I have sourced some bellows fabric which seems workable, but features an occasional pinhole. I am contemplating sandwiching some aluminum foil in there. It's perfectly light-proof after all. Can anyone think of a reason why this would be a bad idea?
I have sourced some bellows fabric which seems workable, but features an occasional pinhole. I am contemplating sandwiching some aluminum foil in there. It's perfectly light-proof after all. Can anyone think of a reason why this would be a bad idea?
Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.
--A=B by Petkovšek et. al.
Reflections off of foil can cause flare. Bellows need to be lined with light absorbing black material.
Nope ... use it and if it fails replace it. Aluminum foil is very cheap, very maleable, and very strong ... just panit it flat black. Or use a drop of fabric paint if it's a small hole
really poor substitute for black fabric or new bellows from rudy @ ecbuyonline2008 on ebay.
search "patching bellows" or bellows pinholes
You'll probably need to use an etching primer before painting the aluminum foil, otherwise the paint won't adhere to it. It would probably be easier to just use black aluminum foil: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...inum_Foil.html
On the other hand, I suspect Leigh has the correct answer
I use black ABS pipe cement. Its about $5 for a small can at Home Depot
Mine is the Weld-On brand, but its worked extremely well, and remains flexible enough during long term usage.
Just make sure to let it fully dry/vent out. I leave my camera out for ~48-72hrs after application, bellows extended all the way out.
-Dan
If it's just a few tiny holes, just use black silicone caulk on them. But if light is getting thru multiple pleat folds on the bellows due to wear, that's a more serious repair (I'd personally replace the entire bellows in that case).
The problem is that a bellows is not like a Sylvania Blue Dot flash bulb. There is no warning from the bellows that it has lost its light tight integrity. The first indicator for most people is fogged film and possibly a ruined shot. In that case a new bellows is always the best alternative.
I'm not talking about repairing bellows but making them from scratch.
The foil will be sandwiched between the usual fabric layers. It's extremely thin and perfectly light proof so it seems a no-brainer to include a layer. Yet I've never heard of anyone doing it, so I thought it was worth asking in case it will cause total protonic reversal or something.
Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.
--A=B by Petkovšek et. al.
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