More 4x5 novice questions :-)

[tim o'brien]

"I stand corrected. tim in tucson"

Now if you 'push' corrected, you can come visit and I show you some really neat places to shoot up here. Old Craftman houses and the such.

CJ, Someone was offering aluminum oxide for making ground glass either here or on that 'other' site. If you can't find the post, write to me and I can send you enough to do a groundglass or two. I have tons from an unstarted 8" mirror (telescope) project.

tim in san jose

killer_jupiter@hotmail.com

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hi Jane....go to your nearest Loonie store and pick up a circular plastic clothes hanger. I've used one for years...in Japan and here. I even use them for 8x10 negs. That's all I want to say 'cause you've gotten billions of replies.....Go Flames Go!!

[Calamity Jane]

DAMN!

I thought I had found the light leak but I tried 2 more frames tonight and it's exactly the same! I did notice the negatives are real sharp around the two "shadowed" edges and washed out over the rest of the frame....

I took the lens board off, threw the dark cloth over me head and looked thru the front while sweeping the outside of the camera with a small flashlight. The bellows I bought ISN'T light proof - under a bright light, there's light oozing thru the bellows! Whal that explains why my outdoor photos looked washed out (except along two edges) while the indoor photos look fine.

I'm trying to get in touch with the bellows maker and warn him that his material isn't light-proof (before he sells too many more and gets a lot of people mad at him).

I guess I am stuck again! A liberal coat of flat black paint should fix this bellows for now but I guess I have to hunt down some better material and have another go at making my own......

[Nick_3536]

If you're dark cloth is fairly light proof just throw it over the bellows before pulling the darkslide.

[Calamity Jane]

With a coat of flat black paint on the translucent bellows 'n' the dark cloth over top I noticed a couple of things right off: First, the image on the GG is MUCH brighter and a whole lot sharper. Second, with a couple of negatives shot and developed this evening, they now look the way I thought they should - excellent contrast, sharp as a razor, crystal clear darks.

Looks like the leakage was harder on the film than I suspected.

I got in touch with the bellows maker who confirmed the translucence - apparently he got a new batch of material and didn't check it but he has found bellows in his stock the same as mine. He offered me my money back but I suggested he just send me a bellows that works and we'll call it square.

Looks like I am finally in the Large Format business! YEEEEHAAAWWWWW!!!!

[Mark_3632]

I've been reading this thread with interest waiting to see what the problem was. Glad you figured it out. Did you get your bellows from the maker of the kit you bought. I was thinking of having them make a special one for the camera I am designing.

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Looks like I am finally in the Large Format business! YEEEEHAAAWWWWW!!!! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Feels good don't it?

That is exactly how I felt after I finished rebuilding my 5x7. Now I can't put the damn thing down. The wife and other cameras are getting jealous.

Mark

[Calamity Jane]

""Did you get your bellows from the maker of the kit you bought.""

It wasn't a "kit" - just plans - but yes, I got the bellows from the same fellow. I have avoided using his name because I think it was an honest error and I'll give him a chance to make it right - don't want to cast dispersions on someone's good name if it ain't waranted.

Except for the material problem with mine, he makes a nice bellows. I'd trust him to do a custom job - he's a poor starving photographer and I know he could use the work ;-)

[Mark_3632]

I had no plan of bashing him. It does sound like an honest mistake. I wanted to know because I am curious about the Bellows material. They are fairly cheap compared to everything else I have looked at and was wondering what they were made of. Curiosity more than anything.

mark