Question about B&J folder, possibly 5x7 with unusual reducing back

[dimento]

I bought this folding B&J from the auction site recently, part of an estate sale.

I'm assuming it's 5x7, I measured the external dimensions of the included reducing back which is approx 21x21 cm.

It has an unusual reducing back which has a 4x5 groundglass, but internally there is what seems to be a divider, allowing two panoramic exposures on a single sheet of 4x5. So my questions to the better informed, or perhaps owners of these cameras is

1. Is it 5x7? dimensions would seem to suggest

2. The focus is very stiff, I've cleaned the tracks and teeth with wd40 a cleaner/lubricant which has silicone, but the focus is still stiff, any suggestions, short of giving it to a tech?

if someone has a cheap 5x7 back they'd like to sell or part-trade I'd be interested to hear, I'm assuming the mods will allow this as it's primarily questions about the camera, pics below:

[Michael Roberts]

Yes, it's a 5x7

Check to make sure the gear shaft is not bent. There could also be some swelling of the wood that is creating the tightness. Hard to say w/o examining the camera.

Waxed paper is also a good way to get things moving easier w/o adding lubricants that can pick up sand and grit.

[DrTang]

Yes, it's a 5x7

Looks like there is no 5x7 back though..only the 4x5 with a split frame adapter

[Jon Shiu]

If the focus is real tight, it may be due to the brackets being bent or mis-aligned.

Jon

[mdarnton]

The split back is for portrait photographers looking to economize on film. The studio I worked at in high school used an 8x10 camera with a split 5x7 back for portraits. The camera looked impressive to subjects, but the negs were actually a little smaller than 4x5, which was plenty of territory. If you look you'll probably see another sliding track running the other direction, for putting the split the other way, using a shorter piece of baffle that you seem not to have. The splitter comes out by pushing in one direction against a spring which gives clearance on the other end of the piece to remove it, that end first.

I have this same camera. Mine was unusual in that it was purchased for a specific job where it was used in one spot and only focused very minimally once a week or so, if that. Consequently, it's not worn at all, and yes, the focusing is very stiff. Start by taking some solvent like toluene on q-tips and cleaning off the track, top and bottom, then spread and buff some floor wax on the tracks. That will help a bit. Another thing to check is that the two gears that drive the focus aren't out of sync. When you cross between the fixed and moving bed sections, it's possible to get one side ahead of the other so the back is slightly crooked. That really tightens up the focusing, and can eventually trash the track and gears. Always be certain when you open the camera that you don't get it running crooked!!!! For your stiffness, that's the thing I would look to first.

This is a marvelously stiff machine that doesn't get enough credit because it's so cheap looking. Really, it's quite solid. The base of the focus mechanism is longer than other cameras, making the back stable, and everything bolts down tight. On the front, with no focus there, it's down solid and there's nothing to wiggle at all.

[djdister]

Due to how the split frame back yields two 2x5 images, it seems more suited to panoramas rather than portraits. But I guess in vertical orientation it would yield two full-length figure shots...

[Mark Sawyer]

It's likely there was once a second sliding piece to divide the frame into conventionally-proportioned quarters.

[dimento]

Thanks so much for all the info, I suspect that the metal tabs on the rail may be too tight and there may be some misalignment. Debating whether the cost of acquiring a 5x7 back and getting a tech to looki it over is worth it.

Cheers, d

[djdister]

You should be able to find a B&J, Ansco or Kodak 5x7 back with a bit of luck that will work for not too much money.

[mdarnton]

The focusing brake isn't on, right? That's the lever inward from the knob. It should be up.