8 1/4" Velostigmat Converted for Soft Focus

**Jim Galli** · 14-Mar-2010, 01:32

As has already been discussed here previously, if you unwind your Velostigmat with soft focus ring past number 5 and keep on going to about 25 or 40, lovely soft focus images result.

That's great if you've got one of the big Velo's with the ring. But what about the rest of them. Can we accomplish the same thing by employing the same distance between the front 2 glasses somehow mechanically?

I bought an ordinary old barrel 8 1/4" Velostigmat of perhaps circa 1916. I unscrewed the front ring with the lettering on it, dropped out the front element, and made a spacer of approximately .065" and re-assembled it. The front glass now extends beyond the protection of the original barrel, so care must be taken.

Here are the first couple of images.

http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/Ve...8veloSoft.html

**goamules** · 14-Mar-2010, 04:49

Well I'll be.....I better go look at my 8.25 one. Very nice pics you took with this mod.

**Ramiro Elena** · 14-Mar-2010, 07:32

I recently opened up my 7 1/2 Velostigmat for cleaning. There was a bit of fungi growing between the two glasses.
I couldn't help thinking of the Velostigmat mod by Mark Sawyer while taking it appart. Mine is mounted on a Betax shutter but I imagine I could place a spacer between the two glasses aswell, no?

Unscrewing the beauty ring was a b***h though. What did you use for spacer Jim?

**Jim Galli** · 14-Mar-2010, 09:04

Originally Posted by ramiroelena

I recently opened up my 7 1/2 Velostigmat for cleaning. There was a bit of fungi growing between the two glasses.
I couldn't help thinking of the Velostigmat mod by Mark Sawyer while taking it appart. Mine is mounted on a Betax shutter but I imagine I could place a spacer between the two glasses aswell, no?

Unscrewing the beauty ring was a b***h though. What did you use for spacer Jim?

I laid a piece of .065 solder in there.