Restoring a wood 8x10

[James Nasuta]

I have been using a Toyo G45 for only one year now (so I am still a "newbie") and I am totally hooked on LF. So being one of the fools who rush in where angels fear to tread, I plan to spend some time restoring an old wooden 8x10 camera. The problem is that I know nothing about what I am getting into. I am not concerned that restoring a camera lessens its value to collectors and purists as I am not looking to make a profit from this work. I want a camera that will both look good and function properly as I intend to use it quite often once completed. I am only willing to spend $700 to acquire the camera itself so I doubt that a Deardorff will be in my future. I also want a camera for which I can find, or have made, any missing parts. With those limitations in mind I have 2 questions. First, which manufacturers/cameras would you recommend I acquire for this project. Second, are there any books or websites that describe the restoration process (i.e. what tools, chemicals (paint/varnish remover), or skills I will need)? Any and all advise (speculation) is deeply appreciated.

Let me express my thanks to all of the very knowledgeable and kind people who are willing to take the time to share their knowledge and experiences to help others along the path to LF bliss, if there is such a thing. The only bliss I find is when the image actually appears, hauling all of the equipment around to make the image is definitely NOT bliss; at least not to my 50 year old, kidney transplanted, dodenal ulcerated, and gall bladder removed body!

[John Kasaian]

James, The Kodak D2, Burk and James, and Agfa-Anscos are plentiful, lots of parts available, and fairly inexpensive----the "beaters" are downright cheap. I've had a lot of fun with a 5x7 Agfa Universal. The plum of the golden oldies would be either a 'dorff or a Century Universal and if its a "beater" you want, I've seen examples of both makes that were within your budget, however these are "self casing" or clamshell style, which I think would be a bit more dificult to work on than a flatbed style camera, and parts (at least for a 'dorff) are usually quite costly. Of course YMMV. Good Luck!

[Jim Rice]

I've always been put off by the thought of no front swings and tilts on the 2D. Though they are priced right. I'm personally thinking there's a green monster (calumet C-1) in my future. Now all I have to do is save up for the hernia surgery.

-j

[Ernest Purdum]

A lot would depend on how you intend to use the camera - studio, near a car, or backpacking up Mount Big. Also, how important are movements to you? For lots of movements, the Burke and James (not a "portrait" model) is the best of the lot with the Ansco next. It's a lot of work, but most people think the B&J is quite handsome, once the grey point is replaced by a nice varnish. I've seen the wood identified both as maple and oak. Maybe each was used at different times.



If movement needs would be limited to front rise plus a little back tilt, my impression is that several of the early style American views such as Korona, Seneca, the already discussed Kodak 2D, etc., are probably significantly lighter and easier to refinish than the B&J.



Sadly, you see more of these cameras that are missing the extension rail than are complete. Without it, they are severely limited both when a long focus lens woud be appropriate or when a small subject demands focusing close.



Regarding parts availability, bellows are never a problem nor is ground glass. Wooden parts mostly depend on whether you are, or know well, a skilled woodworker. Knobs, etc., can often be replaced now by something better than the original equipment. Metal parts, however, can be a big problem, particularly focusing racks and pinions.

[matthew blais]

Hey James. I'm almost done with my 4x5 Korona, and next will be the 8x10 Korona. Both purchased on U-Pay. I like these for the ample enough movements vs. other old cameras. Front swing, shift, tilt and rise and rear swing and geared tilt. Lightweight too, as the 4x5 (w/out rear ext) weighs under six lbs. and the 8x10 is around 10.5 without rear. I learned that, although simple looking, there's a lot of steps and pieces involved in restoring these.

Be careful, patient, and it'll pay off.

Whatever you end up with and if you are going to completely dissassemble, grab the ziplock bags and label each bag i.e. "front standard assembly", "front extension", etc. for the basic parts. You may end up separating these as well into smaller components. Then do one bag at a time. After refinishing, polishing metal, reglue or whatever, put all contents back in to bag. One note worth mentioning is the old screws are hard to find current replacements for, at least for mine. So I ended up buying small brass hinges and such for the similar size screws. But I reused most of what came with it.

Mine's looking so good I don't want to use it! (nah..)

Best

[Gary Meader]

James- After reading Kevin Bourque's article on restoring a B&J 8x10, I decided to try it myself. I took the Air Force gray paint off with the citrus-type stripper, and it worked like a charm and no fumes. Under all that lies some very pretty wood, in my case maple, oak and mahogany. Who would have guessed? The wood isn't grain-matched like a Deardorf, so the price was originally much lower. But with some careful sanding, and about 3 coats of tung oil with 000 steel wool in between each coat, the camera is beautiful. I used no stain, so the wood is light colored. But the oil made it very rich. And hard. I took the steel wool to all the metal parts and in no time they were shining like new. Normal woodworking procedures, care, common sense will take you a long way. The only hassle for me was the need to remove the bellows before stripping. But the B&J has a screw-in frame that even makes that easy. I'd post a photo or two, but don't know how on this forum. If you want to see, email me and I'll forward a look. Good Luck and have a ball.