Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 19 of 19

Thread: Kodak Master View Questions

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Posts
    637

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    I tried the felt that comes in sheets with one side sticky (usually available at craft and fabric stores). It works fine for all appropriate areas on the KMV back except on the side that the film holder pushes against. That area gets excessive wear, so need to try something else - maybe additional glue.
    van Huyck Photography
    "Searching for the moral justification for selfishness" JK Galbraith

  2. #12
    Vlad Soare's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    466

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    Update:
    My light sealing materials arrived this week, and I did the repair. I'm very pleased with the results. I've cleaned the slots, removed all traces of old adhesive, and placed the foam first, then the fabric. That both of them were self-adhesive was of great help. They were really nice materials, a pleasure to work with.
    The attached pictures show the back frame, first with foam only, then with the fabric added on top.
    It looks better than the original. The overall thickness of the foam/fabric sandwich is comparable to the thickness of the original seal, so I think it should work fine. I don't know about mechanical resistance after inserting and removing film holders over and over again. That remains to be seen. But for the time being I'm very pleased. All I need now is one film holder (which is already on its way to me, but seemingly taking longer than usual due to the holiday season), and I can start shooting.

  3. #13

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    Hello Vlad: I recently purchased a KMV and had the felt on the far end ( where the leading edge of the film holder hits ) come loose from the channel. The material was very tattered and torn, and had probably not been sitting securely in the channel for some time. I have asked Michael Smith-one of the leading authorities on KMV cameras- to help with the remedy. The back is repaired, and is on the way to me. I have asked Michael to tell me what material he used. I will let all know. As you surmised, the empty channel on the other short side is the light trap.

    Here is a link to the KMV parts list on Mike Butkus' site. Mike has made various camera and other photography manuals available without charge, and he has literally hundreds of references. I often go to his site when I need definitive information about older cameras, meters, etc. I always leave a small donation so that he can continue with his work. There is simply no other site like Mike's on the internet.

    Elliot

    http://www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/kmv-partslist.pdf
    Last edited by Elliot Puritz; 25-Dec-2010 at 20:55. Reason: typo

  4. #14

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    Michael Smith has provided some guidance which I paraphrase below:

    1. To secure the velvet he suggests the use of velvet as available at a fabric store, and the use of super glue applied to the metal in the channel.

    2. He reports that he has used KMV cameras with and without velvet in the channels, and has had no light leaks. However, Michael Smith's standard procedure is to keep the dark cloth over the rear of the camera at all times unless high winds would cause movement of the dark cloth and the camera. The use of dark cloths having elastic (which fits over the rear of the camera) can make the use of a dark cloth over the ground glass and the film holder much more difficult.

  5. #15

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    Regarding light seals, I'm confused by the parts explosion diagram and parts list on the Buktus link. The diagram shows two light seals for top and bottom, and one for far end vertical, is the short side (speaking when back is in normal landscape mode). But the parts list says just one seal for the long side, and two seals for the short sides.

    Now, looking at the back of my recently acquired Kodak Master View 8x10, the light seals are in place on three sides, but nothing in the groove on the short opening side where you insert the film holder. This is like the parts diagram shows.

    So I wonder if there is meant to be light seal material in this last channel or not? I haven't yet tried out the camera with film, maybe that's the acid test.

  6. #16
    Vlad Soare's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    466

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    The parts list may be less confusing if you follow the part numbers, not the descriptions. It seems to me that they're describing the back in portrait mode, so that the short side (left, in the diagram) would be "bottom", and the long sides would be, well, "sides". If you look at the diagram, the short seal is number 116622, which is listed as one piece, and the long seals are number 116623, listed as two pieces.
    So the parts list is consistent with the diagram if you disregard the "bottom" and "side" descriptions.

    What does seem confusing, on the other hand, is that the text on the diagram reads "LIGHT SEAL (2)". Could this mean that there should be two short seals, but for space and tidiness reasons they chose not to draw a second line towards the far (right) side?

    Anyway, I figured that if there's a fourth groove, then it must be there for a reason, so I've filled it with foam and fabric, too. I don't know if it's required or not, but at least it can't do any harm.

  7. #17
    Vlad Soare's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    466

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    I've looked at three different metal cameras - another 8x10" Master View, an 8x10" Plaubel, and a 4x5" Calumet - and all of them have light seals on three sides only, the fourth groove (towards the opening) being empty. In fact, once I tried to insert a film holder it became obvious that the fourth slot should be empty to allow the "lip" of the film holder to go in. This also explains why it's a bit narrower than the other three.
    OK, so I removed the fabric and foam from the fourth slot. I also took a few pictures and noticed no light leaks.
    Mystery solved.

    Interestingly, my 4x5" Chamonix has no light seals under the ground glass. Just wood, nothing else.

    Now, another question.
    What tricks do you use to remove the film holder after taking a picture? Inserting it is easy enough, but removal seems to be much more difficult than in any other camera I've seen. I could use some tips.

  8. #18

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    Vlad, I have no problem with mine, taking the holder out is straightforward, but I was taught to always push on the top of the rear frame with the fingers and pull back with the thumb to open up the back, an instinctive movement. My camera has its original velvet seals still on the three sides (none on exit) which are intact but well used and flush with surround, so no obstacle to insertion/extraction.

  9. #19
    Vlad Soare's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Bucharest, Romania
    Posts
    466

    Re: Kodak Master View Questions

    My problem is that while I pull the right side (the one towards the opening) of the ground glass frame, the left side is still pushing the film holder very tightly. The wider I open the right side, the more tightly the left side of the frame presses the tip of the film holder.
    I'd need three hands. One for each side of the frame, plus one to pull the holder out.

    The film holder finally comes out of the camera, but it takes some force and a lot of wiggling. I'm also not quite comfortable with the amount of friction, which looks like it might damage the film holders in time.

Similar Threads

  1. Kodak Master View Lens Boards
    By Michael A.Smith in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 15-Mar-2008, 06:15
  2. Kodak Master View Reducing Back
    By Michael Kadillak in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 17-Sep-1998, 22:55

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •