Suppliers or makers for Leather bellows?

[Dan Smith]

Am looking for someone who makes excellent bellows in leather. Have to replace bellows on some older cameras & would like to go with the original style skivered leather. Thin, light tight & dyed the color of these older bellows that are being replaced. Also would like an updated bellows in a nice dark forest green for a project 8x10 and leather is the material of choice. All I have made contact with so far say they can't find leather thin enough to fold properly on the older cameras. Or they can't get single pieces large enough to make them. Many say "leather won't last".

My older cameras still have the leather bellows from 1920's, just wearing in the corners but otherwise still working. I want the same thing, just new.

Anyone familiar with a company or craftsman who can do this?

[J. P. Mose]

www.camerabellows.com

Outstanding reputation!

[Tracy Storer]

Hey Dan, I'll second the recce' for Camera Bellows. They do beautiful work, and they'll make it look however you want, just make sure they know what you want, their defaults may not be what you have in mind. Camera Bellows makes bellows for almost everybody. (Canham, Walker, Lotus, Cambo, Sinar, Linhof, and more, plus custom work for guys like us) They're making a bellows for a Rochester Optical 8x10 for me right now. Western Bellows in the California also does good work, but I don't know if he'll do leather.

[Deniz]

Camera Bellows was my choice too when i needed a new bellows.. turn aound was fast and the bellow sthey made or me is amazing..

Hey Tracy, i hope you get your new bellows soon on the Carlton!!

[Dan Smith]

The problem is that I am looking for leather, not synthetic bellows. Camera Bellows informed me that 8x10 & up can't be done these days due to the lack of modern leathers large enough or thin enough. Synthetics are fine & in ways superior. I would rather have the original materials used in these restoration projects. I am still looking for a maker who can do this.

[Jan Van Hove]

Euh... No modern leather large enough ??? Why would that be ? are the cows smaller in modern times than at the beginning of the century ???

I'm actually thinking about making my own leather bellows, i'll let you know when i get around to it...

PJ VH

[J. P. Mose]

I believe 8x10 Linhof bellows are still leather. I wonder who the OEM is for Linhof? Maybe that would be the source to contact.

[e]

Dan, You might want to contact Ron Wisner as I think he might be the only guy in the states that routinely makes leather bellows for 8x10 and up. The trick is in having the leather scryer cut the leather thin enough to fold correctly, no easy task, with the right support material underneath, and made/folded on a bellows form. Conversely when done correctly the leather will fold up more compactly than synthetic on the bigger ULF cameras. Ron said thin leather is best on his 7x17 cameras, it compacts better in a tiny space. He prefers synthetic on 11x14 and up though. The other way to go would be to contact Ian at Ebony camera to see if they might accomodate you. I'm not sure but I think they make leather bellows for their ULF cameras so they at least know how to. You might have to take out a 2nd mortgage on your house though... Leather does pose some pleating problems on the bigger cameras but is entirely usable.If you want to see the leather bellows on my Wisner 7x17 it is viewable at my website www.deleon-ulf.com. All the best, Emile

[Roger Newsham]

I believe leather bellows would better for historic accuracy on older cameras, but The Hide House, Napa, CA has told me it is getting harder and more expensive to get thin leathers for bellows, etc. They say the reason is that most of the leather production is now offshore, because of the tanning process, and thin, quality skins are in scarce supply. They did not know of more than a few US tanners. No, cows are not smaller, but butchering practices in other parts of the world contribute to different hide cuts/shapes. Also, do you think all cattle breeds are the same worldwide? Think again. I'm in the process of restoring an 8x20 Korona and a Kodak Century #7 8x10 Studio camera, so I'm checking out the different bellows makers.