Small Deardorff problem

Hi - I have just purchased an 8 x 10 Deardorff. Camera seems to be OK - Bellowws are patched but light tight. focus seems smooth.

The only thing that is wrong is it seems impossible to totally tighten the front up properly (the wooden bit that you fit the lens panel into). However much I tighten up the screws on each side I cannot stop the lens tilting a little bit.

On my Gandolfi there is a lock to stop this happening, but not on the Deardorff. Before I disassemble the front of the camera to try to make a fix. I wonder if this is common on Deardorffs or if anyone has some advice how to stop the admittedly small movement happening.

A picture is attached to show the screw lock I am talking about - (this is not my camera but a picture pinched from an auction site)

Thanks in advance for any comments!

nn :)

CALL (don't email) Richard Ritter and ask him. 802-365-7807. He's the man.

Take the knobs off and clean everything with alcohol. You may have to file the end of the stud to get the knob off.

A (nylon) washer, maybe ?

Peter

Quote:

---

Take the knobs off and clean everything with alcohol.

---

Hi - thank you for the information - I did as suggested and now it seems to work fine.

Thank you again

nn :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by numnutz

Hi - thank you for the information - I did as suggested and now it seems to work fine.

Thank you again

nn :)

---

That Richard, he's the MAN!

Cleaning will make it better, but IMO this is a weak point in the Deardorff design. I have an 8x10 and 4x5, and have used them for years, but that has frustrated me. The problem really shows itself when you put a shade or compendium on the lens, then it will tilt without asking. Most other cameras have bigger knobs for that adjustment.

Ya know, I love my Deardorff... but when I first got it, I looked at those knobs and thought... "What a dumb design".

The rest of the camera makes up for it.

tim in san jose