convert a tachihara / nagaoka to grafloc/international back?

[architorture]

Just wondering if anybody sees any reason why it wouldn't be too hard to convert a tachihara or nagaoka wood field camera so that it had a graphloc back.

It seems to me (bear in mind I haven't seen one of these cameras in person) that one could just remove the wood back and screw on a metal international back - from a graflex, sinar, or cambo, etc.
perhaps you might need a flange of some sort if the two squares didn't overlap enough?

has anyone done this? is it a silly idea?

I want the simplicity / lightweight / low cost of the nagaoka-style field cameras, but I would like to have the ability to swap the gg for a 6x12 roll-film back.

[mdm]

I have a 5x7 nagaoka with a 4x5 reducing back exactly as you describe. The aluminum grafloc back is relativly heavy though. I use it for instant fuji FP100C and a roll film back. Very convenient but ugly.

[Ed Bray]

Look for a Horseman Woody, it is almost the same as a Nagaoka Field but with shift and swing on the front standard and also swing on the rear, it also comes as standard with a Graflock back and takes Technica lens boards. I had both the Nagaoka 4x5 field and Horseman Woody, actually the backs are built to the same pattern and the Woody back would fit on the Nagaoka and vice versa. I sold the Nagaoka and kept the Woody just because of the Graflock back as I wanted to use my polaroid and rollfilm backs.

I will be selling my Horseman Woody as soon as I get hold of a 5x7-4x5 reducing back for my Canham MQC

[Kuzano]

I purchased a broken Tachihara a few years ago. The extension on the bed had broken at one of the fingerjoint corners, and the brass plating on all the metal was in very bad condition and bent. The good news is that now I have an extra back since that camera is non redeemable. I have another nice Tachihara.

I am going to have a woodworking friend plane down the spare back level to within 3/32 inch of where the original film holder sat. Then I am going to screw on a Graflex Graflock back. The point is to have the four corners of the original Tachihara back still available to mount to the Tachihara mounting clips and still be able to rotate the back, just as the original Tachihara back rotated 90 degrees at a time.

One could make this mod on the original back, but not wanting to modify the back in event of sale of the camera, I would rather use this second back I already have.

A person could also make a new wood back with the 4 corners exposed to lock onto the Tachihara, and grind the corners off the Graflok back to expose the corners for the Tachihara locks. Then screw the graflok assembly onto this intermediate wood back. I would use the original spare wood back as a model for this new intermediate piece, thereby saving the original spare for any Tachihara I run across that only needs a back. I still have all the hardware to make the spare back whole.

I would NOT advise screwing the Graflok back direct to the Tachihara to prevent a permanent mod to the Tachihara and to retain the rotation aspect of the original back. The lip that drops down into the body for a light seal is still there on an original second back, and would be an easy addition to a newly produced back. So Easy to do.

Also, one could choose from a number of graflok style backs to reduce the weight factor. Opens a window to many other film holder options. In my case to shoot the 150 packs of easy and quickloads I have in the freezer. My last model Easy Load film holder has the slots for the Graflok slide tabs. It is the Pro model with the springs behind the film plate and is light tight without the early Easyload holder problems.

[architorture]

Look for a Horseman Woody

Hm, had forgot about those - didn't know they had a graflok back either. I don't believe they come up for sale very often though. I'm not sure I remember seeing one at all on ebay the many months I've been watching 4x5's.

[Oren Grad]

I have an unbranded 4x5 wood field camera that is most likely a late-version Nagaoka, that has Graflok sliders as standard equipment, like the Horseman Woody. If you want a Graflok back, it's easier just to buy a camera that already has one.

What is your budget? There may be other options you should consider.

[architorture]

I don't know if I have a budget - just enjoying looking/fantasizing for now :D A good deal...

If I got something it would probably a folding metal technical/field camera (linhof-style), but I am attracted to the slightly broader range of movements and shorter minimum bellows distance of SOME of the wood fields.

of course what I really want is a Canham, but those are at least 2x the cost...