Who on earth made Bayonet flanges?

[Steven Tribe]

Job lots always contain surprises!

An ordinary 3 piece mahogany lens board with a nice brass flange.
Very standard design with 6 screws - except that the lens mounting is made for a bayonet fitting.
Semi-circular cut outs with a 45 degree turn for locking.

[Sevo]

It was not entirely an alien concept - I have come across it on one presumably German made 9x12 travel camera. Labelled Haake&Albers (still around as a shop here in town, they were among the major mail order retailers from the 19th century until WWII), who rebranded many things. Mine might have been a Krügener - at any rate a local collector bought it for that possible relationship. But that bayonet was different, with two wide ears and sheet metal on wood at the board side. I also own a Voigtländer Bergheil, and Plaubel Makiflex/Pecoflex, but these have bayonets as part of all-metal constructions.

[Jody_S]

I also would like to know, I have an unnamed 8" WAR ("Weitwinkel") with the rear group held by a rather primitive bayonet mount. Front group screws in, who knows why they are different.

[Steven Tribe]

Jody, yours will be part of a casket set - with interchangeable rear cells. Bayonet for convenience/speed.

[Jody_S]

Interesting. Didn't some casket sets come with both short and long barrels to accommodate wide-angle configurations?

[Steven Tribe]

Yes, the very first casket set from Darlot (Universel) in 1866 was like this. Barrels were stamped A and B. I have had an incomplete set (the most common!) through my hands once, but it could still be used for a variety of combinations.