From: "skgrimes" skgrimes@ma.ultranet.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Removing and Re-Glueing bellows from the Camera Body??
Date: 9 Feb 1998
Nicholas F. Hanks nickdc@mail.erols.com wrote in article
I've got some bellows that I need to replace and I can see that they are
glued onto place. Before I do some experimental surgery, does anyone
know how best to un-glue the bellows, what kind of glue was originally
used, and what kind of glue to use when reinstalling.
Thanks for helping me out of this sticky situation.
Nick
It depends on if you are trying to save the original bellows undamaged.
Many early cameras used a shellac based glue which is soluble by ordinary
denatured alcohol. Try this first, experimenting carefully that the
solvent won't damage the other fineshes on the camera. Shellac based glue
is brownish and is hard and crystalline when old.
Newer, or replacement bellows often use a contact cement. This can often
be softened with heat--Apply a desk lamp or hot air blower (like a hair
dryer only hotter--this is an industrial tool which is miraculous in
removing leatherette and other decorative coverings) This heat softens
things up so they can be un-stuck.
Ordinary contact cement is the best for bellows installation. Apply to
both sides, let partially dry then contact the pieces, just like in the
glue instructions. SKG
--
---- S.K. Grimes -- Feinmechanik ----
--Machine work for photographers
--Lenses fitted to shutters, iris scales engraved
http://www.skgrimes.com
From: jsanz@post.uv.es (Juan F. Sanz Cervera)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Removing and Re-Glueing bellows from the Camera Body??
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998
Nick,
I can't offer any help about the unglueing process, but I can tell you
that I succesfully used Pliobond to glue an Arca Swiss bellows to a
black-painted aluminium frame. It works just fine, without any light
leaks.
Hope this helps,
- Juan
Related Reference:
Western Bellows co.
9340 7th street #G
Rancho Cucamonga CA 91730
909 - 980-0606
From: camera@collector.org
[1] Re: Bellows making
Date: Sat Feb 14 05:28:14 CST 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
From: plato@mclv.net (Plato)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: BELLOWS REPAIR
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998
Black "gaffers tape" is the best product I've seen for this job. While working in the photo department at a college one of the older profs turned me on to this repair strategy.
From: luvantique@aol.com (LuvAntique)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: BELLOWS REPAIR
Date: 26 May 1998
Liquid neoprene used in wet suit repair works well. I have seen one
observation that it was not sufficiently opaque, but have never had that
problem with small holes. If is doesn't work to your satisfaction out of the
can, one person suggested add lamp black to it. If you prefer taping, I
recommend taking a little extra effort to reinforce all of the corners at
once.
This is best done by removing the bellows entirely from the camera
(though is is possible to do it in place, but usually awkward), making a
form from thin hobby plywood to fit the inside of the fully extended
bellows, and stretching the bellows on to it so that the sides are as flat
as possible. In this form you can apply a single strip of thin opaque
material with a good contact cement, along each of the corners for the
full length of the bellows, and extending a half inch or so on either side
of the corner. There is a company on the west coast that sells an ideal
very thin outer bellows material for outrageous prices, but still cheaper
than replacing the bellows, and this process is as effective, so long as
the damage is limited to corners. The bellows will tend to refold itself
to its original shape as you pull it off the form, but may need help
creasing the new material. The supplier adverises in
Shutterbug, or I have an address somewhere if anyone wants it.
BTW, Richard, corner pinholes do not a disintegrating bellows make.
Somewhat
excessive to replace a bellows for no more reason than that, don't you think?
Michael Cleveland
Past Reflections A Collection of Historical Photographica
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: BELLOWS REPAIR
Date: Tue, 26 May 1998
This is based on my experience with several older bellows. The
pinholing was due to the leather begining to rot and very rapidly
became worse. The corners are subjected to more mechanical stress
than any other part of the bellows so will show wear soonest. Others
have had better luck than I in patching bellows. If the patching
works there is no reason, other than appearance, not to use it. It is
certainly more economical than replacing a bellows. However, patching
is by its nature likely to be a temporary fix rather than a cure, and
that should be kept in mind.
Your suggestions above sound like they have a better chance of being
successful than others I've seen.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: "skgrimes" skgrimes@ma.ultranet.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Looking For DIY Bellows
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2131/shspeed.html
This is the guy with the circuit/program suggestion for shutter tester--he
also has some stuff about home-making bellows.
From: rcole@usit.net (Roger Cole)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: BELLOWS REPAIR
Date: Mon, 25 May 1998
Hummm... well, I have immense respect for Richard's experience, but
when I bought my Tech III and found some corner pinholes, I just stuck
pieces of black electrical tape over them. It seems to be working
fine. Bruce Barnbaum in _The Art of Photography_ recommends this
simple method, and says he never replaces his bellows until there is
so much tape on that the movements are constricted!
>jjom@zip.com.au (jom) wrote: > >>I have an old sinar 4x5 >> >>the bellows is mostly good, but when I stretch it right out I can see a >>couple of pinholes in the corners. >>how can I repair these? >> >>jom@zip.com.au > Various substances have been recommended for this. Mainly variations >of liquid rubber such as the material sold for repairing rubber wet >suits. > I have tried some of these on disintegrating bellows without much >success. While it is certainly worth giving them a try you will >probably have to replace the bellows. >--- >Richard Knoppow >Los Angeles, Ca. >dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: Peter De Smidt pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Bellows material
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 1998
I would like to fabricate a new bellows for a recently acquired Agfa
Ansco 5x7 camera. Does anyone have fabric suggestions? I would prefer
the bellows to be at least water resistent. The last bellows I made
used darkroom cloth for the interior and Cordura Nylon for the
exterior. While this makes a rugged bellows, it is none too flexible.
I must admit to being partial to emerald green bellows, but that's not
really that important. Also, I'd rather not spend an arm and a leg, so
this rules out ultrasuade. Any thoughts? And where can I buy Pliobond,
anyway? None of the hardware stores around here carry it. A real thin
neoprene would be nice, but I don't know where to get it.
Peter De Smidt
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: Peter De Smidt pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Thu Jul 09 09:46:43 CDT 1998
I've had a camera bellows made by Camera
Bellows in Birmingham,
England. While not cheap the quality is excellent. I believe that they
make bellows for Sinar, Linhof, Canham... Contact information was posted
not too long ago. Check Deja News, or, if that doesn't work, I'll look
it up.
The place with the best reputation in the US is Western Bellows. They
are recommended by Patrict Alt (Ace camera restorer). I haven't heard
anything bad about them, but I have heard bad things obout the other US
bellows makers, namely the one in NY and the one in Florida. Maybe
others have more first hand experience with these.
Regards,
Peter De Smidt
From: Brian Ellis beellis@gte.net
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Thu Jul 09 19:10:00 CDT 1998
I believe the Florida bellows maker referred to in the previous post is
most likely Flexible Products located in Largo, Florida (about fifteen
miles from Tampa). They made a bellows for my Technikardan for
approximately $250. The bellows itself was well made. However, the
Technikardan requires a very thin bellows material because of the very
short distance between the front and rear standards when the camera is
folded. The material used was too thick so that the camera wouldn't fold
properly. They were very nice about it and offered to make another bellows
with a thinner material at little or no cost to me. However, I sold the
camera around that time and so never pursued the replacement bellows. I f
you wish to pursue this let me know and I'll find their address and phone
number for you. Brian
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: BobE besk@shtc.net
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Thu Jul 09 20:15:50 CDT 1998
Brian Ellis wrote: > > I believe the Florida bellows maker referred to in the previous post is most > likely Flexible Products located in Largo, Florida I think > > she deserves a new bellows...(4x5) > > > > Any ideas re:sources? > > > > thanks
My experience with Flexible Bellows in Florida was that the bellows had
stiffeners in between the pleats that made the bellows too stiff to be
able to have movements with shorter focal length lenses. This inspite
of a clear description from me as to what they were going to be used
for. (A view camera)
Maybe I could have reordered the bellows without the stiffeners and they
would have worked fine.
The New York company made a bellows replacement for a pocket folder with
was perfectly usable. But a friend had them make a bellows replacement
for a press camera and had the same problems that I did with the one
from Flexible Bellows.
The company that supposedly manufactures the bellows for the Toyo VX125
(and very likely for the new Canham all metal 4X5) is in England. A
catalog from them (2/1997) indicated that they were distributed by the
Lee Filter distributer in the US. Lee Filters {(818) 238-1228 2237} N.
Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505
A friend ordered a bellows replacement for a Horseman 985 from them.
It was unsatifactory because it would not fold up in the camera -
having been made out of too thick a material. A subsequent replacement
did not allow enough extension.
I have come to the conclusion that the bellows makers don't really
understand that bellows must be thin and flexible to be usable on a view
camera with short focal length lenses. The Canham and Toyo bellows are
proof that it can be done however.
Any experiences from others would be appreciated.
Bob E
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: Peter De Smidt pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
[1] Re: Material for bellow
Date: Thu Jul 09 19:55:58 CDT 1998
Marcus Carlsson wrote: > > Hi! > I wonder if there is anyone out there who knows whitch material I should > use to make a bellow. > > Is there some special type of leather or is there a special type of paint > which I can use? > > thanks
Well, I believe that the type of leather is what is used for binding
leather books. It will be very expensive. An alternative is to you
darkroom cloth, which is a light weight opaque fabric that is white and
one side and black on the other. Unfortunately, it is $16 a square
yard. You can use the darkroom cloth on the inside of the bellows, and
almost anything else on the outside. I'm thinking of making a bellows
like this with emerald green ultrex (a light weight waterproof fabric
for things like anoraks) for the exterior fabric. Another expensive
option is to use ultrasuede, which is a manmade material. It is
approximately $35 dollars a yard. Finally, I'm getting a couple of
swatches sent to me in the next couple days. One is a stretchable
lightweight vinyl. I'll send a post to the list if any of these
swatches look good. One reason that I don't like expensive fabric is
that one can have bellows made for a 4x5 for $100 to $200 dollars. If
the fabric alone costs around $75, that's not much of a savings
considering all the work involved.
Regards,
Peter
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: Peter De Smidt pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
[1] Camera Bellows
Date: Fri Jul 10 00:28:43 CDT 1998
Camera Bellows
Units 3-5
St Paul's Road
Balsall Heath
Birmingham B12 8NG
England
Tel: 0121 440 1695
Fax: 0121 440 0972
They make excellent bellows: They make some bellows for Linhof, Canham,
Sinar... The total cost for my Linhof Tech III bellows, a very
difficult bellows to make, was $190 including shipping to the US. It fit
fine and is plenty flexible.
Peter De Smidt
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
[1] Re: Material for bellow
Date: Fri Jul 10 03:03:03 CDT 1998
"Marcus Carlsson" mac@jonkoping.telia.com wrote: >Hi! >I wonder if there is anyone out there who knows whitch material I should >use to make a bellow. > >Is there some special type of leather or is there a special type of paint >which I can use? > >thanks
Traditional bellows were made of Skiver, or very thinly sliced
leather. This is often sold for bookbinding. Deluxe bellows,
espcially those on tropical cameras were made of "Russia Leather" a
leather tanned in such a way as to be resistant to insects. The main
requirement for bellows leather is that it be flexible enough. The
cost of real leather will depend on the grade and what kind of animal
its from.
The bellows is made in three layers. The inside is rubberized
cloth, the center is made of cardboard stiffeners (often "Manilla"
card stock) and the outside of leather.
Modern materials can be used in place of the leather. Essentially,
this is the artificial leather sold for upholstering. Probably
doesn't have quite the glamour of the real thing but will last longer.
The inside lining is now often rubberized (or rather plasticized)
Nylon or similar cloth.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Fri Jul 10 03:11:02 CDT 1998
I had a bellows built by Flexible Products Co. a couple of years
ago. This was for an 8x10 Agfa/Ansco view camera. The bellows are
made of synthetic material and will probably last forever. The
workmanship was somewhat disappointing. The outer covering was not
smooth. I was able to smooth it somewhat because the adhesive wasn't
quite completely set. Nonetheless, the bellows fit and work fine.
They cost about $150 US.
They will want your old bellows so that they can fit the new ones
properly. They will mount the new bellows on the frames from the old
ones. Without the frames its necessary to send the whole camera along
so that new frames can be made and fitted. I think this will be true
for any bellows maker.
According to Patrick Alt Western Bellows doesn't like working with
leather and uses synthetic materials. I have seen several of their
bellows on Pat's cameras and they seem to be of a very high standard
of quality.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: vmathur@my-dejanews.com
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Fri Jul 10 21:47:07 CDT 1998
I had a replacement bellows made by Western Bellows for a old Linhof 5x7
Technika. The quality was excellent, clips and all. The material used is very
flexible and will allow the camera to close even thought the total length is
about an inch longer than the original. I've seen the bellows that Flexible
Products makes (in person at the company -- wish I hadn't), and a bellows
made for a 5x7 Technika by some New York company. The Western bellows is much
nicer, more flexible, and seems to have thinner stiffeners. It cost $204 US
including tax, shipping and installation.
Vishal Mathur
>
>I've had a camera bellows made by Camera Bellows in Birmingham,
>England. While not cheap the quality is excellent. I believe that they
>make bellows for Sinar, Linhof, Canham... Contact information was posted
>not too long ago. Check Deja News, or, if that doesn't work, I'll look
>it up.
I, too, bought a bellows from Camera Bellows. It was for my
home-made 4x5" camera, so I supplied the measurements and they
made the bellows (300mm extension) to fit. The total cost was
GBP63.75 (about USD120). Considering the time and money I spent
trying to make a bellows myself, I regard that as cheap.
This was a few months ago, so I have no idea how durable the
bellows is. The workmanship looks very good to me.
Contact information:
Camera Bellows
Units 3-5
St Paul's Road
Balsall Heath
Birmingham B12 8NG
England
Tel 0121 440 1695
Fax 0121 440 0972
Sakari Aaltonen
sakaria@cc.hut.fi
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
From: eml@shell.clark.net
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Sat Jul 11 08:51:58 CDT 1998
There is a company in the wisconsin area that is called Goretex or
something similar, they make industrial bellows out of synthetics for all
sorts of indoor and outdoor uses. They claim to make camera bellows as
well. I do not have any current information, but I have, as recently as
last winter, recieved information postcard packets with this ad in them,
possibly from either R&D; Magazine or NASA Tech Briefs.
Sorry I can't help more, but I can't find the one &$#&^$% card I saved!
Their stuff is not, by the way, rinkydink! They make stuff like
the bellows used at the end of jetways that conform to the shape
of the side of the plane to little tiny ones for 1/4" diameter
shafts exposed to the weather. Need a bellows for your 24x30
camera, waterproof? They can make it. Cost? I have no idea,
but the quality will be absolutley first rate.
Gopretex? Goretite? I can't remember.
Hope this helps.
Ed Lukacs
Washington, DC
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
In the latest Reid Tool Supply catalogue, they offer polyurethane
bellows. There are square regular ones with 5x7" inner diameter and 6
5/8 x 6 5/8. They come in both 12 inch and 24 inch models. The 12"
compresses to 1.5" and the 24" compresses to 3". Unfortunatly, I'm
looking for a 5x7 bellows, so I think that both would be too small. Oh,
yeah, the price. The 5x7: 12" 58.40 and the 24" 95.12; and the 6 5/8 x
6 5/8: 12" 58.40 and 24" $102.03
I'll look into the wisconsin company.
Peter De Smidt
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
The Flexible Products web site is at http://www.flexproducts.com/ . The
company is in Clearwater, FL.
They made a new bellows for my 2x3 Galvin for $110 a couple of months ago.
The bellows is pretty stiff, but for my purposes it doesn't matter. The
workmanship seems fine to me, and I have no complaints of any kind. If you
want something flexible, tell them about it in Clearwater or check
elsewhere. IMHO.
Gerald
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
I received some fabric swatches from Beacon Fabric and Notions
(1-800-713-8157). A fabric that is called Wet-look Stretch Vinyl looks
like it might make a good bellows fabric. Here's their description:
"Wet-look, stetchy vinyl-coated polyester. Suitable for raincoats or
aother waterproof garments." I got a black sample. It also comes in
white and yellow. It is shiny (wet-looking) on one side and matte-ish
black on the other. It is very light weight and flexible. In holding it
over my eye and looking at the sun, I couldn't see any light. If I
streched it a ways, however, I could. When I doubled it over, I
couldn't see any light even if I stretched it. It costs (from this
supplier) $14.45 a linear yard (it is 54" wide). I was thinking of
using this fabric both for the inside and outside layer of a bellows.
How could I tell if it is really opaque? I thought that I might wrap two
layers around a film holder with the darkslide removed, and then let it
in the sun for an hour or so. If the film shows no increased density
compared to the control (a piece of film loaded in the other side of
the holder with the darkslide kept in place), wouldn't it be fair to
conclude that this would work as bellows material? Any suggestions
appreciated.
Now on to rib material. I've heard that paper should be used
that is
about as thick/stiff as double weight fiber based photo paper. Is this
right? Would the stuff used for manila folders be about right?
Lastly, does anyone have any good glue suggestions? It should have
high adhesion, flexibility, light weight and low bulk. I thought about
silicone glue, but this might be too bulky/heavy. Thoughts?
TIA,
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998
I just wanted to write to the group about my recent experience making a
bellows. I used Doug Bardell's instructions and it worked great! It
wasn't the easiest thing I have ever done, but it wasn't super difficult
either. I used a light vinyl coated cotton for the outer material and a
tightly woven cotton for the inner material. I made a 22" 4X5 bellows as
a back up for my existing camera.
I spent about $20.00 on material and got a very nice quality bellows. If
anyone needs to make a new bellows for a strange camera or doesn't want
to spend $200.00 for a commercial one it is well worth the time to have
a look at his page.
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
I think the hardest thing is finding the correct raw materials. If
anyone knows of a good source for bellows materials I would be grateful
to hear about it.
I am working on a custom 5X7 made from teak and brass. Doug's design and
instructions will allow me to make just the right bellows for my new
camera
Dave
--
From: "Clyde R. Shappee" 71320.3043@compuserve.com
Dave,
I made my own bellows for my camera. I used a rubberized nylon material
that is sold by Adorama as a focus cloth. It is nice and thin. It was
relatively I also used index card stock for the formers. The outside
of the bellows is balistic nylon, like that on a backpack. I went into
a fabric store and wandered around till I found what I wanted. Trying
to describe this material to clerks did not work. I just had to find it.
The glue I used for putting the formers onto the nylon was Elmers. The
book I read describing how to do this said to use it. I was in
disagreement with this choice, but did it anyway, for lack of a better
glue. The adhesive for the rubberized nylon was 3M type 77 spray.
I used the text "Build Your Own View Camera" by Bert West.
Hope this helps at least one person.
Clyde
From: Sanking@Clemson.edu (Sandy King)
A very light weight rubberized material is also available from Porter
Camera (or is it Porters?). I used this material recently for the outside
of a bellows. Any fabric store will stock a matte black cotton or
polyester material that will work for the inner bellows. DP contact cement
worked well for me though I am sure there are several acceptable
alternatives.
Sandy King
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Samy's camera in Los Angeles also stocks a rubberized cloth as
black-out cloth for darkrooms. This same material can be used for
focal-plane shutter curtains.
FWIW, the traditional bellows construction has an inner layer of
rubberized cotton or silk and an outer layer of leather with
stiffeners made of thick manilla card stock. Newer synthetic materials
can replace all of these with greater lifetime but the basic structure
remains the same.
I've found that even in large, long established, fabric stores the
personel don't seem to know much about the products. At least here in
LA.
---
From: "Rick & Marsha Tonder" tonder@badlands.nodak.edu
For what it's worth, there's a short article on bellows building In View
Camera magazine, July/August 1996, page 52. Perhaps it has some additional
information for construction, although the author notes he has also had
difficulty finding material.
Rick
From Medium Format Digest:
Although it is true that Fuji claimed to not have any more
bellows, and (I have heard) they may now have a supplier,
so do I have a supplier...
Universal Bellows Co. Inc
made a bellows for me for $48 including postage. It took a month;
I had to send them the old one, and I especially encouraged
them to make sure they did not make it any thicker when folded
up.
They did ok..
The camera closes though perhaps a tad snugger than before.
Learning to remove and replace the bellows was helped by
3 calls to the Fuji people in S. Calif. (Louie), and some of
the info wasn't quite right for my camera model. In fact
you have to remove only 4 screws, but to get to 4 of them
you have to move the lens assembly off its bracket, requiring
that you remove 4 more screws. 2 of them with 2-dot unconventional
heads, and 2 that are visible only with the camera half folded.
rec.photo.misc
I'm not sure about what tape to use, but Universial Bellows Comapny, Inc
(516) 378-1264 apperars to have some fairly good prices for replacement
bellows. I purchased a new upper bellows from Bessler for my MX45 and it
cost me over $100.00. When I called Universial, they quoted me a cost of
$65.00 to rebuild my old bellows plus $8.00 for shipping. Of course I find
this out after I purchased the new bellows from Bessler. The only draw
back is that you have to send them the old bellows. I'll be sending my
lower bellows to them for rebuilding later this year.
From: "Norris" sbn@telepath.com
The black silicon that I bought is translucent. It lets in way too much
light. I have used black vinyl paint made for animation cells - from Cartoon
Color in Calif. - with success if the holes are fairly small.
From: tomf2468@pipeline.com (Tom Ferguson)
bobsalomon@mindspring.com wrote:
In my limited experience Bob is correct. If you have ONE pinhole in a
"newish" bellows, try and repair it. If the bellows is getting old and
developing "a few" of them, give up all hope. Even if you repair the
current ones, new ones will appear next month (spoken from personal
experience). A friend did a nice job repairing his with "shutter curtain
material and rubber cement". I think the curtain material was from an
old/broken speed graphic. It does add a small amount of "depth" to the
bellows.
For replacement bellows I've had very good luck with "Western Bellows" in
California (909-980-0606). The bellows they made for my monorail has held
up great and is darn near as flexible as the original manufacturer's. The
best part: it was about half the price of the manufacture's replacement
part price :-)
Hope that helps,
Tom
From: kai-ming@newclear.com (Kai-ming Mei)
I fixed a Zenobia folding camera with over a dozen corner leaks with black
gutta. Gutta is used for silk painting and avail at art stores.
So far so good. Of course this is a medium format folder, but I do open
and close it dozens of times a day.
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
I ordered something called Elastoseal from Bostick & Sullivan. It's a vile
smelling goop normally used to repair the roofs of mobile homes, but is also
lightproof and can expand amazingly without cracking. Richard Sullivan says
he gave his leaky bellows 6 coats and it worked like a charm. Costs 12 bucks
plus shipping. Hope this helps,
Eric
Scott Hardy wrote
rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Scott Hardy (sahardy@pcocd2.intel.com) wrote:
i've had good luck with plasti dip. it's normally
used to coat tool handles. i use a toothpick to
apply the smallest amount possible to facilitate
a repair.
d-
From: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
jcphoto2@aol.com (Jcphoto2) wrote:
This was actually suggested to me by Dick Sullivan of
Bostick and Sullivan. He has used a patching material made for wet
suits and available at diving supply places. I don't remember the name
of the stuff but they should know what you are asking for.
I have not personally tried it, it might work. Nothing else I've
every tried had more than a few days lifetime.
---
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999
I've repaired a few old Deardorff 8X10 bellows with pinholes in just
about every corner. (And that's a lot of corners!)
What I did was remove the bellows, stretch it out as far as you dare on
a long enough board and clamp each end down. The Deardorffs have a
wooden frame to clamp to. I don't know what you got. At an art supply
store (Michael's) I found something called "structural paint" it comes
in a toothpaste like tube with a cake decorating like tip. The stuff is
water-soluble till it is completely dry. I squeezed some into the jar of
a cheep airbrush and then added just enough HOT water to allow it to
pass through a medium sized airbrush tip.
Tip the board you have the bellows clamped to, to 45deg. And spray the
stuff along the entire length of the inside edge. (that's inside the
bellows of coarse ) It dries over night. Repeat for the other three
edges.
The "structural paint" has the consistency of an elastic band when dry.
When the bellows is compressed the elastic like stuff is under tension.
(this is why you spray it on with the bellows extended)
This worked out great because it also took the droop out of that big
old bellows.
Let me know how it works out.
From: mervins@aol.com (MervinS)
Try Liquid Rubber, the black stuff that comes in a tube - believe it is by
DuPont. Soluable in lighter fluid, so that you can also paint or spray the
entire bellows. Scotty
From: mikemac@mikemac.com (Mike McDonald)
chrisper@ncd.com (Christopher Perez) writes:
How about http://users.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
I still think metalic gold foil for the outside is "The Right Thing (tm)"!
Mike McDonald
From: Marv Soloff msoloff@worldnet.att.net
I am submitting this information from Leather/Cloth in response to the
NG members who have asked for sources for bellows material.
From Leather/Cloth (and paraphrased): "Bellows are made with an inner
and outer layer. The inner layer is coated cotton 0.28mm thick. The
outer layer is a thin plastic material. Each of the two materials vary
in width up to 30". The combined price for the two bellows materials
is $15.00 per square foot. There is a charge of $5.00 per order for
cutting, packing, shipping. Personal or company checks are acceptable,
but not credit cards. There is a 10 day money-back guarantee."
Leather/Cloth is at 1372 La Playa Street, San Francisco, CA 94122.
Hope this helps someone restore a priceless gem.
Regards,
Marv
From: "David Foy" dfoy@marketactics.com
My thanks to David-M for bringing this up.
As far as I can tell, both from reading and from dissecting the corpses of
folding cameras, bellows construction has been pretty much the same since
about WW1. An inner lining, something like very thin silk, an outer cover
(leather if you're lucky, thin canvas if you aren't), and sandwiched
between them a die-cut network of stiffeners, made (always, in my
experience) out of what looks like thin manilla paper, the kind used for
file folders.
I refer below to "100% sound bellows" which I have, indeed, checked in a
darkroom with dark-adapted eyes.
I believe (perhaps David-M can correct me) that the determining factors
include:
(1) whether or not the outer layer has deteriorated. An example is a Kodak
Folding Pocket Brownie in my possession (they must have had amazing
pockets in 1905). This camera's outer bellows has literally flaked away.
Another example is another Folding Pocket Kodak of the same era (but
different price range) which has a 100% sound bellows. And to drive the
point home, another FP Brownie with exactly the same bellows material,
obviously stored in better conditions, with 100% good bellows.
(2) how often the bellows have been unfolded and re-folded. As David-M
notes, there are folders that have had average use which show pinholes.
However, I have a beater German folder from the 'thirties that looks like
it was used 18 hours a day by a pro for sixty years, with good fabric
bellows that are 100% light-tight. So it's hard to generalize.
(3) how important pinholes really are. I shoot ISO 100 film regularly with
a 6x4.5 folder that appears light-tight but does not pass the rigorous
dark-adapted-eye test, yet which never shows fog on negatives. I think
it's because the pinholes are really, truly dinky and I never have the
bellows open enough for light leakage to accumulate.
From: Marv Soloff msoloff@worldnet.att.net
...
David: There are bellows and there are bellows. Cheaper cameras (mass
market so to say) were made of very cheap materials. The more epensive
cameras had bellows made from sturdier materials. For a comprehensive
tour of the bellows problem, I would refer you to Thomas Tomosy's
excellent book "Restoring Classic and Collectible Cameras" - Amherst
Media - ISBN 0-936262-59-1. John Craig (www.craigcamera.com) and other
photo booksellers carry it, as does Borders Books.
For a very interesting example of a mass market camera with a quality
bellows, take a good look at the Polaroid bellows made over the past 50
years. Polaroid used a DuPont synthetic called "Fairprene" that has
proven to be extremely durable. Alas, this material is no longer
available.
(For the nit-pickers in our crowd, DuPont sold off the "Fairprene"
operation. Fairprene still exists, but as a custom coater of vinyls and
cannot/will not supply the Polaroid bellows material unless a production
run is purchased. Been there.)
Still, a number of small companies still custom make bellows - they
run from expensive to very expensive depending on size and materials,
and, if you have a favorite camera with a leaky bellows, consider having
a new one fabricated. You will get another 50 - 100 years of use out
of the camera.
Regards,
Marv
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999
there are some third party medium format bellows by folks such as Novoflex
and even Spiratone which are larger, and therefore suffer less vignetting.
The Spiratone bellows had a higher priced deluxe version which featured a
front standard that had some limited rise and tilts similar to the
bronica bellows. There was also a 35mm variant (similar to the Nikon
PB-4) by spiratone with front tilts and shifts. And there was evidently a
Kowa 6/66 medium format bellows which had tilts and shifts too for macro
work, although they are rarer and generally more pricey than the bronica
variants. If you do get a bronica bellows, be sure you get a test
period, as there are several variants out there, and some have/need an
adapter ring to use on the later camera models - e.g., see
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/bronsa.html,
from the Special Accessories page, this info on third party bellows units:
Unusual features of some Bellows Extension units..
Special Bronica bellows is the only one of its 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 field to
have lens movements. The lens standard can be swung, and the lens raised,
lowered for proper image centering.
Limited view camera movements are feature of some bellows. Spiratone
Bellowsmat tilts lens to extend depth of field, raises, lowers lens to
place image at correct height.
Accura Bellowsmaster Seymour Multiscope accept flat interchangeable lens
boards that permit use of ''odd-ball'' lenses, such as view or enlarging
objectives.
and:
Dual 35mm/6x6 Bellows
Novoflex makes dual use bellows for both 6x6 and 35mm camera use, the
11/TISBIG bellows, with adapters for various 35mm and 6x6 cameras.
SOURCE: Popular Photography Sept. 1970 p.174 (Pentacon 6 to Nikon example
uses 11/NIKLEI-P and 11/LEITIS adapters)
From Bronica Mailing List;
Hello,
Yes Mamiya RZ/RB have bellows, but it has no tilt/shift function.
However, Mamiya also released a tilt/shift adapter for RZ, see
http://www.mamiya.com/Section2/RZ67/RZaccessories/RZa-tltshft.html
But this accessory extends the back-focus and focus to infinite is
impossible.
I also have it, you can see the detail of it at
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/shinsaku/hiura/camera/bellows/index.html
I use EC-TL camera which enables TTL metering. It is useful for
macro photo too. EC type camera is recommended, because it has
mirror-lockup function.
But unfortunately, you had already noticed, the tilt/shift function
can not be used when focusing at infinity or distance object. For that
reason, you can not correct the perspective of architecture photo.
Nikon did not released shift-lens for Bronica S2/EC.
Moreover, it is not so useful when taking macro-photo because the
image circle of genuine Nikon lens is not enough to shift/tilt.
Therefore, attaching none-original (long focal distance, big image
circle) lens is very effective.
However, my real intension is, a recommendation of simple view-camera,
such as HORSEMAN VH or Super-Linhof. It has a bellows :-) which enables
shift/tilt when focusing at infinity. These type of camera has a large
lens capability (Nikkor is also exist :-p).
Such lens has a leaf-shutter. No mirror and shutter shock.
Regards,
From Panoramic Mailing List;
Richard,
Heres the bellows makers list:
http://www.edromney.com/
Camera Bellows,
Units 3-5, St.Pauls Rd, Balsall Heath, Mirmingham B128NG,England
"Tony (camera Bellows)" TEATON@leefilters.com
FAX no; 0121 4400972 TEL no; 0121 4401695
Turner Bellows, 526 Child St., Rochester, NY 14606. Phone:716-235-4456
A&A; Manufacturing Co. Inc., 2300 S. Calhoun Rd., New Berlin, Wisconsin
53151-0847. Phone: 414-786-3280.
Western Bellows, 9340 7th. St., Suite G, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
91730-5664. Phone: 909-980-0606
Universal Bellows Co, 25 Hanse Ave., Freeport, NY 11520.
Photography on Bald Mountain, PO Box 113, Davenprot, CA 95017. Phone:
408-423-4465. Patrick Alt, phone: 213-748-3987.
Flexible products: have had negative comments, ill fit, material too
thick, cant close camera, etc...
Any additional info you find, please add to the list and return.
At Your Service,
Mitch Warner
From: Dave Morrison dmorriso@sptimes.com
I don't know if they are still at this address/phone, but I have used
these
guys before with good results:
Flexible Products
dave
http://www.morrisonphotographics.com
"Glenn Stewart (Arizona)" wrote:
Ok, here's the info. This is much harder to explain than to actually
do, so bear with my wordiness. Note that I have an Omega 45D Monorail -
this camera does not have interchangeable bellows like the newer Toyos
do, but they're attached pretty simply and can be removed without
damage.
On my camera, there is a metal frame which sandwiches the bellows to the
camera body:
1. Decide how long and how big around the bellows needs to be.
First, I decided how long to make the bellow by focusing a 90mm lens.
The length between the front & rear flanges at this setting was about
4in. The circumference of the existing bellows is about 24in. So, I
want to make a tube a little longer and a little larger circumference
than this. I decided 8in. long by 30in. circ. would work, so I needed
fabric 8x30in.
2. Get the fabric:
I couldn't find any rubberized material that was light tight, so I used
two layers. The outer layer is "ballistics cordura" (heavier than 1000d
cordura), and the inner is a nylon/polyester shirt fabric. Neither of
these materials is perfectly light tight on their own, but together they
are. Don't cut the fabric to size yet!
3. Glue the two layers together. (I washed both materials first, just
to be safe.)
I used 3M Super 77 spray adhesive, spraying both pieces and letting them
dry before joining. This is the tricky part, as the lighter fabric
wants to wrinkle, and once two glued surfaces touch, any attempt to
unstick them usually results in more wrinkles. The stiff cordura is
easier to work with, so I left the lightweight fabric laying flat, and
rolled the cordura onto it. I recommend laying the fabric on something
relatively stiff like cardboard when spraying the glue, as the edges
tend to stick to the cardboard, and it holds the lighter fabric flat
when rolling the cordura onto it.
4. Cut to size. On my camera, the front and rear standard are the same
size, so I only need a rectangular piece of fabric to make a straight
tube. If you're using a camera that needs a tapered bellows, you'll
need to cut the fabric into a shallow "C" shape that can be formed into
a truncated cone. (Unroll a paper drink cup for an example.) Maybe a
straight tube would work as well, with more pleats in the front?
5. Mark the fabric for attaching the frames.
Ok, this requires a little planning. The tube will be larger around
than the bellows frames, so a little folding/pleating will be necessary.
My strategy was to mark 4 equidistant points along the front and rear
edges of the fabric: these marks will correspond to the middle of each
side of the frame. One of these marks should be in the center of the
seam at the bottom of the tube. (I used a 1in. overlapping seam.)
At this point, I have a rectangular piece of double-layer fabric,
8x30in. with five marks along each 30in. side. (The end marks are 1/2in
from the end, so that when the tube is formed with a 1in. overlapping
seam, they will be on top of each other.)
6. Form the tube, inside out. Using contact cement, I glued the two
8 in. ends together with a 1in. overlap. (Let the glue dry before
attaching.)
7. Attach one end frame. Using binder clips, I attached the tube to
the metal frame so that each of the four center marks on the fabric
matched the center of each side of the frame. There is extra material
at the corners, so figure out how to fold the fabric (sort of like
making hospital corners) to take up the extra. (This is why I used
clamps first instead of gluing right away.) Now unclamp one side at a
time and glue _one side at a time_. Glue down the folds.
8. Attach the other frame. Turn the fabric tube right side out. *If
you're making a tapered tube, hopefully you started with the small end!
Basically this is the same as the gluing the first end, right side out.
(I suppose you could have attached the first frame with the bellows
right side out as well.)
9. Attach the bellows to the camera: the same way you removed the old
one.
10. Marvel at the new freedom of movement! Find the tallest building
you can and easily rise the front standard to get the whole thing in the
shot. (Or, realize you now have an excuse to buy a new, wider lens.)
Some things I learned along the way:
The heavy cordura is a little stiff. I used it thinking it would help
keep the bellows from collapsing, but it's overkill.
I had to buy longer screws to reattach the bellows frames to the camera.
The extra thickness of two layers of fabric left the original screws
too short.
I know this sounds pretty convoluted, but that's just my poor
descriptive skills. This is really straightforward, no sewing or
special tools involved. If anyone has any suggestions for how this
could be made easier, please let me know!
Hope this helps someone,
From Camera Makers Mailing List;
Hi Chris
Basically all I did was cut two pieces of darkroom cloth one for
the film side and one for the lens side and with some very aggressive two
sided tape they were taped together and then turned the material right
side out then with the same two sided tape I taped the around both
openings and stuck the front to the front and the back to the back. I hope
this will give you sort of an idea as to how it was made.
Ron
www.ronbakerphotography.com
Postscript: The tape should go completely around the outside
periphery of the two pieces of material and completely around each
opening. I'm not sure if that was what your question was if not send me
another email. The sag factor is not a problem until you reach the maximum
draw of the bellows and even then sag hasn't been a problem.
From Bronica Mailing List;
http://www.craigcamera.com/access.htm
I think you may have this listed already, but this guy sells replacement
bellows for old KOdak cameras like the 1a and the 3 from US$10. Great for
restoration.
From Camera Makers Mailing List:
I've found that stuff called "Black Plastic Rubber" made by Super Glue do=
es the trick quite nicely. I picked it up at Home Depot for a couple of =
bucks. Seals out the light and isn't reflective.
Dan Rhoades
From Camera Makers Mailing List:
On Thu, 25 Jan 2001 Sandy King
sanking@hubcap.clemson.edu writes:
Hi Sandy, the product is available from Electric Vehicle Systems for $11
which includes postage by US Priority Mail. You get a 2oz squeeze bottle
of black liquid latex with a needle tip. It has a slight ammonia odor
when wet but it is odorless when dry and cleans up with cold water while
wet. The repair is permanent on fabric and on most other surfaces. If you
wish to purchase this product, call or E-Mail with your full address.
From Camera Makers Mailing List:
Hi Sandy:
Liquid black latex is available at high quality
bicycle stores. It is used on expensive sew up road
racing tires. They will probably have to order the
black stuff it is usually natural gum rubber colored.
Another thing to try is a special rubber paint used to
paint headliners in cars. It is aailable through your
nearest auto upholstery specialist.
Tyler
From Camera Makers Mailing List;
I've finally found the perfect stuff to make your own bellows that look
nicer than any I've seen (including professionally made). I found a
fabric that is light proof and very handsome. It is a polyester
microfiber suede that looks and feels just like the real thing but isn't
nearly as thick. It was $16.99 a yard but well worth the money. The glue
I found doesn't add any bulk to the bellows, glues the craft paper spacers
nice and tight, dries stable within a half an hour, is water proof and is
clear and flexible when dry. In fact, I think it is helping the bellows
to retain a good elasticity after the bellows sat in compression when I
was done making it. It is called Tear Mender made by Val-A out of Chicago
(www.tearmender.com) and I found it at the same fabric store I found the
fabric. It is basically a natural latex in a solvent and when I put the
gaberdine backing inside the bellows it glued the two cloths like one. I
was able to get a draw on the bellows from 1.5" to 17" and the corners are
sharp and clean. I'll put some pictures and info up on my website as soon
as the pictures are developed. Thought those who are planning making
bellows would like to know.
Dan Rhoades
from Rollei Mailing List:
J Patric Dahl,n at jenspatricdahlen@hotmail.com wrote:
A method for making bellows can be found at:
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
Also, Ed Romney has booklet on making bellows.
pk
From Rollei Mailing List:
you wrote:
If the bellows are just stiff a light dose of a leather dressing like
Lexol or one of the creams sold for treating book bindings will improve
its flexibility. However, if its started to rot nothing will save it and
the dressings will only make it worse.
Any dressing applied to bellows must be used sparingly because it will
soak through the leather and may loosen the cement holding the bellows
together or soak into the paper stiffeners, making mush of them. Once a
bellows develops pin-holes it will continue to develop more rather
quickly.
The real cure is to replace the bellows. You can build them, as has been
suggested, or you can buy new ones from any of several makers. I don't
think any of the US makers works in genuine leather but there is an
English company which does, and reportedly, makes an excellent product.
Usually, the maker will need either the whole camera or at least the old
bellows with frames to use as a pattern. The old frames can be re-used.
I've had bellows made by Flexible Products and was not impressed with
the workmanship. The Bellows work, and will probably last forever but I've
seen better work from other companies.
From Rollei Mailing LIst:
you wrote:
More: Camera Bellows is at: http://www.camerabellows.com/
Also see Doug Bardell's site a:
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html
for instructions on making bellows.
And Jon Grepstad's site at:
http://home.sol.no/~gjon/lffaq.htm
for a FAQ on view camera construction.
The zipped bellows instructions can be found at:
http://www cnsp.com/mdesign/downloads/bellows1.zip
Its about 650kb.
----
From Rollei Mailing List;
you wrote:
Try
http://www.cnsp.com/mdesign/downloads/bellows1.zip
----
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001
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: dickburk@ix.netcom.com (Richard Knoppow)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Reattaching bellows to front standard?
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002
fotocord fotocord@yahoo.com wrote:
>Well part of my project B&J; 5X7 is reattaching the bellows to the front
>standard. It has a wooden frame and the past owner used some epoxy and a
>piece of black foam looking stuff between the bellows and the standard
>which didn't work too well it seems. I have no idea how this was originally
>attached or what the best method would be to reattach this. Any tips are
>appreciated.
>--
>
> Stacey
Not sure about the Burke & James but most cameras of this type are
similar. The bellows has a frame at each end. At the front its usually
a flat board, something like a lens board. The bellows material is
folded over the edges and held with contact cement. The front frame
itself is held to the standard by screws. These are inside the bellows
around the edges of the front frame. My old Ansco/Agfa cameras have
three screws on each side, near the edge. If the screws are missing
you should see some signs of the holes for them.
Very often there is a gasket of felt or velvet between the frame and
body of the camera.
There is quite a lot of tension on the bellows and frame when the
camera is at near maximum extension so something more reliable than
glue is required for fastening the bellows.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: M C Daily mcdaily@indy.rr.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: where do you buy ground glass?
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002
For LF bellows material, I have used black rubberized raincoat material
from JoAnn fabrics (when they have it). For shutter curtain material:
try Micro-Tools, PO Box 6505, Vacaville CA 95696, 707.446.1120,
www.micro-tools.com. In the catalog, pg. 99.
Michael
Richard Knoppow wrote:
(snip)
> On another post, I can't help with shutter cloth, I've been trying
> to find a source of rubberized or plastic coated cloth myself for both
> focal plane shutters and for building bellows. Most fabric stores
> have no idea what you are talking about. I've found some frustratingly
> close material in stores selling upholstering materials, but it was
> too stretchy. Since cloth FP shutters are still made and certainly
> bellows are still made, someone must be making the right cloth.
> ---
> Richard Knoppow
From camera fix mailing list:
From: N1861@aol.com
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
Subject: [Cameramakers] Re: Cameramakers digest, Vol 1 #521Cordura Bellows Adhesive
Riderwearhouse (www.aerostitch.com) sells motorcycle wear and gear. Among the
materials for waterproofing and repairing riding jackets and suits they list
the following products.
AquaSeal, six dollars for a one oz tube. It's a medium viscosity sealant that
also works as "an agressive adhesive" that glues permanently to fabrics. They
list cordura as one of the fabrics it works with.
Seam Grip, seven dollars for a one oz tube. This is a lighter viscosity
sealant that also has "excellent adhesive properties".
Both products are urethane based. From reading the descriptions it looks like
the lighter viscosity Seam Grip will tend more to wick into the fabric. These
are both commercial products and can probably be found at outdoor gear
outlets. There is also a thinner called Cotol that is specially formulated
for working with urethane based sealants and adhesives, and shortens the
drying time (i.e. AquaSeal drying time shortens from 12 to 2 hours).
Jerry Henneman
From camera makers mailing list:
From: "John Cremati" johnjohnc@core.com
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002
Subject: [Cameramakers] bellows liner sheen
Hi,
I am in the process of building a 24x24 camera bellows and I
found this wonderful material called "Emphatex." . It is a 2 ply
coated breathable nylon material used to make sports gear......It is
extremely thin , light and subtle and is almost 100 percent light tight
by itself, however it does pass a very little light.. ... With two
layers I am sure it will be completely opaque.. The question or concern
I have is that the material has a slight or dull sheen to it and I was
wondering how critical do you think it is to have a liner in the
bellows that is dead flat black?
If it is critical does anyone have any suggestions to dull the
sheen.
Also is there any recommendations for liners that are dead flat
black..
Thanks,
John Cremati
From camera makers mailing list:
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003
From: mike davey miked789@shaw.ca
Subject: RE: [Cameramakers] Bellows material and adhesive
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
This Canadian store also has 'Taffeta' listed. I don't know if it's the
same or not... 4.50 Can 60" wide per Meter.
http://www.justmakeit.com/fabrics/linings/index.html
I made my first bellows with vinyl. It wound up being too bulky. Next I
tried using just heavy construction paper. I made a square tube and then
folded. It's a little stiff but works. I coated it with latex on the
outside and on the inside I used Krylon UV resistant clear acrylic
coating.
I will continue to use this bellows until it wears out then I will try
the Taffeta.
Mike Davey
From camera fix mailing list:
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003
From: "Leigh Solland (on Webmail)" solland@telusplanet.net
Subject: Re: Bellows Repair Alternatives
I've been using a mixture of tent sealer and flat black fabric paint. The
tent sealer has good properties of adhesion and flexibility but is
unfortunately transparent. The fabric paint by itself was unsatisfactory, so
it is just added for opacity.
I paint it on with a small glue brush, in the dark, with a light inside the
bellows. Several thin coats are generally needed.
Seems to work (so far, don't know how well it will hold up long term), and is
readily available here in Western Canada.
Good luck, and Merry Christmas to all.
Leigh
Quoting velostigmat velostigmat@hotmail.com:
> There are three suggestions I have seen for bellows repair on folding
> cameras:
>
> 1. Liquid Tape
> 2. Plasti-Dip
> 3 Elmer's Glue with black latex pigment and liquid soap
>
> All of the above to be apllied externally to the spots where the
> bellows is leaking light.
>
> Does anyone here have experience with these techniques? Which is the
> best, and where can I obtain Liquid Tape and Plasti-Dip?
> Sourcing these seems to be a problem in Canada.
>
> Thanks for your help
>
> Barry
From camera fix mailing list:
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003
From: "Edmund Klebe" eaklebe@qis.net
Subject: Re: Bellows Repair Alternatives
For "Liquid Tape" (may have a different name) try an electrical supply store. It's sold here in Maryland in some hardware
stores and is used to seal cracked insulation on electrical wires. I have also used it to seal wire splices.
...
From camera fix mailing list:
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003
From: "jonyquikv" jonyquikv@netscape.net
Subject: Re: Bellows Repair Alternatives
Liquid Tape is manufactured and packaged by GC Chemicals, it is part
# N29LT10-1762, and costs $6.50 per 2 oz bottle, and is available on
the internet from the following; http://www.elexp.com/hrd_1762.htm
Good Luck!!! Vincent (jonyquik)
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004
From: "John Cremati" johnjohnc@core.com
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows Material Nylon Taffeta Report
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
I would just like to report on some material that I had purchased for making
bellows..
The Material purchased from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics on line was a
extremely light weight black nylon taffeta coated with a opaque silver
urethane backing that was considered breathable.. On the original sample
the micro pores in the material were very small but when laminated to
itself as if you were making a bellows and using a clear adhesive ( silver
back to silver back ) no evidence of light leaks were evident.
Since then I had order a large piece for the making of a 20x24 by 6
foot long bellows. I found the sample test piece I had made was not
consistent with the large piece of fabric.. Although the outward appearance
is the same as the sample it appears that there are more micro pores in the
large piece of fabric and when laminated together, most of these disappear
but still a small number of extremely small light leaks occur .. The
testing was done against a 250 watt spot light.
I love this fabric as it is very thin ( .004 to .005 ) and light
weight and durable , so I intend to try to find a opaque black contact
adhesive to laminate the fabric with.. I will also be using 7 mil developed
and fixed lith film cut in strips with a density of 4.2 as the stiffeners.
Hopefully this will remedy the random micro pore that is visible in the
fabric.
John Cremati
Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004
From: "R. Mueller" r.mueller@fz-juelich.de
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] black adheasive
To: E-mail discussion about homemade cameras cameramakers@opusis.com
With spray adhesives I have little hope to offer you. However, I have done
a bit of experimenting, with some useful results. I could add black
printers ink to silicone giving a product which hardened quite
normally but which was black and good for blocking light. A piece of
cloth impregnated with it was flexible and rubbery but opaque. (I used
perhaps 10% ink, maybe a little less). The stuff should age better than
real rubber. You can thin it to impregnate something or spread it using
naptha or similar solvent (wash benzine, in some places, white spirit in
others) A lot of solvent is required in order to brush the stuff onto a
surface. Thinning works with the kind cured by giving off acetic acid. I
don't know about the neutral curing kind. (I have poor expectations for
trying to get lamp black uniformly distributed in unthinned contact cement.)
I would expect that you can also add lamp black to contact cement if you
have a suitable thinner for it. Lamp black should be pretty neutral and
harmless. While dyes ought to be good, it is well to select a dye which
is stable over a long time, even in sunlight. Some fade badly. One virtue
of lamp black should be stability.
Bob.
you wrote:
> I was just wondering if any one knows of a opaque black adhesive
> that would be suitable for laminating bellow material? I have not been
> able to find any in the commercially available spray adhesives...
> I thought I may try experimenting by adding a alcohol or
> oil based black " aniline dye " to the available spray adhesives to see
> if it is compatible. I know that they use these dyes to color lacquers,
> shellac, ect.. They are very intense dyes and if compatible with the
> glue, may remedy the problem.
>
>John Cremati
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004
From: "ron anger" anger@sympatico.ca
Subject: [Cameramakers] NAT Cam Bellows thing
To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com
The natcam bellows booklet is no big deal. Mentions some tools for
removing bellows from folding cameras. Also making bellows. Not a meaty
booklet loaded with secrets.
This is part of the twenty or so manuals making up the NatCam camera repair
correspondence course maybe twenty years ago.
Ron Anger
From: Jeff tokom@sympatico.ca
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: GS645 bellow replacement
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004
18 months ago I purchased bellows for my GS645 from
http://www.camerabellows.com/, and had it replaced by Fuji Canada.
Their website still up. Maybe you should try phoning them.
Jeff.
Koji wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I need a new bellow for my gs645 camera. Is there anyone can suggest a
> bellow maker can accept overseas order? I'm living in Hong Kong and I
> can't find the bellow in local shops. I email to camerabellows.com and
> turnerbellows.com but no any feedback. Are they still in business?
From: Craig Schroeder craigclu69n@netscape.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: GS645 bellow replacement
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004
Maybe Camera Wiz would sell you one? They replaced mine and did an
excellent job but I don't know if you could rationalize the shipping,
etc of your camera to the US. At least they may know of a source for
you. Good luck and I hope you get your folder back in action!
koji99@myrealbox.com (Koji) wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I need a new bellow for my gs645 camera. Is there anyone can suggest a
>bellow maker can accept overseas order? I'm living in Hong Kong and I
>can't find the bellow in local shops. I email to camerabellows.com and
>turnerbellows.com but no any feedback. Are they still in business?
From: "David J. Littleboy" davidjl@gol.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: GS645 bellow replacement
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004
"Koji" koji99@myrealbox.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I need a new bellow for my gs645 camera. Is there anyone can suggest a
> bellow maker can accept overseas order? I'm living in Hong Kong and I
> can't find the bellow in local shops. I email to camerabellows.com and
> turnerbellows.com but no any feedback. Are they still in business?
A couple of years ago, I saw a sign advertising GS645 bellows replacement
(for a tad over 10,000 Yen) in a shop in Tokyo: Fujiya. one of the larger
used places in Tokyo. www.fujiya-camera.co.jp Only in Japanese, though.
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan
From: Peter De Smidt
Date: Sat Jul 11 09:39:26 CDT 1998
Fond du Lac, WI
From: "Gerald Pierce" GeraldWPierce@worldnet.att.net
[1] Re: Source for New Bellows?
Date: Mon Jul 13 18:38:57 CDT 1998
From: Peter De Smidt pdesmidt@fdldotnet.com
[1] Bellows material update
Date: Tue Jul 14 23:45:06 CDT 1998
Peter DS
From: Dave nospam@pacifier.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Fabricating Bellows
Please reply to the group or directly to:
dpayne at pacifier dot com
Subject: Re: Fabricating Bellows
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 02:22:18 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Fabricating Bellows
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Fabricating Bellows
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 22:03:41 GMT
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Fabricating Bellows
Date: 7 Sep 1998 04:07:32 GMT
From: Richard Fateman fateman@cs.berkeley.edu
Subject: Response to Fuji GS645 news
Date: 1998-09-20
25 Hanse Avenue
Freeport, NY 11520
From: John Newton jnewton@norfolk.infi.net
[1] Re: Help replacement bellows
Date: Fri Oct 30 11:25:21 CST 1998
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellows repair
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999
>> There is some black goop you buy at a dive shop that is very elastic
>
>
>I have never tried it but black silicon glue/caulk might work.
>
>Stan Patz NYC
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellows repair
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999
>Like it or not there is no good repair for a bellows that has started to
>deteriorate it will continue to develop problems and the suggested cures
>simply make the bellows less flexible and, if the cure fails - more lost
>pictures. Big Snip
>
>"photo@hic.net"@hic.net wrote:
>> Does anyone know where to get a bellows repaired or replaced. Even
>> better does anyone know a compound you can use to repair a bellows
>> yourself?
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellows repair
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999
From: "Eric M" murphwell@mail.telepac.pt
[1] Re: Bellows repair
Date: Wed Mar 17 07:03:42 CST 1999
>I have an Omega rail camera which I bought used. Works great, but has
>a light leak in the bellows, somewhere. I assume the hole is on one of
>the corners where the pleats fold.
>
>What is the best way to repair holes in bellows?
From: dave@ced.utah.edu (dave)
[1] Re: Bellows repair
Date: Wed Mar 17 15:11:20 CST 1999
: I have an Omega rail camera which I bought used. Works great, but has
: a light leak in the bellows, somewhere. I assume the hole is on one of
: the corners where the pleats fold.
:
: What is the best way to repair holes in bellows?
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: need advice on bellows repair
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999
>I checked my bellows for light leaks- and sure enough I've got some pinholes in
>the corners of the material. I seem to recall that someone on this ng advised
>plugging the holes with some material that can be purchased at a scuba diving
>shop. Is this correct? What is the material called? How is it applied?
>Thanks in advance.
>
>Justin Williams
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: bdasilva@idirect.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellows repair
Bill DaSilva
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: bellows repair
Date: 29 Jan 1999
>Does anyone know where to get a bellows repaired or replaced. Even
>better does anyone know a compound you can use to repair a bellows
>yourself?
>
>Ken
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Bellows manufacturing? Sites?
Date: 4 Mar 1999
> I did a quick search through DejaNews and Alta Vista
> and found nothing of interest:
>
> 1. I'm looking for suggestions on web-sites or ??? to
> visit that describe how to construct camera bellows.
> 2. I'm also looking for sources of bellows material.
> This includes leather and modern synthetic materials
> suitable for use in this application.
mikemac@mikemac.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Bellows Material
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Bellows construction (was Re: Folding camera experiences)
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bellows construction (was Re: Folding camera
experiences)
From: Robert Monaghan rmonagha@post.cis.smu.edu
To: bronica@iList.net
Subject: Re: [BRONICA] Bellows Question
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/bronsbellows150.jpg,
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/bronba.jpg (adapter ring..)
Source: Feb. 1964 Popular Photography p. 44
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999
From: Shinsaku HIURA shinsaku@sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
To: bronica@iList.net
Subject: Re: RB/RZ bellows setups was Re: [BRONICA] Education of the
Ignorant
> Hmmm? Maybe I'm confused now ;-) I thought the RZ/RB series had an
> integral bellows which I assumed was under discussion, viz. from
> http://www.mamiya.com/Section2/RB67/RBcamera/RB67.html I quote:
> Fast and precise bellows focusing with locking feature permits fast and
> easy close-ups without special attachments. end-quote
# I thought there is a lens with short barrel which enables focusing
# to infinity.. but I can not find it on a site.
> the real beauty of the S2/EC bronica deluxe bellows (with tilt/shifts)
> was the ability to use the nikkors/... at infinity (minimal or no
> tilt/shift) but then smoothly extend to do closeups (like a wide ranging
> macro lens) - but unlike a macro lens, you can tilt/shift and put the
> plane of focus where you want it on the macro-subject. And you can use
> _all_ of the mountable lenses as macro lenses of a sort, which probably
> explains why there isn't any designated macro or makro ;-) lens in the
> lineup - with the deluxe bellows, they all were candidates for such use.
Shinsaku Hiura
Osaka, Japan
----
B!!Shinsaku HIURA (Dr. Eng.)
B!!Department of Systems and Human Science,
Graduate School of Engineering Science,
Osaka University
B!!1-3, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka 560-8531 JAPAN
B!!http://www-inolab.sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp/~shinsaku
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999
From: "Mitchell P. Warner" indepth@kuentos.guam.net
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Bellows List
Date: Tue, 23 May 2000
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format,rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Re: Camera Bellows Maker
14504 60th St. N.
Clearwater, FL 727-536-3142
> jjs wrote:
>
> > Thanks to Glen Stewart for this tip - a real honest-to-gosh bellows maker.
> > http://wind.winona.msus.edu/~stafford/camera_bellows_maker.pdf
>
> John,
>
> I'm glad the info was useful. There is at least one other maker, but I
> don't have the info. I'm sure someone else will post it within a couple
> of days.
>
> Did you get any price quotes from them? I'm sure others will be
> interrested.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Stew
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000
From: Alan alanb@bendcable.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format
Subject: Making bag bellows (long-winded)
/\/\/\ [
]|[
(0)
]|[
\/\/\/ [
bellows: /\/\/|
bellows frame: ]
camera frame: [
lens: (0)
Alan Brandt
--
Luna Design Cooperative
design.photo.graphica
http://home.bendcable.com/lunadesign
From: "Ron Baker" rbaker3@kscable.com
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Re: Plans for 4x5
> hi, ron, can you tell us about your bellows making technique? it appeals
> (from the look) because it seems much more flexible and less time consuming
> than other methods. thank you so much-chris
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000
From: Kelvin Lee kelvinlee@pacific.net.sg
Subject: Re: [BRONICA] Metered prism finders for S2A?
From: "Daniel Rhoades" danielrhoades@msn.com
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2001
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Repairing paper bellows on old folder
www.rhoadescameras.bizland.com
From: tonyascrizzi@juno.com
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Repairing paper bellows on old folder
> >On Thu, 25 Jan 2001 kelvin kelvinlee@pacific.net.sg
>
> >Liquid black latex bonds well to bellows, actually wicking into the
> >fabric and is invisable as a repair. Paint will dry hard and flake
> or crack away.
> >
> >
> >Tony Ascrizzi - Electric Vehicle Systems
> >34 Paine St.
> >Worcester, MA 01605 (508) 799-5650
>
>
> Where does one buy liquid black latex? Any brand name you would
> recommend?
>
>
> Sandy King
Tony Ascrizzi - Electric Vehicle Systems
34 Paine St.
Worcester, MA 01605 (508) 799-5650
Web Page -->http://ElectricVehicleSystems.com
President -->New England Electric Auto Association
http://www.eaaev.org/neeaa
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001
From: Tyler Samson tysamson@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Repairing paper bellows on old folder
From: "Daniel Rhoades" danielrhoades@msn.com
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2001
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows Construction
www.rhoadescameras.bizland.com
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
From: pkkollas@gorge.net
Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT new bellows for view cameras?
> Hi!
>
> Can anyone recommend pages about restoring and changing bellows on older
> cameras? I will buy a couple of old 6,5x9 cm cameras, and it would be
> interesting to know this stuff if I need to do some work on them.
>snip
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
From: Richard Knoppow dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT new bellows for view cameras?
>Hi!
>
>Can anyone recommend pages about restoring and changing bellows on older
>cameras? I will buy a couple of old 6,5x9 cm cameras, and it would be
>interesting to know this stuff if I need to do some work on them.
>
>/Patric
Camera Bellows
Unit 3-5
St. Pauls Road
Balsall Heath
Birmingham
B12 8NG
Tel: +44 (0) 121 440 1695
Fax +44 (0) 121 440 0972
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
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
----
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles,Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
From: Richard Knoppow dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT new bellows for view cameras?
>Hi!
>
>Can anyone recommend pages about restoring and changing bellows on older
>cameras? I will buy a couple of old 6,5x9 cm cameras, and it would be
>interesting to know this stuff if I need to do some work on them.
>
>/Patric
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles,Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001
From: Richard Knoppow dickburk@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: [Rollei] OT new bellows for view cameras?
>Could you share this with me also - the bellows making file that is.
>Also how does one find the cameramakers list?
>Thanks,
>Jim Ketcheson,
>Belleville, Canada
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles,Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
From: Rich Lahrson <tripspud@transbay.net>
To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Rollei] Options for Bellows
Hi!
Not long ago, there was a topic on replacing a bellows. Here's a link
from my bookmarks, though I've no experience with this firm:
http://www.turnerbellows.com/Bellows.htm
Cheers,
Rich Lahrson
tripspud@transbay.net
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