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Cameron Cornell
23-Mar-2017, 14:18
I am in need of a new flange to fit a brass 13" Wollensak Vitax. If you read my thread earlier this month about polishing brass lenses, well, this is the same lens. The flange that came with this lens was billed as the original, but it only threads easily about half way down before becoming very difficult, or jamming. I have carefully cleaned and then lubricated the threads with a tiny bit of Molykote G-N, but the problem has persisted. There are no visible problems with the threads on either the lens or the flange.

OK. So SK Grimes, right? That's fine. But are there any other shops out there that also do this work? I had SK Grimes fabricate a custom flange for my 16" Vitax (I seem to have bad luck with Vitax flanges), and the flange they made is perfect. The only downside was that it cost almost $200 and they took ten weeks to do the work. I have sent emails to eight local machine shops, but so far I've gotten six rejections, mostly due (apparently) to the one-off nature of the job.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on other companies I might check with before sending this off to SK Grimes. I would like to shoot with this lens before July if at all possible.

Cameron Cornell
Washington State

Jac@stafford.net
23-Mar-2017, 14:33
One of my several experiences with SK Grimes (http://www.skgrimes.com/contact-us)was when Steve was alive. I sent him an old brass lens for which he made a flange. His work replicated the subtle taper of the lens-to-flange typical of the era, something no typical contemporary machinist would know how to do.

Today the company is largely of his well informed apprentices, who are now masters. Write to them. They respond eventually. I have never been disappointed with their work for my later needs.
.

ghostcount
23-Mar-2017, 14:42
3L Machine Shop
Larry Linville
37635 River Road
Lebanon, OR 97355-8900
(541) 258-6602

Leszek Vogt
23-Mar-2017, 17:10
Cameron, if you come to Seattle sometimes....we can go to "my" machinist. He's pretty fast 2-3-5 days. Now, if he has to do this in brass....the cost (no doubt) will go up. Hmmm, can't put any bets on it, but certainly he's pretty reasonable. Having a brass piece in hand, however, will likely make a difference in final price.

He might be willing to send this item back to you (?)...and if not, I can intervene and drop it off at PO or UPS.

Les

RedGreenBlue
23-Mar-2017, 17:44
Three years ago I stopped by a machine shop in town that advertised custom work. I brought in my Vitax lens and a sample large flange as a visual aid. The owner/operator agreed to give it a shot. He handed it off to his apprentice. To keep the price down I agreed to have it turned out of aluminum. He quoted $200 and when I went to pick it up a week later he mentioned they under bid it, but kept to his quote.

Here's a photo I took at the time of the flange mounted on the lens. He did a perfect job. I was happy. I'm not sure if he would give me such a good deal again though.

162940

Cameron Cornell
23-Mar-2017, 18:54
Thank you, fellows- that is all really helpful. Leszek, I'm going to send you a message in regard to your contact in Seattle.

Leszek Vogt
23-Mar-2017, 22:30
Thank you, fellows- that is all really helpful. Leszek, I'm going to send you a message in regard to your contact in Seattle.

Just responded to your note twice....and finally (third time the charm) succeeded. The system seem to be out to lunch.

Les

Steven Tribe
24-Mar-2017, 01:56
It is a horrid fact of life that getting a commercial company to make flanges is always going to cost 200 + or ++ dollars.

Cutting a large internal thread (not always a modern standard) is going to take quite some time and needs a skilled operator.
The only way to get the price down is contact with an amateur who is looking for a change/challenge for his lathe and skills!
Or someone with a lathe which has a dedicated set-up for exactly this sort of work, which is probably what Grimes, mentioned here, have.

Steven Tribe
24-Mar-2017, 02:14
...., but it only threads easily about half way down before becoming very difficult, or jamming........



Cameron Cornell
Washington State

If you can screw half way in, then the solution is to use a "cutting compound" rather than a lubricant! The thread must be quite near a reasonable to get this far. Apply engine value grinding paste to the thread and screw in and out for a couple of hours, whilst doing something like watching the news from Washington or London. I always put stickers on the two parts so that I can see progress small progress each time. Do not screw with too much force or it can jam.

You won't change the thread on the lens enough to make later use of genuine flange impossible.

Jim Jones
24-Mar-2017, 08:11
If you can screw half way in, then the solution is to use a "cutting compound" rather than a lubricant! The thread must be quite near a reasonable to get this far. Apply engine value grinding paste to the thread and screw in and out for a couple of hours, whilst doing something like watching the news from Washington or London. I always put stickers on the two parts so that I can see progress small progress each time. Do not screw with too much force or it can jam.

You won't change the thread on the lens enough to make later use of genuine flange impossible.

This changes the threads slightly on both lens and flange. This might cause problems for someone many years in the future.

Taija71A
24-Mar-2017, 08:45
... This might cause problems for someone many years in the future.

'Anything' that we do today...
Might cause problems for others -- In the future.

Steven Tribe
24-Mar-2017, 09:54
As I said, there won't be any problems in the future. Even a loose thread will be tight enough when screwed home. The whole system is really over engineered. Even two bayonnet fixture type flange will hold a heavy lens firmly.

Mark Sawyer
24-Mar-2017, 11:21
Just a note that you can securely mount most large lenses without a flange easily and cheaply. Here's my 13 inch Vitax and a smaller lens mounted with bits of a rubber sewer connector and a ring clamp, $7 at Home Depot. (Yes, I'd rather have the original flange, but we have what we have...)

Cameron Cornell
24-Mar-2017, 12:29
162969

That's a good idea, Mark. But in this case, I'm the crazy fool who is mounting a 13" Vitax on this 7x11 Eastman View No. 2, so I'll need it to easily screw in and out of the flange because I'll have to do just that every time I set it up and break it down. In an earlier thread I was asking everyone about a lens support. You can see my homemade solution in the picture. The camera has the sliding tripod mount so I'll be able to adjust the placement based on the center of gravity. I'm having a fellow in Chicago fabricate a mahogany lens board with the giant hole cut for the Vitax. I sent the original wide lens board to him so he could match the dimensions and stain. The original has been modified to accept 6x6 square boards and I have two of those that go with the two lenses that came with this camera, a Turner Reich Triple Convertible (12-21-28) and a Wollensak IIIa 159 mm/12.5. So I'm waiting on that lens board, now this flange (I found a willing machinist this morning), and Ilford to do its ULF film run in April so I can buy some boxes of 7x11. I also have the 8x10 and 5x7 backs, so I can really get started using it once the original lens board returns from Chicago, which should be as early as next week.

Thank you fellows once again for all of your insights.

Cameron Cornell
Washington State
www.analogportraiture.com

Daniel Stone
24-Mar-2017, 15:45
Just a note that you can securely mount most large lenses without a flange easily and cheaply. Here's my 13 inch Vitax and a smaller lens mounted with bits of a rubber sewer connector and a ring clamp, $7 at Home Depot. (Yes, I'd rather have the original flange, but we have what we have...)

I'd say that's a damn-fine idea right there!

pierre506
24-Mar-2017, 16:15
162972162973162974162975

A little complected, but such way is good for onto Sinar Auto shutter.
Dallmeyer 2B and Zeiss Apo-germinar 240W