Bellows design--what is possible?

[Noah A]

My bag bellows is made of leather sold for making clothes - thin black leather only, no lining.
Make yourself a paper model first to see how it will behave. Little experimenting will give you the ideal shape and dimension.

Thanks for the info. I just may try it.

[GPS]

Thanks for the info. I just may try it.

It's well worth the effort. By making your personalized bag bellows you can accommodate exactly your lenses you want to use and still have the "official" bellows at hand. You give a new life to your camera for very little money.

[Ash]

Not sure if anyone has piped up about sewing leather. You can sew it on a traditional Singer, but modern motorised machines (consumer level) will buckle under the pressure. You'll need thicker needles as well. If you have an overlocker or industrial sewer you'll be ok.

[Noah A]

My bag bellows is made of leather sold for making clothes - thin black leather only, no lining.
Make yourself a paper model first to see how it will behave. Little experimenting will give you the ideal shape and dimension.

Where did you get the leather? Is it genuine or imitation? I'm finding lots of imitation leather, small scraps of real leather or at the other extreme complete hides.

I just ordered some bellows frames so I'm committed at this point. I'll get some scrap fabric to make a model. I tried paper but it seems to be a bit stiff and so I can't tell how much movement I'll get.

[Bob Salomon]

Not sure if anyone has piped up about sewing leather. You can sew it on a traditional Singer, but modern motorised machines (consumer level) will buckle under the pressure. You'll need thicker needles as well. If you have an overlocker or industrial sewer you'll be ok.

Perhaps. Each stitch makes a hole on each piece sewn together. If any of those holes are not properly sealed they can be a light leak. As the bellows moves the threads can wear away any sealent or enlarge the holes. So it isn't just a matter of sewing the pieces together.

[Richard Wasserman]

Where did you get the leather? Is it genuine or imitation? I'm finding lots of imitation leather, small scraps of real leather or at the other extreme complete hides.

How about ostrich leather?

http://www.floeckscountry.com/catalo...ather-7-1.html

[GPS]

Where did you get the leather? Is it genuine or imitation? I'm finding lots of imitation leather, small scraps of real leather or at the other extreme complete hides.

...

I got it in a normal shop selling fabrics for making clothes. It was genuine black leather (for fashion cloths, trousers etc.) very cheap, quite a big piece of it (a complete hide as you put it). In NY City, somewhere down on Broadway for a few bucks. Perfectly light tight and nicely lightweight too.

[GPS]

...

I just ordered some bellows frames so I'm committed at this point. I'll get some scrap fabric to make a model. I tried paper but it seems to be a bit stiff and so I can't tell how much movement I'll get.

You'll get at least as much movements that doesn't tear the paper or more. But if paper annoys you try a model made of plastic bag or similar. It's fun to play with it trying original shapes. You can make the pleats wider with a little flat top on them etc.

[Noah A]

Good point about the paper. I'll try it. I may as well wait until my frames arrive to really get started.

And thanks for the leather info. Here in Philly we have a street full of fabric stores, but if they don't have leather I'll be in NY in a few weeks so I can look there.

[speedfreak]

I'm eager to see what you come up with as I'm in the same boat with my technikardan. My standard bellows is full of leaks and I will, at some point, cannibalize it for it's frames, but for now it works by covering it with the dark cloth. These double pleated bag bellow seem easy enough to make. I would imagine the hardest part would be finding leather thick enough no to sag, but flexible enough make all the movements. Will contact cement hold up when the bellows is at full exention? Mabee the seams could be reinforced by a few hand stitches if need be?