I bought the camera from a dealer who found a few cameras from an older collection. My goal is to not only get the camera back to working condition but to keep it as close to original as possible, while not spending a fortune.
Here is the camera as it sits. Bellows need repair. Still looking for an authentic tripod. Also need to have the lens looked at and see if its able to be repaired. Lots of "fun" ahead. Also need to make room to store it for my collection.
Is it a 2D? What sort of lens? I assume its got a Packard shutter? That's quite a nice looking camera---it should shine up nicely. Did any holders come with it?.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Its a home portrait no3. No film holders but 2 lenses. A wollensak with betax no4 shutter and another lens. Southern? And packard shutter. Im laying down will post tomorrow. Im searching for film holders right now. Didnt come with any, just the camera and lenses
I think the Home Portrait of that era was essentially a 2D with shorter bellows and no extension rail option. Is it an 8x10 or a 5x7?
8x10. It says home portrait no3 on the front. Im not sure when the 2d came about. I found little info on the no3. I guess it was about the 1911, after the 2's?
If you haven't seen this page, you may find it of interest:
http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/ekc.htm
Len
Yeah i found that page. I found info on a few cameras from 1911-1920. They dont give a lot of info
Started working on repairing the bellows. I got a quote from a few places, and I'm not paying as much as they were asking, even though I know its worth the work to make them.
I bought a bag of scrap leather and tried to get it close to the shade of red/brown as I could. For the larger holes, I used small cut strips glued with super fabric glue. I then use matte black paint to fix smaller holds and help cut down on reflections. Even though its matte black it still has a bit of glare from the paint. I will need to address this later. The larger holes on the lower part of the bellow have dried, and it opens and closes perfectly. It looks great and I can not wait until its finished.
Anyone know what the best way to clean the bellows outside, and the wood without ruining the finish?
Next step I completed was fixing one of my lenses and shutter. I have a Southern Photo Materials Super Wide Angle lens and a Packard Shutter. The shutter tube was dry rotted of course and it needed to be replaced. I found (after stopping at 8 stores) a pumper, which was from a coolant tester in a hardware store. I then bought a tube and just taped it to a piece of existing tube connected to the shutter outlet. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Ended up being less than half than one bought online.
Once I finish the bellows, I will clean it completely and search for a tripod and film holders. A family friend has 8x10 xray film and chemicals he is letting me have to test the camera.
Here are some shots. By far the best project I have started. I love this camera. I set up the old lens and its amazing to see the reflection on the glass. Its mind blowing how clear it is for being so old. Enjoy! More to come.
Nice! I like it that you want to bring this back to life. I do not feel that we really own these old cameras. I look on it as being a steward or custodian holding them for the next generation.
Drew Bedo
www.quietlightphoto.com
http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo
There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!
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