Not quite what I had planned for, but it'll work until version 2 comes out. The vinyl covering I had chosen was just a little bit on the thick side. And then I discovered it wasn't light tight. To fix that you just paint the inside fabric black with acrylic paint. I've built quite a few square bellows over the years, but never a tapered one this large. Took a couple days but learned a lot of tricks to speed things up. Final dimensions were 11"x11" to 5.5"x5.5" and 20" long.
not tried it yet
But I have 2 huge cameras with OE Naugahyde bellows
Both seem Indestructible
Tin Can
looks good!
I'll have to attempt a 5x7 soon...
Even monkeys fall from trees -- Japanese proverb
Nice job. Looks great!
Back in 2007 I made one. I could not find good fabric, and I did not get it wrapped tight enough around the mold. So I was going to make another, better one. Never did, though, so, after all these years, the bellows is still in use!
I made polycarbonate ribs. To save time in keeping them all aligned, I glued them down all together, then cut the ends off to free them. I don't recall, however, what my big hurry was back then.
Looks like it turned out good. 5x7 or 8x10?Originally Posted by ic-racer
I went with 1" ribs, plus a 1/8" gap between. Next time I'll shoot for 3/4" ribs.
I have a early 8x10 Anthony camera that needs a new bellows which look incredibly similar to this one in design. Good to know it's possible to do yourself, if one can find the patience.
Mine is an 8x10 Century camera. My design is a little different than yours, but I did not design it myself. I just copied the shape of my ribs from pieces of the original bellows that came with the camera. It is actually a complex design with ribs alternating width between thick and thin.
My problem was the mold was not held down firmly to anything and I had no assistant. So when I applied the spray-contact cement and went to wrap the outer covering, it immediately stuck in the wrong place. From there it wrapped baggy and crooked. I really thought it was over, but, somewhat amazingly, it did fold into a working bellows!
My trick for that was to lay the outer material flat on a table. Then draw the outline of the form with a sharpie on the material. I sprayed the cloth/ribs on one side of the form, and then sprayed the outlined area with 3M Hi Strength 90 Spray. Then slowly set the form onto the material. One flat side at a time.
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