Sinar Norma 8x10 Bellows Question.

[Keith Tapscott.]

I used my Sinar Norma for the first time today and after processing the two 8x10 film sheets, I saw darker density patches on both sheets in roughly the same area. I examined the bellows in a darkened room with a torch and found some small pinholes and a small tear on one of the corners. I am not sure if these can be repaired or if I need to buy new ones. Where can I buy these from in the UK?
I am disappointed because the unaffected areas of the negatives look good.

[Dennis Felty]

I have had bellows rebuilt by Camera Bellows Unit 3-4 St Paul's Rd Balsall Heath, Birmingham B128NG tel 0121 440 1695 Tony Eaton

http://www.camerabellows.com/

They did an excellent job on a Toyo 810 for me. You send them your old bellows, they build a custom bellows and attach it to your frames.

[Keith Tapscott.]

I have had bellows rebuilt by Camera Bellows Unit 3-4 St Paul's Rd Balsall Heath, Birmingham B128NG tel 0121 440 1695 Tony Eaton

http://www.camerabellows.com/

They did an excellent job on a Toyo 810 for me. You send them your old bellows, they build a custom bellows and attach it to your frames.

Thanks Dennis, I will try them.

[Sandeha]

If most of the bellows fabric is sound then a few repairs should keep them going for years. CameraBellows are good, but you'd be looking at good film money for sure.

Depending on the damage, I've glued patches onto corners and seams (inside if practical, outside if not) using leather from old bellows and ordinary contact adhesive. Changing bag fabric might be good as well. Small cracks and holes can be patched with black electrical tape. You can also reinforce spot repairs with black Liquid Electrical Tape, though I wouildn't rely on that alone - I've bought it from these guys - http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/liquidtape.htm

[Peter K]

Depend on the number of holes in the bellows you can repair it with thin black adhesive tape. This works with one of my bellows fine since many years.

Peter K

[Daniel Unkefer]

I've been told the black adhesive used for gluing PVC plastic together works well for patching bellows.

You can cut a piece of mount board card as a heat protection inside the bellows, and lay a 50W electrical light bulb w/fixture on top of the mount board. Apply power, and extinguish all room lights, as well as plugging all camera light leaks, front and back. Cotton bath towels work well for this. Wait at least a few minutes, and when your eyes have adjusted to the full darkness, examine the bellows for pinholes, now very well illuminated by the bulb. If it's really bad, the bellows will glow like an Oriental lantern! I would expect at least a -few- pinholes in any old bellows, just patch 'em up.

-Dan, most times Sinar Norma bellows are repairable, and well worth repairing. At least you will will want to re-use the bellows frames, those are worth some money. I once acquired an 8x10 Norma bellows that was repaired with circular Johnson & Johnson Bandaids, applied inside the bag bellows.

[Keith Tapscott.]

I have contacted Camera Bellows and was quoted £165 + VAT @ 17.5% for replacement bellows and then there`s packaging and postage on top, so I think I will try the home repair option first before resorting to buying replacement bellows.
Thanks everyone.

[rootprompt]

For what it's worth, I repaired my Toyo's bellows with black artist's acrylic paint - works like a charm and it was cheap, too.

Cheers
Andreas

[Keith Tapscott.]

I found this on the web today which might be of interest to some.
http://www.rolandandcaroline.co.uk/bellows.html
Thanks to everyone who replied.

[Keith Tapscott.]

I patched up the light leaks today and checked the bellows with a torch in the darkroom. So far, so good provided the patches remain in place.
The weather is wet, heavily overcast and miserable at the moment in south-west England, so it might be a while before I shoot any film.