Old brass lens

So apparently I won a flea bay auction I barely remember biding in, of an old lens I know nothing about.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F163079894198
I have no experience with these old brass lenses, and I’m still new to LF. I assume the shutter is pneumatically activated? And I’ll have to make up some sort of wooden spacer ring to use this on a modern metal lens board?
That lens board it comes with is far out... any thoughts on why it’s so long?
Any experience y’all might have with using these old lenses on modern(ish) equipment would be much appreciated.
Sellers photos:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ee4797033f.pnghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c323ea45e5.pnghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3fa372dc89.png

Seller description (sparse at best)

Up for auction is an old camera lens in good used condition. This old lens is an estate find and my knowledge is limited so I will describe to the best of my ability. Shutter closes and opens easily. All adjustments move smoothly. lens is in remarkable condition for its age. Clear optics. Lens is stamped: WOLLENSAK OPTI. CO. ROCHESTER NY USA, FEB. 6 1900, PAT JUL 23, 1901, GUNDLACH MANHATTAN OPTICAL CO. Back of the lens mounting board stamped: 53. Original 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/8" padded box. Great little collector piece.


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Lens is a rapid rectilinear design, the shutter is pneumatic and known as "double pumpers". A rubber bulb would be connected to a nipple on the bottom of the shutter and squeezed to fire the shutter. Do you see any way to adjust the iris? Usually there is a disc with different sized holes in it that can be rotated. The lens is likely something like f8.


Kent in SD

The lens has been stripped of its aperture scale. The two empty screw holes at the bottom of the pistons held it in place. The little metal indicator at 6:00 in your picture is the aperture control. This type of lens and shutter was very common around the turn of the 20th Century. Wide lens boards are not uncommon, either. I have an old Seneca 5x7 with a similar lens board.

The lens probably screws into a lens flange that in turn is mounted by several screws to the face of the lens board. You should be able to unscrew the lens from the lens board and use that lens flange as a retaining ring on any modern thin lens board.

Hmm ok this is all very interesting.
I now see where the aperture scale should be and the accompanying adjustment lever under the lens (I assume this is what the likely confused seller was moving on the “shutter”). Once it arrives I’ll break out the calipers and make up a new scale, I’ve done that before on a home made lens. I’ll have to pick up a bulb and some tubing.
The risks of late night ebaying people!


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Incidentally, a pneumatic bulb isn't required to fire the shutter, but its use will reduce vibration if used carefully. The shutter is a rebranded Wollensak "Regular" shutter. I have a couple of these. With the shutter facing you as shown in the picture, pressing the lever on the right cocks it, and the lever on the left fires it. A pneumatic bulb and hose are connected to the bottom nipple of the left hand cylinder. The bottom nipple on the right hand cylinder is not used for anything. The right hand cylinder is part of the delay mechanism for the slow shutter speeds.

Good to know about the decretive nipple, I might have spent an hour trying to get the wrong one to work

I’ve had these old lenses where the aperture scale was removed. It was probably marked in US stops.

You might list the wood lens board in the for sale section, there just might be a member looking for one that size!