One of the most obvious parts of a large format camera is the bellows. It is also one of the most ignored parts. My presentation at the large format asylum will be how to take care of leather and...
Type: Posts; User: TheDeardorffGuy; Keyword(s):
One of the most obvious parts of a large format camera is the bellows. It is also one of the most ignored parts. My presentation at the large format asylum will be how to take care of leather and...
https://web.archive.org/web/20200325102643/http://deardorffcameras.0catch.com/v11/v11.html
Since I retired from this wonderful business when I got sick and disabled. my website went down and it is now at the archive. It mostly works and I thank whoever found it for me
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Huh? The stamp number on the front was merely a number to keep it in order at the factory in production has nothing to do with a serial number. The V11s and all the early cameras had no serial...
It's so hard to believe i've been doing LF for 40 years. To me I still think everyone has the same experiences as I have. On to lensboards. In the old days there were Graphic boards. 1/8 thick inch...
This is an interesting thread. One I found myself in 20 years ago. I was shooting my V8 and was just not happy. They were after 8x10 in size and that was not big enough. I found a V11 and thought I...
Your Camera was built 10-1-1952 For an Eastman Kodak Store on Wayne Ave in Detroit. Mi. It is time to lube it. See my site how.
Get a bottle of TITEBOND glue. Wet the existing glue. Wipe it off. Get a small bar clamp. glue and clamp. Check for flatness. Let dry a day or two. It aint rocket science....
Cokin are fine. They have been around years. I machined adapters that Cokin did not make.
As someone who actually builds cameras I build them to order. If the customer wants square corners thats what they get. If they want cut corners thats what they get. Years ago I stopped asking why....
This is just so enjoyable to read for the 30th time. I get phone calls about it too. The back is not air tight at all on any camera I've seen in 40 years. I got a Speed Graphic when I was 18 and my...
A mm? You're kidding! really a mm? I metal camera might go 3mm. Leave it alone. Take some pics. Say a box of film. see if you can tell.
I've seen over a thousand bellows in the past 30 years od doing restorations. Only a dozen were treatable to the point of using them. Those were NOT brittle or stiff. But had been cared for from new....
I have Deardorffs. The only detent is the rear tilt. I check the squareness to the bed with a machinest square. Check. Then open the lens and square the front by eye or square. I focus on power lines...
Everybody thinks I lug a Deardrff around all the time. But two of my favorite cameras are a 2x3 Speed Graphic with a roll back and a 2x3 Graflex RB with a Roll back. Fun to use and you get a nice...
Terminology has been mentioned. Not going there. A 2x3 Graphic is a fun camera to use. The Century graphic is pretty with its red bellows. If you have big fingers it can be a bit of a pain to use. It...
Guys The correct factory term is Dividers or Divider Boards. I've never seen a piece of literature from the factory calling them "Splitters". I sell them. New Old Stock. They usually need to be...
Negative collecting depends on subject. If they are from a well known furniture maker, perhaps still in business, they might be interested for their archives. years ago I was given the negs of a...
see this
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?93369-Large-format-photography-with-Nikon-D800
Perfect reply. I've been doing this since 1982.
I used Kodachrome. all it can really do is test the center of the lens. It was fun but only got tests done. Theres just too much space for a short...
It seems that people do not get the mounting of the frames. Recently customers have been sending Rudys bellows to me to mount. I use Ploibond glue. It is a new formulation and flashes off differently...
Do not go there. It has been covered.....
I used to do a lot of Table Top product shooting. I used an old Wollansak Raptar 190mm 4.5. It had great color, Great Sharpness and provided the customer photos that are now 20 years old and still in...
why is the topic "graduated filters"? Mount the filter with a proper adapter ok?.
Is the metal Gold plated or brass? If gold DO NOT POLISH IT. You will rub it off to the brass base and the brass WILL tarnish. Old Brass was shellaced while the brass was very warm. This method made...
I modified the Head of one to hold a Deardorff 12x20. It holds.
I had to move my dkroom. It was set for 35mm-4x5. Then I was given a used FOTAR enlarger. I built a LED light head. I use stage lighting gels for my PC paper. Printing a nice 8x10 neg is almost the...
I've got a good theroy on that. Since these cameras were Old style NFS cameras with FS added. The beds seem to be old. I think the beds date from 48. The sales of NFS V8s in the late 40s really fell...
As a single group under one purchase order there were 247. These has 6x6 Eastman boards and the new bedplate, Sand cast and crude. Then over the next 2 years there were about 50 more built with an...
I never said I beat up my cameras!! I've only put one scratch on any of my cameras, my 12x20. Others sure do though. My point is the finish can be replaced.
The early series of anything is special. But only because it was these examples that set a trend. Now to dispell some "facts". Rubber bumpers were not always installed. If one of the "sons" did not...
I've kept track of the 500s up to 550. I'll gladly add 553
So far, 500, 503, 505, 507, 509, 515, 521, none of 530s, 544, 545, 546, 553. Some of them I've repaired or refinished. Others came to me...
I was going to comment on the "F" issue. It has gone on for years and I have no idea how to fix it. Chatwith you Later E. von Hoeff
I have #500 in my collection. Its the first V8 with front swings. It too has the original Leather bellows. Deardorff in the early 60s got a group of really nice skins. I treated them and can get a...
Some do and others do not. You can put the lensboard backward in the sliding panel. Even a #5 Ilex with a commercial ektar will git then.
Mounting framea is simple if you have the tools the company had. What are they? Small tacks, Contact glue, a sanding block. Black paint. Start by sliding the FF (front frame) into the bellows.
If it...
I can work between the two with ease. Do people stare at my Deardorffs? Sure. I photograph at tractor shows. There are LOTS of old things at these shows including people!! This year when I was at my...
You can't tell from the Ground Glass what size it is? Why?
get some pics of it
A friend has a WOLF tripod. It is very well made. No evidence of worn out tooling. Those guys make some fine measuring instruments. I doubt they'd make a junky tripod.