DIY wooden brass camera restoration

[cbk]

I did it with a half plate camera.
I purchased it in poor condotion [it is probably Thornton Pickard] for 150USD,

It looked like this when arrived:


I took off the original shelack painting and cleaned the wood and brass. The brass can be cleaned by many ways, but this time I choose the water sand paper because I wanted to show some wears (especially on the screws). Then I put 8 layers of rubin shelack lacker to each of wooden part and put all together.



Unfortunatelly the original bellows looked like a big matrix of tiny and really big holes (I was able to put my thumb into some of them). So I decded to order custommade bellows in RED

and there is the result:


The camera has removable ground glass back. So I decided to take it off and make the 4x5 back for it. I took Grflex spring back, some wood and made the frame which is also removalbe and now I can shoot half plate and 4x5 ;]

[IanG]

Well done. I have a similar but not identical Thornton Pickard Half Plate Triple Imperial that's sitting waiting for new bellows.Yours has some additional brass on and around the front standard. Like yours the spring bit is broken and missing from one brass piece

Thornton Pickard subcontracted some manufacture to companies like Billcliffe so there are variations in their cameras. I may be able to help with the missing name badge (bu not immediately).

Ian

[Lachlan 717]

Are these the bellows from the eBay seller?

Nice resto, BTW!

[cbk]

Are these the bellows from the eBay seller?

Yeap,

I may be able to help with the missing name badge (bu not immediately).
Ian

it would be great! ;]
Thanks

[Steven Tribe]

The off-set circle mark on the lens board is probably from an early sector shutter.
The cut-out for three part tripod lens is (unless you have the brass insert) a problem. There is no standard measurement for replacementas far as I know. I have the reverse fitment ( 3/8" to the 3 brass pairs of male studs)!

[cbk]

There is a brass ring in the tripod sircle, and I have legs from "modern" wooden tripod and I want to fix them in it ;]

[gphoto]

what did you use to remove the old lacquer, I'm having trouble sanding in tight spots on my restore.

[Patrick13]

what did you use to remove the old lacquer, I'm having trouble sanding in tight spots on my restore.

In other contexts I start by testing with denatured alcohol, if it's a shellac it'll dissolve but if it only gets gooey then it's a mixture of shellac and lacquer. If it's pure lacquer you can simply dissolve it with lacquer thinner, tested the same way. If it's the mixture, then mix both the alcohol and the thinner =)

This is actually really nice because later on you can fix scratches in your new lacquer by melting it back together again.

[cbk]

what did you use to remove the old lacquer, I'm having trouble sanding in tight spots on my restore.

denaturated alcohol,
or
the paint remover

[McGirton]

Very nice! I am currently restoring a Konishi field camera. Thinking about getting (or making) red bellows as well.