Grafmatic 1268 newbie -- bent septums?
Hi everyone,
following a suggestion I got on these forums I went on and bought a Grafmatic 1268 back for my 4x5. According to the seller the septums were in good condition.
Now, looking through the septums first time I do wonder if that is the case. Are these bent and if they are, what should I do? Do I have a risk of jamming or worse, bad focus?
Yes, they look to be slightly bent at the end that you slip the film in. That's nothing unusual and it is fairly simple to straighten them again using a pair of small pliers (small so that you don't apply too much force). I just bend the ends in small increments until it looks straight. Don't worry about a slight bow over the whole length of the septum, the springs should have enough force to hold that flat. It is the small kinks at the end which will cause jamming. Every time I reload a grafmatic i do a quick check for straightness and adjust if needed and it's no big deal.
Great, thanks!
I'd say two of them are bad enough to be a problem. The metal is very brittle, so use pliars with enough surface area that you aren't stressing a small area. Needle nose ones are good for that. I've also had good luck putting a table knife in the slot and slowly gently bending.
If I get hold of some like that, I take a narrow 6 inch stainless steel rule (like a pocket model) and slip it in the film channel as I'm working with straightening. This protects the film channel width and keeps the kinks from forming and gives a guide to straightness. Septums (septa?) probably get bent like this from users forgetting to make sure the tab at the other end of the tray is retracted and then pressing down on the loading end trying to get the tray to close.
Do they cycle through
Holding the grafmatic at certain angles will allow for easier sliding
Not much of this stuff is rocket science
I can't repair crap but I've fixed torn curtains in a grafex SLR which are "unrepairable"
Fixed non working leaf and focal plane 35mm shutters
Just this past weekend I fixed a shifted DSLR sensor
All seat of the pants playing around familiarizing myself
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