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Thread: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

  1. #1

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    help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    I picked up a "scratch & dent" Wollensak Velostigmat Series II 11x14 (16.5" f.l.) f4.5 lens from a forum member a while ago. The lens was dropped on its front barrel hard enough to bend the brass "fuzzulator" ring (and the supporting barrel) at least twice, locking the ring. I'm now getting around to designing a new front barrel for it, and some pictures of a working example of this lens, especially with the fuzzulator ring screwed all the way out, would be an immense help. I'll have to saw off the fuzzulator ring at least, but I'd like to retain the beauty ring with the lens information, and as much of the rear of the original barrel as well. That's also why knowing the internal construction of the barrel parts would help.

    In the second picture there is minor or major denting to the fuzzulator ring from nearly 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, and the 3rd and 4th pics shows the most serious dents.

    Thanks for any help.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Wollensal Ser. II fuzzulator ring damage 1.jpg   Wollensal Ser. II fuzzulator ring damage 2.jpg   Wollensal Ser. II fuzzulator ring damage 4.jpg   Wollensal Ser. II fuzzulator ring damage 3.jpg  
    They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
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  2. #2

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    Re: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    This is the 8x10 version, but the front cell is likely similar.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	image.jpg 
Views:	28 
Size:	79.2 KB 
ID:	116715
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails image.jpg  

  3. #3

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    Re: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    Thank you for the helpful pictures. Now that I see the construction I think the cleanest way is to chuck the element in a lathe and cut off the affected area using a cutoff tool, and then re-create the damaged area.

    One last thing that would be very helpful: would it be possible, please, to get a measurement of the depth that the fuzzulator ring extends into the main lens barrel? I have two images of what I'm looking for; if I can make the cut such that I just miss the fuzzulator ring, I may be able to hacksaw and peel away the outer barrel, and salvage (and chase or re-thread) the fuzzulator ring. Thanks!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails fuzzulator dwg.png   photo.jpg  
    They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
    -Francis Bacon

  4. #4

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    Re: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    I don't have a micrometer, but it looks very close to 9 mm for the X measurement in your diagram.

    Quote Originally Posted by John Schneider View Post
    Thank you for the helpful pictures. Now that I see the construction I think the cleanest way is to chuck the element in a lathe and cut off the affected area using a cutoff tool, and then re-create the damaged area.

    One last thing that would be very helpful: would it be possible, please, to get a measurement of the depth that the fuzzulator ring extends into the main lens barrel? I have two images of what I'm looking for; if I can make the cut such that I just miss the fuzzulator ring, I may be able to hacksaw and peel away the outer barrel, and salvage (and chase or re-thread) the fuzzulator ring. Thanks!

  5. #5

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    Re: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    Perhaps you could ask a Mod to move this to the DIY thread?

    I can see that you can't do any wooden block expansion of the threaded mount due to the position of the lens. You can't get the lens glass out at the present condition?

    The thread has a pretty robust pitch which makes it possible, perhaps, for a high level torque to get the "flat parts" to turn? The cutting suggestions you have seems even more dangerous!

  6. #6

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    Re: help/pictures needed for restoring Wolly Velostigmat Series II w/ soft focus ring

    I don't see any way to "fix" the lens as-is. I could expand the part of the soft focus ring that lies outside the main barrel (even that would be difficult, owing to the thickness of the rim and the fact that the multiple dents would make regaining circularity very difficult). Moreover, the issue is that the main lens barrel and the soft focus ring are dented together in at least two places, so even using a large strap wrench would just crush the soft focus ring rather than turn it inside the main lens barrel. And since that part of the dent is inaccessible from the inside, one can't tap it out.

    Cutting off the front of the lens on a lathe is surgical; I can (with patience and luck) extract the soft focus barrel intact and re-thread it, externally thread the remaining main lens barrel, and then turn and thread an adapter ring to take the place of the dented front section of the main lens barrel. Not a simple process, but something any competent machinist could do (not that I'm that competent; I'll just do the initial lathe cutoff and design and farm out the rest).
    They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.
    -Francis Bacon

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