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Finally I got a pretty good used Toyo 810M camera. One of the small things it needs for repair is the bellows unglued from itself at the seam in a small area, about a couple cms.
The repair tech from the store I bought it from glued it back, with no success as it is unglued again. :( Any suggestions on how I can fix it? I would rather do it myself.
Thanks
Can you post an image of where the problem is. It will help determine what can be done.
Sergio,
Before you do anything else, check for pinholes in the bellows. Toyos are notorious for developing these. I really like my Toyo 810M and 45C now that I have had the bellows replaced with a two layer lifetime material from Western Bellows Co. They made me a new 8X10 Deardorff bellows a number of years ago that was superb as well. If you do need new bellows, these guys are great!
Western Bellows Company
9340 7th Street, Suite G
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730-5664
909-980-0606
Ok, here is a picture of the problem. Thanks.
Sergio
I recently bought a Toyo 45C which had pin holes in just about every corner of the bellows, even though they looked cosmetically as good or better than yours. After much struggling with black acrylic fabric paint, I simply bought a roll of standard black electrical tape and used a small square to repair each hole. This worked surprisingly well and gave me a set of light tight bellows in little time and for only a few dollars. I don't pretend to think that this is a repair that will last a lifetime but it was a quick and easy way to get a useable camera. Long term I think a replacement bellows is the only really good solution, but this fix got me shooting.
Before you do anything though I would put a torch inside those bellows in a darkened room to see the full extent of what you are dealing with - sheets of 8x10 are way too expensive to waste.
Sergio, use Contact cement glue. It will last forever. You can glue a fold after a fold, to make it easier.
What kind of contact cement glue. Like the fast drying ultra strong type as Loctite? I want to fix once with the right glue. Ungluing and regluing sounds like a bad idea.
Loctite is in no way a contact cement glue!
Contact cement (google for the industrial names on your continent - Weldwood?) is a rubber based glue perfect for this repair.
Sergio,
A diver's wetsuit neoprene contact glue from a dive shop will be as good as any. You need to check that bellows for pinholes first. By the time i noticed degredation of my negatives, primarily on long exposures and also streaks and fogging, I had hundreds of tiny holes that could only be seen with a light inside. Toyo 810M and 45C and Omega View original bellows are bad!
I saw the good work on your site. You won't want to deal with pinhole defects on your film. How much is your time worth? I posted were to get a quality lifetime bellows for a very reasonable price. You know, Toyo810M does not benefit from a bag bellows, so don't waste money on one. Camera cannot exceed covering power of 150SW Nikkor in a recessed board. 120mmFujinon in a flat board covers well but no movements possible.