looking for this stuff or working with > > alternative processes. Dick has a lot of interesting LF stuff. > > --- > > Richard Knoppow > > Los Angeles, Ca. > > dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From Camera Fixing Mailing List;
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001
From: helleboreuk@yahoo.co.uk
Subject: [camera-fix] Re: Bellows light leak
--- In camera-fix@y..., Austin Lindsey alindsey@c... wrote:
> What can I use to seal a few pinhole leaks in a bellows. I have tried > black fingernail polish recommened by a local camera repair shop. I > didn't do the job. I am begininng to wonder if they really told me > the way THEY fix light leaks. > > Thanks > > Austin Lindsey
One substance worth trying is black Gutta, sold in small tubes for
use by silk painters. It is a thick rubbery liquid that dries to
form a flexible coating that bonds well with fabric.
Peter
From: PERK1518@aol.com
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001
Subject: Light Leak - Zeiss Ikonta 521
To: rmonagha@post.cis.smu.edu
Robert,
Thanks for the references on how to patch the light leak on my Zeiss
Ikonta 521.
I elected to use GOLDEN Acrylics ( equivalent to LIQUITEX ) Carbon Black
#1040-2 Series I. Applied with a Q-Tip - and allowed it to dry overnight
before loading up the camera. There's T-Max 100 in the camera right now. I'll
let you know how it works - or doesn't work.
Now - there's the sticking/sluggish shutters on the Super Ikonta B and
C... :-/
Paul C. Perkins, MD
Bloomington, Indiana
From: "Roland Smith" roland@dnai.com>
To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT RFI: Super Ikonta Repair
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001
There are two bellows companys that advertise in the back of Shutter Bug.
They are:
Flexible Products Corp. 800-551-.433 in Florida
Universal Bellows Co. 516-378-1264 in NY
Flexible tried to replace the paper bellows in my Fujica 645 with leather.
That camera will not accomodate the thickness of leather, so, I can only
vouch for their good effort at no cost. I would use them again for a Zeiss
camera which would be leather replacing leather.
Roland Smith
Oakland, California
----- Original Message -----
From: "IMRE KARAFIATH" kossuth@gte.net>
To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 2:03 PM
Subject: [Rollei] OT RFI: Super Ikonta Repair
> Howdy Rollei users,
> As the subject line indicates, I am afraid that my
> Super Ikonta may need new bellows. Can anyone recommend a repair shop,
based
> on experience?
> Many thanks in advance,
> Imre Karafiath
> Texas
From: chnr@aol.com (ChNR)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: 23 Jul 2001
Subject: Re: Repairing bellows
I have found that rubber cement mixed with black paint dabbed on the corners
from the inside does a pretty good job.
From: rwatson767@aol.com (RWatson767)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: 23 Jul 2001
Subject: Re: Repairing bellows
David
> Repairing bellows
Remove the bellows. Lay it our flat. Yes it will lay flat. Get it all clean
etc. Don't use any cleaner on it. Just a damp cloth. Let it dry throughly.
Then use some press iron-on tape like your wife uses when sewing and
repairing things. Rip-Stop nylon tape used for repairing tents works well also.
Do a whole corner from the rear to the front with a length of tape. Do all four
corners, one at a time. It will help to have a stiff board underneath the
corner. Then carefully refold the bellows. Treat with a product called 2001.
Spray it on lightly and wipe off with a dry cloth. Don't put so much on that it
saturates the cardboard skeleton of the bellows. In the US we get 2001 at a car
parts or hardware store. Light green bottle. Exercise the bellows daily for
about a week. Put in a plastic bag until ready for use.
Bob AZ USA
From: jsprang@aol.com (Jsprang)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: 23 Jul 2001
Subject: Re: Repairing bellows
>Hi group, I have just got a 8x10 Korona and am going to spend some of the
>long Southern Hemisphere winter nights renovating it. This one has a few
>light leaks in the bellows and till I can get around to having a new bellows
>made can any one give recommendations for repairs. The leaks are in the
>corners (as expected) and I have tried with some success draping the dark
>cloth over the bellows but its a bit of a chore, never sure if I've moved
>it
>or something.
>
>All suggestions gratefully accepted.
>
>David Boyce
I copied the following advice from this group a while back. (My apologies to
the original poster, but I didn't record your name)
(FWIW I have never tried this technique:)
Mix the below formula and daub it, using a small brush, on the INSIDE of the
misbehaving corners, with the
bellows stretched out as far as you will be pulling it. Let dry. This material
turns out DRY and FLEXIBLE: 1 thimblefull white
Elmer's glue, two drops dish detergent, & a couple drops liquid lampblack
[paint stores, in tubes; used to color paint]
Again, thanks to whomever posted this first.
-- Jeff
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001
Subject: Re: [Rollei] light leaks, black chord
From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com>
To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> From: Richard Knoppow dickburk@ix.netcom.com>
> Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001
> To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: Re: [Rollei] light leaks, black chord
>
> Found it!
> Its amazing that I never noticed this before.
> Its hard to spot if you don't know where to look and use a strong light.
>
Yes, it is hard to see. Rollei was way ahead in using black yarn, which
does not turn crumbly or sticky with age like foam rubber used in so many
other cameras. It holds up well and is easily replaced if it ever does
wear out. Sometimes low-tech is better than high-tech.
Bob
From: "Joe Lacy" jmlacy1@attbi.com>
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: more surprises for Joe - re: galvin was Re: Well, ok
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002
Is the limitations in the bellows or how wide the standards are? If it's a
matter of the bellows being too stiff when collapsed...then why not make a
bag bellows like this?
http://www.geocities.com/mpc1968us/MontesHackingandHomebrewProjects.html
Joe
"Robert Monaghan" rmonagha@smu.edu> wrote
>
> see galvin review at:
>
http://www.ai.sri.com/~luong/photography/lf/cameras/toyo/toyo-galvin-2x3.html
>
> quote:
> Unfortunately, the rear standard has no direct rise/fall or shift
> available and while you can always work around this, it does make the
> camera slightly less easy to use for architectural work or for that
> matter, any situation that requries a perspective shift...
> The Galvin will accommodate most 65mm lenses on the standard flat board
> but a recessed board is preferred, as the stiffness of the bellows will
> limit the range of movements available otherwise...
> end-quote
>
> re: using 56-60mm lenses on galvin
>
> my impression is the typical galvin 2x3" was limited to 65mm-210mm lenses,
> so Joe, this should pretty much determine or limit your need for sub 65mm
> optics ;-) This may vary with different boards and bellows, but it also
> appears that the specs and the actual camera shifts etc. vary per the
> reviewer? So you will have to check this on your model, but I'd be
> surprised if you can get standard setup to use less than 65mm lenses? Let
> us know if it does! In any case, decent 65mm MF/LF lenses aren't cheap
> either...
>
> re: defense of the oldie 47mm SA ;-)
>
> The 47mm f/8 SA is not a great lens by modern standards, but it can
> deliver very good results at its optimal stops (circa f/16 on mine) on
> 6x9cm. The modern ultrawides do better, and provide a wider range of
> usable f/stops, but the costs are far higher and the lens larger too. Most
> of the older LF lenses also do very well over a range of stops, but less
> movement or contrast than the latest and pricier lenses.
>
> wish I hadn't seen this on ebay ;-)
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item;=1324591770
>
> grins bobm
> --
From russian camera mailing list:
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001
From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com
Subject: Re: Paint for shutter pinholes
Black Liquitex brand acrylic paint from an art supply store is best. It
remains flexible when dry and won't flake off. Thins with water. Use a
very fine brush or toothpick to put it on. Works great on bellows, too,
on the inside.
Bob
...
From Rangefinder Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001
From: DFStein@aol.com
Subject: Re: [RF List] Fujica GS 645: advice needed
This may be worth a try:
Bellows Patch material, small bottles, suitable for numerous fixes, $5.50
plus $1.50 shipping [no charge cards on this small order unless with another
item] Use ONLY this compound to patch bellows, never silicone or other
adhesives. The bellows patch is not a glue, but a liquid designed to be used
by itself; it forms the patch by painting on any leaking inside corners of
the bellows. It cannot patch a large hole, for example, but heals pinholes in
the corners, the most common bellows leakage
www.equinoxphotographic.com
From camera makers mailing list:
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001
From: "J. Wayde Allen" wallen@its.bldrdoc.gov
Subject: [Cameramakers] Re: Old texts on bellows making.
OSCAR CLEMENTE VERA wrote:
> Hello,I've just read a letter from the CameraMakers Archive( fri,16 Mar 2001)
> in which you say:
> "Some of the old texts I've found that discuss bellows making..."
> Would you be so kind in giving me the titles of these books.
> Thank you very much.
> Oscar Clemente
> AP 334
> 46080 Valencia Spain
Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you on this. I just remembered
to dig out my old notebook on the subject. I have the following
references on Bellows making (most of which are not so old):
Robinson, Mike, How to Build a Camera Bellows, View Camera Magazine,
July/August 1996, pp. 52 - 54
Bardell, Doug, DIY Bellows Page,
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
Wang, Sam, Making Camera Bellows, Class Notes, Feb. 1984
Hasluck, Paul N., The Book of Photography - Practical, Theoretic, and
Applied, Cassell and Company LTD.
The Rocky Mountain Photographers web pages search engine,
http://rmp.opusis.com/htdig/search.html, search on "bellows making"
I don't have a publishing date or page numbers for the Hasluck book since
I only possess a photocopy of the bellows making section (3 pages under
Miscellaneous Items). That would be the "old" text to which I was
refering. Thought I had another one, but can't seem to find the
reference.
- Wayde
(wallen@lug.boulder.co.us)
From Camera Makers Mailing List:
From: MMagid3005@aol.com
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Re: Old texts on bellows making.
To: wallen@its.bldrdoc.gov
The 1965 Focal Encyclopedia of Photography has a short article on making
bellows. I have several other articles on it and will have to dig them
out
in a day or two.
Marty
From: "Jon Grepstad" GREPSTAD@sprakrad.no
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Re: Old texts on bellows making.
....
Two modern additions:
Daniel Rhoades:
http://rhoadescameras.bizland.com/Camera%20Creation/Bellows/bellows.htm
Kurt Mottweiler:
http://www.cnsp.com/mdesign/Downloads/bellows1.zip
The publishing date of Hasluck' s book is 1907.
Jon Grepstad
Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001
From: Marv Soloff msoloff@worldnet.att.net
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Re: Old texts on bellows making.
....
Sam:
About two years ago, a set of bellows-making notes from Deardorff was
available on the Mottweiler site. Do not know if they are still posted,
but if anyone wants them, I think I still have the zip file.
Regards,
Marv Soloff
From camera makers mailing list:
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001
From: Michael Hendrickson mhh@pacbell.net
Subject: [Cameramakers] Keeping Old Leather Bellows Soft
Hello,
I have yet another recommendation. History first: About 18 years ago I
came up with the same question so I called Marty Forscher Camera Repair
in New York (from California). Mr. Forscher was busy but one of his
assistants asked and relayed back to me that Mr. Forscher used Lexol. I
bought some at a shoe repair place, tried it on a very stiff bellows on
a Seneca 8x10, and it worked like a charm. Comes in a brown container;
it's a liquid. I found the following to be workable: Apply fairly
liberally and wipe off, allow to dry. Might take more than one
application. Buff lightly after it's dry to knock off the excess. Works
real well on leather jackets too.
Make sure that what you're treating is really leather!! Over the years
there have been some marvelous leather look-alikes that were actually
vinyl or something! Lexol is no good for that!
ALSO, NOW, A QUESTION: Does anyone know where I can get very thin
leather suitable for bellows-making???? I hear that Moroccan is real
good for this but I can't find even a sample anywhere! Please help if
you know!!
Thanks.
--Michael Hendrickson
mhh@pacbell.net
From Russian Camera mailing list:
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002
From: "Jay Y Javier" nikitakat@edsamail.com.ph
Subject: "ISKRA" method for pinholes, WASRe: Re: Mir from Anya
Dear comrade secretary general
This is a good way to test for pinholes. A more radical (comrades love this
term - goes well with 'revolutionary', 'militant', 'progressive')
method which would truly reveal defects is to fire a small electronic flash
unitabout *20 cm* from the curtains, at the film side of the shutter. The
flash is fired manually, not by the camera's synch. All pinholes and other
defects like cracks, dried parts and possible leaks from the shutter crate
baffles will be seen through the lens mount.
It is important to keep the flash at a minimum distance from the curtains since
firing them too close can damage the rubber coating. Any leakage through the
baffles can be largely ignored since in use, light in amounts approaching the
flash's intensity is hardly encountered from the INSIDE of the camera.
The "ISKRA"("spark") method will make any shutter confess its hidden secrets.:)
Jay
>I look at the curtains towards a hi-intensity desk lamp, both before
>and after winding - is this good enough, or is the only way to really
>check to take photos with the camera?
>
>Thanks,
>SteveR
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002
From: Ron Schwarz rs@clubvb.com
To: camera-fix@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [camera-fix] cleaning mold of bellows - any ideas?
you wrote:
>I just got a moskva 5 camera with a few mold spots on the inside of
>the bellows. Anybody have an idea to clean them without disassembling
>the camera?
If you can seal off everything except the bellows themselves, you might be
able to spray a light misting of hydrogen peroxide and/or ammonia onto the
inner surface of the bellows and then wait until it's dried. I think that
in theory that should kill off the growth. Hopefully it would not damage
the bellows material. If all else fails, you might be able to get a junk
folder (old Kodak etc.) with good bellows that could be fitted to the
Mockba. Be careful, though. I bought a Kodak Tourist that looked almost
new, but when I looked through the bellows, I saw "a thousand points of
light".
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellows recommendations????
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002
dogle7351@aol.com (DOgle7351) wrote:
>Found some pin holes in my bellows on my Linhof. Any recommendations for a
>quality replacement? heard of one in NY and one in Fla. Don't remembers names
>but had one made the outfit in Fla. for an 8x10. Was O.K. Would like to find
>some close to the original but I am sure that would cost big bucks.
>Thanks Dave email me direct would be best, Dogle7351@aol.com
I'll post the list of bellows makers below. However, original factory
bellows are available from Linhof, as Bob Salomon points out. In the
USA the official Linhof and Rolleiflex repair agency is Marflex. They
have an excellent reputation.
Martin W. Arndt
Rollei Professional Service
Marflex Service Corporation
PO Box 633,
16 Chapin Road, Unit 906
Pine Brook, NJ 07058
973 808-9626 Voice Mail
973 808-1706 Fax
Marflex@aol.com
For Rolleiflex and Linhof service.
Bellows makers are:
Joe Merry
Turner Bellows Inc.
526 Child Street
Rochester NY, 14606
(716) 235-4456 x202
jmerry@turnerbellows.com
http://www.turnerbellows.com
Universal Bellows
25 Hanse Avenue
Freeport, NY 11520
tel. 516-378-1264
Western Bellows Company
9340 7th Street, Suite G,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-980-0606
Camera Bellows
Unit 3-5
St. Pauls Road
Balsall Heath
Birmingham
B12 8NG
http://www.camerabellows.com/
Tel: +44 (0) 121 440 1695
Fax +44 (0) 121 440 0972
(Wlll make bellows of genuine leather)
Flexible Products Co.
14504 60th St. N.
Clearwater, FL 33760
(727) 536-3142
(800) 551-3766
Fax: (727) 535-1295
http://www.flexproducts.com
info@flexproducts.com
There are some others who make mainly industrial bellows for
machinery, but the above make camera bellows as a specialty.
Original factory bellows are available for Linhof and Calumet
cameras.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: Tom Ferguson tomf2468@pipeline.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair question
Date: Wed, 01 May 2002
I have used "Elasto Seal", a roofing product available from Home Depot. I
"THINK" that is what was discussed on the alt board and what B&S; were/are
repackaging in small bottles. You have to buy a gallon at Home Depot, and
you only need a few teaspoons worth! It does work, you may need more than
one coat, it does add a small amount of thickness to the bellows and seems
to stay slightly "tacky" for ever.
--
Tom Ferguson
http://www.ferguson-photo-design.com
> From: "Brian Ellis" bellis60@earthlink.net
> Subject: Re: Bellows repair question
>
Dick Sullivan was promoting a bellows repair material in the
> alt.photo.process group a couple years ago. I thought he was selling it,
> perhaps he was just using it. Why not send an mail message to him asking if
> he sells a bellows repair material?
...
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair question
Date: Wed, 01 May 2002
"Donn Cave" donn@drizzle.com wrote:
>Quoth "Brian Ellis" bellis60@earthlink.net:
>| I believe that Bostick and Sullivan sells a product specifically for bellows
>| repair that is applied in this manner.
>
>A quick browse through their catalogue PDF leads me to believe they
>don't. I could be wrong - anyone have more on this?
>
>thanks,
> Donn
>
>| "BSR" rranderson@lsol.net wrote...
>|> I recently acquired an old B&J; 5x7 and inspected it for light leaks. There
>|> are some at the corners of the folds, though they seem fairly minor. Is
>|> there a paint-on type product for making such minor repairs? Or perhaps
>|> simply some type of paint?
Dick Sullivan uses a material sold for repairing diving wet suits, I
think its also sold for other purposes.
I've not tried it but my experience is that there is nothing which
makes a permenent repair of bellows. The corners are subject to too
much flexing and strain. Patching with tape works but looks awful and
can keep the bellows from folding properly. Temporary repair is
possible but, eventually, the bellows will need to be replaced.
I've posted a list of bellows makers to this group recently, it
should be findable using Google groups.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
from russian camera mailing list:
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002
From: "Keith Berry" keithberry@blueyonder.co.uk
Subject: Re: PINHOLES IN SHUTTER CURTAINS
The repair guy on the Olympus List recommends 'Liquitex' black fabric paint
applied to the film side of the curtains for pinhole repairs. He's from the USA
and I haven't looked for it here in the UK. Perhaps a Google search could turn
up a stockist in your area.
Regards,
Keith Berry
[Ed. note: not an endorsement, just for your info...]
rec.photo.marketplace.large-format
From: "Dan Smith, Photographer" shooter@brigham.net
[1] FS: Bellows making manual
Date: Sun Jun 02 2002
This is a manual that tells how to make bellows for your cameras. Step by
step instructions to help you when you want to replace those worn out
bellows that keep leaking light. Or, it helps you understand what the guys
who do make them go through & just why it costs you so much.
$20 plus $3 shipping
From: nog pjm@consultant.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.marketplace.large-format
Subject: Re: FS: Bellows making manual
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2002
fstop@gtw.net says...
> Dan
>
> I am interested in this manual. Can you tell me is this a original manual or
> is it from the guy who sells xerox copys of the original manual (on EBay), or
> is it a copy of the xeroxed copy manual.
You may be interested to view the following:
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
From: "Brian Downey" brian.downey@stratcomm.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Below repair process
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002
Hi Jean-Luc:
I believe the product you are referring to is available from Equinox
Photography at
http://www.equinoxphotographic.com/large.htm
I used it on a friends bellows that was in excellent condition except for
one small hole, probably from an accidental puncture made on closing the
bed. It worked (and continues to work) great.
However, I wouldn't use it (or any other product) on one like yours with
"lots of light leaks". If the sealer works perfectly it will seal all the
holes you put it on. It won't seal the ones you probably missed and, more
importantly, won't seal the ones that are created the next time you compress
or stretch the bellows in normal use. If the bellows is bad it will only
get worse and you will contniue to ruin otherwise good pictures. For what
it's worth...
Good luck
Brian
The say "Bellows Patch material, small bottles, suitable for numerous fixes,
$5.50 plus $1.50 shipping [no charge cards on this small order unless with
another item] Use ONLY this compound to patch bellows, never silicone or
other adhesives. The bellows patch is not a glue, but a liquid designed to
be used by itself; it forms the patch by painting on any leaking inside
corners of the bellows. It cannot patch a large hole, for example, but heals
pinholes in the corners, the most common bellows leakage"
...
"Jean-Luc" apelle@filnet.fr wrote
> Hi everyone,
> I am still in the study of my Technika III recently purchased. The bellow
is
> still out of use and shows numerous light leaks. I know there is a British
> store called camerabellows which provides new bellows according to desired
> specifications. But it is quite expensive and I have heard of a procedure
to
> repair old bellows with liquid gum.
> The procedure looks simple: you take the bellow off the camera, reverse it
> and paint its inner side (now its outer) with this sort of liquid gum. Let
> it dry. It prevents from light leaks and is very flexible.
> There is just one problem: I cannot find this product name and a store
> selling it. Does anyone have an idea?
> Any clue and experience would be appreciated.
> Jean-Luc, Paris - France.
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Below repair process
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002
...
The best stuff is called Elastoseal. I don't know if its available
in France. Dick Sullivan reports good results with a material sold in
dive shops for repairing wet suits. I haven't tried it. I never had
any success with any method of fixing bellows. The sealers I tried all
came off when the bellows were compressed or expanded.
Large numbers of pin holes are a sign that leather bellows are
disintegrating and generally they will get worse with use.
I believe original Linhof bellows are available from Linhof but are
probably quite expensive (I think Linhof means expensive in German).
In any case, its worth checking on.
From what I've heard Linhof bellows are prone to developing pin
holes.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellow question
Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2002
"Francis A. Miniter" miniter@attglobal.net wrote:
>On an extended bellows, you put something through it to rest on the front
>and rear standards to keep it from sagging.
>
>Francis A. Miniter
>
>
>Pay wrote:
>
>> Can somebody explain to me what's the use of the small ring attached in
>> the middle of a 8x10" bellow?
>>
>> --
>> Ayral Philippe
>> http://perso.club-internet.fr/payral
>> http://www.focale.ch
Its also used to pack the bellows better when using short FL lenses.
Most older vies cameras have a pin or hook at the top of the front
standard to hook the ring to. Its probably more useful in the way
Francis describes: using a rod to support the bellows if they sag.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
From: BSHOREDIST@aol.com
To: rmonagha@mail.smu.edu
Subject: re: Bellows leather treatment and Lexsol/neatsfoot oil usage
I sell a product called Chelsea Leather Food (see www.chelsealeatherfood.com
for more information). After reading some of the postings on how to treat or
preserve bellows, I believe that Chelsea Leather Food would be MUCH better
suited for the purpose then Lexsol, neatsfoot oil and/or (sheesh) ArmorAll.
If you know of any retailer that might be interested in Chelsea Leather Food,
please be kind enough to send me their information and I would be happy to
send them a free sample. If you have any questions or comments, please feel
free to call me toll free.
Thanks in Advance,
Dave McNiff
Bayshore Distribution
toll free - 877-422-9746
From: haijack@nospam.onr.com (RD)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Newbie to Medium Format....
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002
"Mike Elek"
wrote:
>Thomas, congratulations. The first thing to do is make sure the bellows and
>camera are still light-tight. Use the simple flashlight test.
Just wanted to mention that I have an old Agfa folder, and the
flashlight/floodlight test simply wasn't enough. Everything seemed OK,
but after shooting a roll, I discovered a few odd shadows on the negs.
The next day, I took the camera out into the Texas noon sun, opened
the back, and stuck my face up into the bellows area as far as I
could. Sure enough, with the lens pointed at the sun (shutter closed,
of course), I could see three or four tiny pinpoints of light from
various corners of the bellows.
This is not an uncommon problem, but some bellows exhibit the problem
much sooner than others. My leaky 1950s folder is nearly mint, and has
obviously seen only limited use. Another Agfa of mine, from the '30s,
looks like it was used in two wars, but the bellows are light tight.
Have fun!
JL
From: "Bruce MacNeil" bruce@brucemacneil.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellows Repair
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002
Turner Bellows in Rocheseter is economical and great service.
www.turnerbellows.com
Ask fo Joe Merry and tell him Bruce sent you.
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002
From: "J. Wayde Allen" wallen@lug.boulder.co.us
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows Material Cordura
John Cremati wrote:
> Has anyone tried using Cordura Nylon as the outer layer in bellows
> fabrication ? It is supposedly the toughest fabric on earth and is
> water proof...( they are using it to make Fishing Waders...) The
> deener 160 blend seems to be there thinnest material as they are using
> it for clothing..... http://www.cordura.com/ Any suggestions?
Yes, works like a charm http://rmp.opusis.com/cameras/my4x5_2.jpg !
- Wayde
(wallen@lug.boulder.co.us)
From: "Richard Knoppow" dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Source for bellows?
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002
"Don Wallace" don.wallace@nlc-bnc.nospam.ca wrote
> Do any of you know a good source for 8x10 bellows? I am looking at a few
> older wooden fixer-uppers that require bellows and want to figure that into
> the cost. The cheapest (heck, the only) price I have found is $225 from
> Turner Bellows in Rochester. This is for a bellows with enough draw for a 14
> inch lens.
>
> Don Wallace
Camera Bellows
Unit 3-5
St. Pauls Road
Balsall Heath
Birmingham
B12 8NG
http://www.camerabellows.com/
Tel: +44 (0) 121 440 1695
Fax +44 (0) 121 440 0972
Flexible Products Co.
14504 60th St. N.
Clearwater, FL 33760
(727) 536-3142
(800) 551-3766
Fax: (727) 535-1295
http://www.flexproducts.com
info@flexproducts.com
Joe Merry
Turner Bellows Inc.
526 Child Street
Rochester NY, 14606
(716) 235-4456 x202
jmerry@turnerbellows.com
http://www.turnerbellows.com
Universal Bellows
25 Hanse Avenue
Freeport, NY 11520
tel. 516-378-1264
Western Bellows Company
9340 7th Street, Suite G,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-980-0606
English Bellows is the only one who will make genuine
leather bellows. Their work is highly reputed.
I have had bellows made by Flexible Products and was not
impressed by the workmanship.
Any bellows maker will probably want the old bellows, or
at least the frames.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: rgivan@cix.compulink.co.uk
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Help identify an Agfa Isolette?
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002
moat@attglobal.net (Gordon Moat) wrote:
> Another thought I had recently was using screen printing ink to block light
> leaks on bellows. This is the stuff used on T-shirts. It could be applied to
> the inside cloth of the bellows. Thoughts?
I'm not familiar with this ink - but it sounds like a idea worth trying.
The ideal bellows repair compound is going to need good light blocking
properties, have some sort of bulk/covering power - and yet not get in the
way of the bellows folding. I'm not sure anybody has found it yet! ;-)
:-)
Roland.
From: w-buechsenschuetz@web.de (Winfried Buechsenschuetz)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Help identify an Agfa Isolette?
Date: 23 Nov 2002
How about black silicone sealing compound? I used it successfully for
bellows repair of a camera I sold again. The buyer used it as a shelf
item, so I have no feedback how it works over time. But silicone
compound is very sticky and stands a lot of tension. Always let it set
over night before moving the bellows.
Winfried
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2002
From: Gordon Moat moat@attglobal.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Help identify an Agfa Isolette?
rgivan@cix.compulink.co.uk wrote:
> The ideal bellows repair compound is going to need good light blocking
> properties, have some sort of bulk/covering power - and yet not get in the
> way of the bellows folding. I'm not sure anybody has found it yet! ;-)
>
> :-)
>
> Roland.
Very true. The Matte Medium and India Ink mix I use currently blocks light
very well. The biggest problem I have with it is that it seems to flake off
after a couple weeks. It definitely does not work on the outside of the
bellows. The thinner mix I used on the inside of the bellows has held for
over a month, and so far no flaky dust inside the bellows. I used liquid
electrical tapes on the outside pin holes, but it tends to stick to itself,
so I am not so sure how long that will last.
I hope to find something that just works on the inside of the bellows. I
think it would appear a bit cleaner, and may eliminate the sticking problems.
I will let you know what happens with the screen printing ink.
I just picked up some Kodak E200 transparency film from the lab yesterday.
The shots in 6 by 9 look incredible on a light table. It seems that the
exposure accuracy matches the Sekonic readings quite well. The only problem
frame was a shot somewhat into the sun, which showed flaring. I think the
flaring can be controlled by a filter, and/or lens hood, so I am still on the
hunt for one.
The small Pr,zisai rangefinder is an excellent match for focusing the camera
lens, since I had no focusing errors. I even counted out a 3 seconds night
exposure (forgot my watch) that turned out great. The shot of my friend's
Ferrari in front of an Italian cafe was so good that he wants an enlarged
version. Hopefully, I can get these scanned and share them.
As you can likely tell, I am a bit amazed at the quality of the images. This
type of camera is slow to use, but the results are definitely worth the
effort.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
Alliance Graphique Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com
From: "Roland" roland@rashleigh-berry.fsnet.co.uk
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2002
I've stated here that replacement bellows are not as good as the orginal
bellows and that replacement bellows can be expected to last five years
rather than the 50 years or so for the orginal bellows (if looked after).
Also that you should aim to fix your current bellows rather than having a
replacement fitted. I'm not about to post a retraction, but rather tell
people how to check for light leaks. If your bellows are new-looking and
quite stiff then they WILL have holes in them if they have not been attended
to. But, of course, you need to know how to look for the holes. One way is
to look from the four corners of the film plane trying to look through the
bellow corners at a very bright light on the ceiling. This will only catch a
few. There could be plenty more holes letting in light. If not visible from
the corners it will fall on the black cloth inside and will eventually cause
fogging. So this is not a good way to check for them. The best way is to use
a Maglite with its reflector unscrewed such that its very tiny extremely
bright bulb is bared and to run it inside the camera with the bulb getting
in the corners of the bellows all along the four folds looking carefully for
leaking light as you track the position of the bulb as best as you can. If
your bellows are new-looking and stiff there will be plenty of light leaks.
It is just a case of looking. You will need to fix them if you ever intend
to use that camera for photography.
The light leaks are very easy to fix. To fix them use black silicone
sealant. Put some on your finger tip and smear it along the length of the
edges. Enough to cover it and do this especially thoroughly on the top two
edges and do your best with the bottom two. When you have applied it then
you can immediately wipe off any excess with a tissue. You may need a
solvent to clean your finger with and other places where it got onto your
hand (I use cellulose thinner that might be called something different in
the US).
The tube of sealant I bought was quite large so I punctured the top with a
nail as you are supposed to but I kept the nail and use it as a stopper so
that I only get out the exact amount I need and then reseal it straight
afterwards when I have taken out enough. This way it always stays easy to
smear on.
If there is anybody reading this who can recognise that they have new
bellows fitted to an old folder (bellows look like new and they are stiffer
than you are used to seeing) then if you check for light leaks with a
Maglite the way I said then you will spot these tiny holes. They are not
"maybe" there. They "are" there and they will need fixing. The black
silicone sealant will be available from an automobile spares shop and will
cost $7 or so. Enough to fix 1000 cameras with, at least, so long as you
reseal the tube well like I said. So fixing these bellows is cheap and quick
and no bother. But like I said - if your bellows are new-looking and stiff
then the holes *are* there, unless they been through the hands of somebody
like me already who has fixed them.
From: w-buechsenschuetz@web.de (Winfried Buechsenschuetz)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: 27 Dec 2002
"Roland" roland@rashleigh-berry.fsnet.co.uk wrote
> If there is anybody reading this who can recognise that they have new
> bellows fitted to an old folder (bellows look like new and they are stiffer
> than you are used to seeing) then if you check for light leaks with a
> Maglite the way I said then you will spot these tiny holes.
I do not quite agree. Fortunately I happened to find a dealer with
lots of old stock of 6x6 bellows. I used one of them to replace a
leaking one on an Agfa Isolette III. So this would be a 'new bellows
fitted to an old folder'. I shot a roll or two with this one, found NO
leaks, and finally sold it since I can't keep all the cameras I like.
The customer was completely satisfied, too. I sent bellows from that
stock to several other tinkerers to replace leaking ones, and all of
them replaced the bellows successfully.
On the other hand I checked a few bellows with the 'ceiling lamp'
method (not really a ceiling lamp but an office lamp I can direct to
any direction) very thoroughly and found no leaks, and all the rolls I
shot with these cameras came out flawless.
So I think also in this case it depends what exactly you are doing.
Using a bellows from old stock which in each and every rating matches
the original one will NOT produce any leaks.
Winfried
From: w-buechsenschuetz@web.de (Winfried Buechsenschuetz)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: 28 Dec 2002
"Roland" roland@rashleigh-berry.fsnet.co.uk wrote
> If it's original stock then hopefully it's the original high-quality stuff
> and not the new rubbish that I keep finding in old folders.
Obviously we have been talking about two different things. I have to
admit that I did not see any recently manufactured bellows on an old
folder yet. So maybe in this case you are right. The only bellows I
have been using on old folders are actually old stock, maybe even from
the 50s, originally coming from a smaller german camera manufacturer.
The only new bellows I have seen on folders are the bellows of the
Seagull folder cameras. Their quality seems to be rather mediocre
otherwise, and the bellows obviously is made from an extruded piece of
rubber or elastic plastic material, it looks and feels quite different
from the old stuff.
I do not why they did this but Agfa used a rather bad quality of
bellows on most of their folders. I have not seen any Isolette yet
without cracks on the edges, and all I have been holding in my hands
had light leaks.
Winfried
From: "ajacobs2" ajacobs2@tampabay.rr.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002
"Roland"
Once in a great while I get to fix a bellows and have used the black
silicon.
Little Trivia: It's available at most auto repair stations but know what you
are getting. Chrysler whom I do work for uses no less than three types of
Black Silicon RTV sealant. One is for valve covers, one for sealing
transmission seals and the botton plate and the third is for differentials.
The last two are slightly acidic. The formulations were worked out and are
listed in the Chrysler Parts and Repair Catalog. There is also a black
bathtub silicon caulk but I have never seen it in a small tube. Come to
think of it, I have never seen a black bathtub.
Now we have this stuff thats used for electrical connections. It's basically
Liquid Vinyl, which is totally inert, also good for fixing bellows and stays
quite flexible. It's also used for coating handles of tools so it's very
adhering. Works great....and even has a brush in the lid.......
From: "Brian Ellis" bellis60@earthlink.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002
Just curious - where did you come up with these 5 year/50 year numbers? My
Deardorff has what is clearly a replacement bellows. I've had the camera for
well over five years and the bellows looked old when I got it but it's still
working fine.
IMHO it's a mistake to patch up leaks that are due to age and general
deterioration (as opposed to a mishap of some sort). A bellows that sprouts
leaks due to age or deterioration isn't going to stop developing leaks just
because you patch all the ones you find. It's going to continue sprouting
leaks. So you're faced with the problem of either checking for bellows leaks
every time you use the camera (not something I care to do) or of losing
photographs due to new leaks that you didn't discover until after the
photographs were ruined. There are few things more discouraging than
thinking you made some great photographs, only to lose them because of an
equipment failure.
Much better, IMHO, to replace the bellows and not have to worry about light
leaks again for a long time. How long? I don't know, I don't think you can
generalize since so much depends on the material, how often the camera is
used, how the bellows are cared for, etc. but certainly longer than five
years with replacement from a reputable bellows maker and no abuse.
...
From: "Roland" roland@rashleigh-berry.fsnet.co.uk
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: replacement bellows and light leaks again
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002
"Brian Ellis" bellis60@earthlink.net wrote...
> Just curious - where did you come up with these 5 year/50 year numbers? My
> Deardorff has what is clearly a replacement bellows. I've had the camera for
> well over five years and the bellows looked old when I got it but it's still
> working fine.
It is just an guesstimate based on what I have come across. If the bellows
look old then they are maybe the original type of bellows and I would hope
they would last a long time.
> IMHO it's a mistake to patch up leaks that are due to age and general
> deterioration (as opposed to a mishap of some sort). A bellows that sprouts
> leaks due to age or deterioration isn't going to stop developing leaks just
> because you patch all the ones you find. It's going to continue sprouting
> leaks. So you're faced with the problem of either checking for bellows leaks
The way I deal with it is to seal the entire length of the four main edges
where I can reach. It only takes a little smear of black silicone sealant to
do it and you can easily wipe off the excess. This is where the leaks will
occur so if you seal the whole lot then hopefully you have solved the
problem for maybe 5 years. It can try to sprout leaks under the sealant but
you have it all covered in any case.
> every time you use the camera (not something I care to do) or of losing
> photographs due to new leaks that you didn't discover until after the
> photographs were ruined. There are few things more discouraging than
> thinking you made some great photographs, only to lose them because of an
> equipment failure.
> Much better, IMHO, to replace the bellows and not have to worry about light
> leaks again for a long time. How long? I don't know, I don't think you can
> generalize since so much depends on the material, how often the camera is
> used, how the bellows are cared for, etc. but certainly longer than five
> years with replacement from a reputable bellows maker and no abuse.
But finding this "reputable bellows maker" is problematic since we will not
have data on how long their bellows will last. Also there is the expense. If
you have a cheap and good fix then I would tend to go with that.
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003
From: Marv Soloff msoloff@worldnet.att.net
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows?
The seminal article on DIY bellows making is in the July-August 1966
issue of View Camera magazine. Mike Robinson shows how its done in four
pages - mostly pictures.
Regards,
Marv
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003
From: Arie ariek@pacbell.net
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows?
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
http://www.duckproductions.com/
http://www.camerabellows.com/
Here are two links that may help you out. The first is an account of his
construction of the camera, the second link is the company that made his
bellows. They seem quite reasonable in the original article and they look
great. Hope this helps
Arie
From: "Brian Ellis" bellis60@earthlink.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002
I'd replace the bellows. The problem with taping or othewise repairing a
bellows that has developed light leaks is that there's a reason it's
developed those leaks and the reason doesn't disappear just because you
repair the existing leaks. Instead, the bellows will eventually develop more
leaks but you won't discover the new leaks until you've ruined at least one
roll of film.
I don't know where somebody got the notion that replacement bellows don't
last as long as the original bellows. There are many bellows makers out
there whose replacement bellows are at least as good as the original. In
fact in some cases they use replacement bellows from the original
manufacturer (I just had the bellows on my Linhof 4x5 camera replaced with a
new Linhof bellows). I think it's false economy to try to patch up a leaking
bellows (unless, of course, the leak was caused by a specific accident of
some sort as opposed to general deterioration). Much better, IMHO, to spend
some money, get a new bellows, then you won't have to worry about leaks
again for a long, long time.
If you want a list of bellows makers send me an e mail message and I'll send
a list to you.
steven.sawyer@banet.net wrote
> I know this is a super-stupid question but where do I wipe this gunk anyway - on the
> outside or on the inside of the bellows?
>
> Marv Soloff wrote:
>
> > Another well travelled bellows repair method is to use the black
> > silicone available in dive shops to repair wet suits. I gather that
> > small tubes are available as is thinner.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Marv
From: John Stafford john@stafford.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002
steven.sawyer@banet.net wrote
> The camera is a Coronet 6x9 fitted with a Taylor-Hobson (I guess the other
> Taylor hadn't joined up yet) lens and shutter. The lens is incredible, but I
> get random light leaks if I don't have the sun behind me. I looked at the
> bellows with a flashlight and it's not holes per say, it's just porous, [...]
Steve, I agree that you may as well go all the way and replace the bellows
and get on with enjoying the camera.
I cannot vouch for the following source, but next month I'll have finished
specifying my next camera prototype and will be asking them to make the
bellows. So if you procrastinate long enough, get back to me and I'll share
my experience.
See http://www.flexproducts.com/form1.html
From: "Matt Williams" kauai82@earthlink.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002
Try this email. He did a great job on my bellows and shutter.
jurgenk@epix.net
steven.sawyer@banet.net wrote
> I have a folding camera, that takes excellent pictures by the way, that
> has quite a few very tiny holes in the bellows. I'd like to get the
> bellows replaced and would like to know if anyone here knows of someone
> who does this sort of thing. The whole lens/shutter assembly comes off
> the front of the camera, so it would be easy for me to send the body to
> whoever.
> Thanks
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002
From: Gordon Moat moat@attglobal.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bellows repair
Actually, repair is not bad, if the repair material is not too thick. After
testing several different materials, I have found that Black screen printing ink
seems to work the best, and it is fairly thin, allowing the camera to still close.
This would only work if the interior of the bellows is cloth like material. The
screen printing ink soaks into the cloth, and just like a printed T-shirt, does
not allow light to pass through it. You should be able to find a jar at art
stores for around $5.00 (US). The other good art store material is called Gouta,
but is slightly more expensive.
The early e-mail listing will get you to an individual that makes replacement
bellows. I checked this before, and the pricing starts at $60.00 (US) on up. It
would definitely be less expensive to repair, unless you had a rip that would not
seal.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
Alliance Graphique Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com
From: "Don Wallace" don.wallace@nlc-bnc.nospam.ca
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellow Repair
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003
I had the exact same problem recently and a friend recommended a mixture of
black pigment and fabric glue, both of which are available at art supply
stores. You mix the two, about 50/50, and apply with a brush on the inside
of the bellows. I have not field tested the camera yet so I cannot tell you
how durable this. However, the bellows has been racked in and and out quite
a few times and it the glue has held so far.
Don Wallace
"Cor" cor@lumc.nl wrote...
> Hi,
>
> I just obtained this nice Toyo 810m (8*10) field camera.
>
> Unfortunatly the bellows has pinholes in the corners of the folds (the
> rubberlike material is gone on these places, and exposing the fabric
> underneath)
>
> A new bellows is too expensive at the moment for me (unless sombody
> has a nice bellows for a nice price for me..;-)...).
>
> I did some searching on the net, and I came accros several options for
> bellows repair:
>
> Use liquid neoprene (plus some lamp black or carbon if it is not black
> enough), the stuff used to repair wet suits and diving suits.
>> Use elastoseal, stuff used on roofs in the USA (no idea if it is
> available in Holland)
>
> Use some kind of kit used for mounting sunroofs etc. in cars,
> available at auto shops.
>
> Do people have experience with above repair options, and do you favor
> one of these?
>
> Thanks in advance for any feedback!,
>
> Best,
>
> Cor
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003
From: Andrew Frith andy@sacredjourneys.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellow Repair
ive used the bostick nd sullivan bellows repair kit for some pinholes in
my C-1 bellows and it worked great...
-andrew
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003
From: Gordon Moat moat@attglobal.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellow Repair
So far I have only found long lasting repair from Textile paint. If your
bellows has a cloth like interior, you can use a brush to paint this into
the corners at the pinholes. This textile paint will still allow the
bellows to compact all the way, which may be an issue with some field
cameras. If the bellows compactness is less of an issue, a thicker
exterior repair material may be simpler.
If you use the textile paint, it requires some heat to set properly. I
found that letting the bellows sit extended in sunlight for a couple
hours allows the textile paint to set properly. After it is completely
dry, then you can fold the bellows. This is the same stuff that is used
for T-shirt printing, and should be available at many art stores.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
Alliance Graphique Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com
[Ed. note: Mr. Grimes is a noted repairperson, esp. with Large format camera gear...]
From: "Steve Grimes" skgrimes@skgrimes.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellow Repair
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003
As a practical matter you can just drape a piece of cloth (perhaps even your
viewing darkcloth) over the camera including the bellows during the time the
darkslide is out. This will allow you to live with the light leaks sort of
like arranging a tarpaulin near the ceiling to protect your furniture while
the landlord gets around to fixing the roof.
Really good repairs of bellows is difficult to impossible, but amazingly
tattered bellows can still be used with this cover up method.
--
S.K. GRIMES -- MACHINE WORK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
153 Hamlet Ave. (5th floor) Woonsocket RI, 02895
+ Lenses mounted into shutters.
+ Shutters repaired, restored.
+ For more info-- http://www.skgrimes.com.
(updated 8-1-01 Site Map)
Now: flat and pointed tip Spanner Wrenches
http://www.skgrimes.com/span/index.htm
From: rwatson767@aol.com (RWatson767)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: 28 Jan 2003
Subject: Re: Bellow Repair
Cor
>Bellow Repair
Do people have experience with above repair options, and do you favor one of
these?
I repair my share of bellows and the best I have found is to order some
rip-stop nylon repair tape.
Don't have the address tonight but an outdoor shop that does tents will have
some of the tape. If not get back to me.
Remove the bellows from the camera and flatten out the bellows where you want
to repair it. Then carefully place the tape over the area that you are having
trouble with. Then refold the bellows and so forth. In your particular case you
might need an assistant. Tape the entire length of the bellows where it forms a
corner. Press down firmly with a support on the inside of the bellows.
Bob AZ
From: John Stafford john@stafford.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Agfa 6x6 folder scans online
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002
Jeff at tokom@sympatico.ca wrote
> I used Black Gutta (natural latex) on my Fuji GS645 bellows. It worked very
> well after applying 3 to 4 coats to the inner corner folds of the bellows.
> You can get it in art supply stores.
That works, and so does automotive vinyl goop. The later is good because you
can color blend it to colored belows. It comes in small amounts with the
applicator and texturizing patches, too. I've had it on one of mine now for
four years and is still good.
From: Keith Whaley keith_w@dslextreme.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: FS: Isolette III [WAS: Re: Agfa 6x6 folder scans online]
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002
Hi Gordon...
See Jurgen Kreckel, at:
http://www.foldingcamerasrestoration.com/
The CLA on my Isolette ran $60, and a new bellows added $65 to that.
Add shipping etc...
So, he does replace bellows in any of three or four colors, as I recall.
I was pleased.
keith whaley
Gordon Moat wrote:
> Okay, not interested in the camera, but where did you get a new bellows? I have
> been unable to find any bellows in new condition for under $80.
>
> Ciao!
>
> Gordon Moat
> Alliance Graphique Studio
> http://www.allgstudio.com
...
From: bobjames27@aol.com (Bob G)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Date: 17 Feb 2003
Subject: Re: How to keep bellows from getting sticky?
>Does anyone have any ideas? I've tried washing them (very carefully),
>but that didn't do much. I'm reluctant to get powders (like baby
>powder) or sprays anywhere near the camera. Any thoughts?
>
Try something like Son-of-a-Gun with a soft cloth, unless your bellows are made
of leather
If that doesn't work, try Goo-Gone
Bob G
From camera fix mailing list:
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003
From: "Tim Engel" tengel@mchsi.com
Subject: Bellows for Folding Cameras
I've been putzing around with some old folding cameras. Most of them have
a pin hole or two in the bellows and a few are well perforated. I've had
some success plugging some pin holes with a combination of black plastisol
(sold as brush-on liquid insulation for electrical wiring and as tool handle
coatings like Plasti-Dip) and with black finger nail polish.
But the worst of the bellows really need to be replaced. So the questions
are:
1) Where would I buy replacement bellows for old 6x6 and 6x9 folding
cameras? Salvaging bellows from other old cameras seems like jumping out
of the frying pan and into the fire. I'm really looking for new
replacements... maybe (?) NOS (New Old Stock).
2) How would I make a camera bellows? Some of these old cameras don't
have any real value, I'm doing this for fun. And lately I've been
thinking it would be fun or challenging to try making a bellows. I made
note of someones recent post about making bellows material by laminating a
ballistic nylon and another lighter material. But how are the pleats
formed and set. Is there website or a camera restoration book that goes
into some detail on how to make a bellows?
Thanks,
Tim
From: "Gene Johnson" genej2@cox.net
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows?
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003
Bellows are not impossible to make. Nice pretty ones are, but decent
serviceable ones aren't too bad. I managed a decent 4x5 bellows out of
cheap vinyl on the first try.
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
http://www.srv.net/~vail/camera.htm
http://rhoadescameras.bizland.com/Camera%20Creation/Bellows/bellows.htm
here's a few sites with information. The last one is the method I used.
Gene
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wallace Don" don.wallace@nlc-bnc.ca
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows?
> I just bought an old Eastman 8x10 and the bellows is not great. The
> cheapest replacement I could find is $225, which is a lot of dough to
> me. Is it really hard to make a new bellows? I have been fixing the
> pinholes with a combination of black pigment and fabric glue (applied on
> the inside). Any other suggestions? Also, one of the pleats is folded
> the wrong way, probably from being stored that way much too long. How
> can I get it to pop out the other way?
>
> Don Wallace
From camera fix mailing list:
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003
From: "Peter Wallage peterwallage@btinternet.com
Subject: Re: Bellows for Folding Cameras
...
Hi Tim,
Two possibilities.
There's a chapter on repairing, restoring and making bellows in
Thomas Tomosy's book 'Restoring Classic and Collectible Cameras'. My
library got me a copy some time ago, but I can't remember all the
details.
For new bellows try Camera Bellows in the UK. They claim to have
supplied bellows to "most of the world's leading camera
manufacturers" and a few years ago had a large stock of ready-made
bellows for obsolete cameras which they were selling off at quite
reasonable prices at camera fairs. I bought a couple, and they were
excellent. No idea what their stock position is now as the company
seems to have been reorganised. They have a website at
http://camerabellows.com
Look under 'products' - 'replacement'. They have an enquiry form
onsite, but it's not a lot of help as it's very detailed and more for
ordering bellows specially made to pattern, so try dropping them an e-
mail giving the names of the cameras you're restoring. You might just
be lucky.
regards,
Peter
From: "Richard Knoppow" dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Turner Bellows in Rochester NY!! Any pros or cons? Replacement bellows for my 11x14 Seneca
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003
J. Burke" burkeboyz@peoplepc.com wrote...
I think you may have written me via e-mail about this
(can't find it now). I don't have any direct experience with
Turner although they have a very good reputation. I've used
Flexible Products but was not impressed by the workmanship.
I've seen several bellows made by Western Bellows which were
all very good. I can't advise beyond that.
Synthetic bellows are likely to have a much longer
lifetime than leather. Good ones can look pretty good. I've
seen many sixty year old Speed Graphics with perfect bellows
except for mechanical damage. Leather can last that long but
has to have been well treated. My 5x7 Agfa/Ansco camera has
original leather bellows which are perfect but it was a one
owner camera when I got it. Other older leather bellows
cameras I've encountered all had pinholes or were just plain
rotting.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: drdagor@hotmail.com (Dr. Dagor)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bag Bellows Material
Date: 11 Aug 2003
I just went through this process and can report partial success...
The key point is that the material is a laminate. You want a
protective outer layer and a black inner layer. Either or both
materials should be opaque. Both layers should be light so the
bellows doesn't end up collapsing under its own weight.
For mine I used naugahide for the outer layer. It comes in different
weights and in general you want the lightest weight you can find.
(Mine was too thick.) Naugahide is (generally speaking) opaque.
Another material that would work extremely well -- probably better
than naugahide -- is Gortex. It's expensive, but should make a great,
light, opaque, weatherproof bellows.
For the inner layer I used a black, fine mesh cloth. I selected it
because it was nearly opaque, light, had no sheen, and was cheap. I
have no idea what it is.
To laminate the two, I used sheet fabric glue (trade name "stitch
witchery"), and laminated it in a dry mount press under silicon
release sheets -- naugahide side down. As long as you don't melt the
naugahide, it works great. The resulting material is sewable,
glueable, bendable, and strong. It is stiff enough so that you don't
need extra wires or stays to keep the bag open. But it is soft enough
to work easily with camera shifts and to fold up to be stashed in a
camera case.
From: "Richard Knoppow" dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bag Bellows Material
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2003
"Tom Ferguson" tomf2468@pipeline.com wrote
> I'm building a special use camera primarily out of Toyo 4x5 parts. I
> need a bag bellows a bit differant than the Toyo, and decided to make
> it myself.
>
> The outside leather type material is easy enough to find. My question
> is why do most (all?) manufactured bag bellows have a second (inside)
> layer of "silk type" material?
>
> Is this just to hide the glue joints from the buying public? Dose it
> serve an important function I haven't thought of? Just what is that
> inside layer made of?
>
> Thanks
The inner material is cloth coated on one side with rubber
or plastic. I've been unable to find the right stuff in
fabric shops and don't know the right name for it. A similar
material is used for cloth focal plane shutters.
The cloth is the main light blocker. The outer shell is
for protection and looks. One can make the bellows using the
same material for both inside and outside with the plastic
or rubber coated side of both facing toward the stiffeners.
While leather was the standard outer covering for many
decades synthetic material, similar to Naugahide, lasts much
longer. That can be found in shops selling upholstery
material. It should be thin and flexible. Good leather is
harder to find and can be rather expensive.
Stiffeners of old bellows are made of thick manilla card
stock. There are plastics which are tougher.
Whatever the material the technique of cutting and
cementing are about the same. A good contact cement, like
Pliobond or Barge Cement, will do nicely.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From camera makers mailing list:
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004
From: "Uptown Gallery" murray@uptowngallery.org
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows Patch and 'bellows patch'
To: cameramakers@opusis.com
B&S; product sounds heavy duty, like a tire patch.
Someone referred me to a liquid product called Bellow Patch sold by Equinox
Photo. It's about half the price, but a different product.
J.C. Welch
Equinox Photo
541-461-6910 Pacific time
I want to try something I saw done in another arena that kind of surprised
me. It wasn't a flexing application, but was an 'off-label' use that got me
thinking.
This was the use of contact cement as a sealant rather than an adhesive.
Screws and seams on this product (I am not at liberty to explain what
indistry of product) are sealed with a contact cement (some mil-spec stuff),
then when it dries, it is painted over with either a lacquer-based r
epoxy-based paint.
The cement must be allowed to fully dry or it will retain solvent sealed in
under the paint and then scrapes off easily.
I wondered if this would work on bellows corner pinholes - I imagine they
have less movement than the flat sections of the pleats...maybe this is
invalid logic - the corners are obviously under the most stress or they
wouldn't pinhole first!
I have a Polaroid 800 with heat/UV/dry-rotted bellows. I might try it if I
can clean it enough to get the adhesive to stick.
Murray
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004
From: "John Cremati" johnjohnc@core.com
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows Patch and 'bellows patch'
To: "E-mail discussion about homemade cameras" cameramakers@opusis.com
Murray wrote:
> This was the use of contact cement as a sealant rather than an adhesive.
> Screws and seams on this product (I am not at liberty to explain what
> indistry of product) are sealed with a contact cement (some mil-spec stuff),
> then when it dries, it is painted over with either a lacquer-based r
> epoxy-based paint.
Hi Murray,
Surprisingly I have just been in the process of experimenting with
using contact cement as a base in a coating mix . What I have done is as
follows:
I mix a professional "Upholsterers contact cement " which is a
thin red liquid about the consistency of cream ( much thinner than regular
contact cement ) and is safe for foam, vinyl , rubber ect ( hopefully it
will not lift or dissolve the existing coating on the bellows)..... It
is then mixed with a rubber roofing compound called "Roof Caulk" used for
repairing rubber membrane roofs..... The roof caulk is rather thick dense
black rubber like material and almost like tooth paste. The contact
cement thins it nicely to the consistency of honey. The problem at this
point is that it is not quite dense enough when mixed and it dries a
little tacky and is not very tough when scraped . It seems not to
thoroughly dry and pulls away from a test on a piece of glass when scraped
after a day or so of drying... ... It forms a membrane though and pulls off
as if it wanted to come off in a thin rubber sheet. But the membrane is weak
and breaks .. It is almost like it is not thoroughly dry...... The density
also is not quite where you would want it to be in this thinned mixture.
This mix at this point is the consistency of thick paint.
I then mixed in a little "Black Out " that is a very dense black
paint used by Neon Sign men to black out the electrodes or any part that
they do not want light to go thru on their neon tubes . It is very
durable, very opaque as it will hold up for years to outdoor weather
attached to the glass tubes . The Black Out is the consistency of paint.
.. The problem with using it strait is that it is not very flexible and
cracks and flakes when bent which is also the effect on the neon signs over
a few years time.. When mixed with the contact cement and rubber roofing
compound it seems to have the effect of a drying agent.
The mixture of the three items so far is remarkable!. It adheres to
the glass test piece very aggressively. It looses its tackiness and dries
but still has remained rubbery... It is very opaque at about a 2 to
3 mil coating ( a little thicker that scotch tape) . It remains flexible
although I have only let it dry for a few days. I coated some paper towels
with it and it covers nicely and bends nicely ...It does not stick to itself
when folded over after drying..... I may just give this mix a try after a
little more testing.
I will paint some cellophane with it, let it thoroughly dry and put
it thru a bending test and put it in contact with itself over time to see if
it will eventually stick to itself..( something you would not want with
bellows. )
John Cremati
Stacey
>
>>source for folder bellows?
>
>
> Unfortunatly the 6X4.5 ikonta bellows is too small on the lens end so I can't
> pirate one from a dead one of those. TIA for any
> advice.
>
> Try a bellows from a polaroid land ca mera. The 100-200 series. They are
> usually cheap at thrift stores and the like.
> Bob AZ
From: w-buechsenschuetz@web.de (Winfried Buechsenschuetz)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: source for folder bellows?
Date: 29 Apr 2004
Stacey fotocord@yahoo.com wrote
> The problem with folding cameras is the leather is VERY thin so it will
> still fold up.
Actually most bellows of folding cameras are NOT made of leather but
from a multi-layer material, mostly with a synthetic coat (there WERE
synthetic materials before WWII), strips of cardboard to hold the
pleats, and an inner liner of rubberized cloth (similar or identical
to shutter curtain material). There are some bellows with different
design but I did not stumble across a genuine leather bellows yet.
There are some 'recipes' available on the net recommending substitutes
for the original materials which probably are hard to get nowadays
(except for shutter curtain material).
> This bellows for example must extend to 70mm yet fold to 7mm
> for the camera to close. BTW are their still actual shoemakers anywhere?
As mentioned by others most 'shoemakers' are just 'low grade
craftsmen' (as they are specified by german law which prohibited most
craftsmen from opening their own shop unless they have a master
degree). There are very few still making shoes, but handmade shoes are
expensive. I know a (real) shoemaker in the neighbourhood who did a
great jobs in repairing some camera bags for me, one required quite a
bit of hand stitching.
Winfried
From: Stacey fotocord@yahoo.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Follow up, replacement bellows for folders
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004
I posted a few weeks ago about needing a bellows for an old welta folding 6
X 4.5 camera. It has a coupled rangefinder and a non-front cell focusing
zeiss tessar (focuses by a sliding bed like a view camera) so I though it
might be worth fixing up. I looked around and decided to get one from
http://www.camerabellows.com/ I went to their request info page, gave them
some basic info and they responded promptly with an estimate. A couple of
more e-mails and I mailed them the old bellows along with my credit card
info. In a few weeks I was sent a very nice leather copy of the original.
It wasn't -exactly- the same but it was -very- close and works great. It's
slightly harder to close now but other than this, it works perfect and now
so does the camera. I guess in time it will smoosh down some and close
easier.
It wasn't real hard to install and it looks as nice as any leather bellows
I've seen as far as quality. Even has some fancy looking "stripes" down
it's length! It was $45 shipped which for a custom made bellows seemed
reasonable to me. It wouldn't be worth it for a cheapo model folder but for
the higher end ones that can't be found already made elsewhere, it's a good
source for these.
--
Stacey
From: john@xyzzy.stafford.net (jjs)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Follow up, replacement bellows for folders
Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004
Stacey fotocord@yahoo.com wrote:
> I posted a few weeks ago about needing a bellows for an old welta folding 6
> X 4.5 camera. [...]
Thanks for the report, Stacey! Very useful information.
FWIW, I find that compressing a bellows in a press (or under a tall stack
of heavy books) for a few days takes care of the closing problem, but it's
too late for that, so you will eventually achieve the same thing after a
few weeks leaving the camera folded when not in use.
It's good to hear of people having good experiences in these things.
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