Bellows Material

[starkec]

Hi all,
Im currently designing my second 4x5 camera. For my first camera I used a layer of rubber coated fabric and a layer of ripstop nylon for the bellows. It works well but is quite thick. What is the recomended material for bellows and where can I purchase it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

187933

[Pfsor]

Custom Bellows in Britain. They will let you purchase it under one condition - that they will sell it to you already pleated, i.e. made. Not a bad condition, many of us have discovered. Me too. The only things I don't make myself for my cameras are the bellows and the film back (not mentioning the lens, of course). It allows me to construct cameras much better than I otherwise could make. Just a suggestion.

[rdeloe]

Terrific instructions for making a bag bellows here thanks to the miracle of the Internet Time Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20171219040947/http://colinflanarygraham.com/darkshop/?p=4353


And then there's this: http://www.picto.info/RS_texts/bellows_RS.pdf

[Pfsor]

And then there's this: http://www.picto.info/RS_texts/bellows_RS.pdf

Unfortunately it doesn't answer the OP question. The main problem in home bellows making is always the correct material, not the building procedure. The correct material decides about the bellows usefulness for the camera construction.
Leather, leatherette, canvas - just try to get the right one and you'll see that it is not easy to find it, let alone to find it in the right needed size. As the OP already knows.
Fortunately, Custom Bellows have not that problem and are very good for making just that - custom size bellows.

[rdeloe]

I think that together (as intended) the two links answer the OPs question... The fellow in the first link describes material you can use. In his bellows he sandwiches 2 layers of BK-5 cloth with a layer of black ripstop in between. I'm not promising that material will work with a pleated bellows, but it's bellows material.

[Pfsor]

I think that together (as intended) the two links answer the OPs question... l.

Where did you say you can buy the leather or leatherette useful for bellows construction? That kind of leather is a completely different material than the leather used for making clothes as anybody who tried to build bellows with it knows.

[rdeloe]

Where did you say you can buy the leather or leatherette useful for bellows construction? That kind of leather is a completely different material than the leather used for making clothes as anybody who tried to build bellows with it knows.

pfsor, the OP's question has two parts: "What is the recomended material for bellows and where can I purchase it?"
Part 1: What is the recommended material for bellows?
Part 2: Where can I purchase it?

So if you review my answer again, you will see that I answered Part 1. Leatherette is not the only material that can be used to make bellows. My bellows are not made with leatherette.


I've read lots of your replies. You like fighting with people on Internet forums and you have a desperate need to be right all the time. It's boring.

[Pfsor]

And then there's this: http://www.picto.info/RS_texts/bellows_RS.pdf

And this material you can purchase it where? You forgot the 2nd part of the OP's question. Just tell us where you can buy it, it will do as the OP wants to know.
You don't need to fight, nobody asks you that. Just answer the OP question about the purchase possibility of the material you recommend.

[pepeguitarra]

Blackout Curtain black from Walmart and plastic (https://www.eplastics.com/POLYCLR0-005) for the inner pleads instead of paper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Pmxu4PMio).

[Pfsor]

Have you used that kind of plastic in bellows?

[pepeguitarra]

Have you used that kind of plastic in bellows?

Not yet. I am ready to start making one bellows for an 8x10 using that plastic. The maximum thickness I am willing to use is 0.005". I am going to replace a leather bellows that is way too thick.

[Pfsor]

I suppose you will cut the polyester sheet, not just stretch it uncut between the outer layers, otherwise you could encounter curling problems, typical for polyester film base. Also the choice of a correct glue can be important. And as you know from your own experience the "way too thick bellows" is another typical problem with home made bellows. In fact, there isn't any leather easily obtainable that would have the thickness suitable for bellows making. If specialised firms have it then they don't like to sell it to amateurs.
The only bellows that can use material easily available and perfectly suitable are bag bellows. They are pure pleasure to make.

Anyway, fortunately for the rest we have Custom Bellows. The bellows they make can be incredibly thin. Once I ordered bellows I thought they would not be able to make (long and I had not enough space on my camera for it). They came with bellows that exceeded even my original requirements. UV light safe, easy to clean and stronger than I imagined on the top of it!

[starkec]

Terrific instructions for making a bag bellows here thanks to the miracle of the Internet Time Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20171219040947/http://colinflanarygraham.com/darkshop/?p=4353


And then there's this: http://www.picto.info/RS_texts/bellows_RS.pdf

That was the exact instructions I used to design the bellows, but as others have pointed out its not the design that Im struggling with but rather the finding of suitable material. But thanks though.

[starkec]

Thanks for all the suggestion, I think my first stop will be a local bookbinding store.

[Pfsor]

Thanks for all the suggestion, I think my first stop will be a local bookbinding store.

You will surely find good looking, synthetic, thin leatherettes of all colours there. I know, as I let a professional bookbinding firm cover books that I often use with this material. But there is b moll - even the best bookbinding leatherette starts to develop cracks after some time of use. So do bellows, the question is what wants to crack easier.
Also check on the light proof characteristics of the material - they are not all light proof. Good luck!

[Erik Larsen]

Here's a source for bk 5
https://www.thorlabs.us/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=190

[radii]

Here's a source for bk 5
https://www.thorlabs.us/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=190

I've used the BK5 material on several bellows that I've made. Two layers with stiffening ribs sandwiched in between works great, light proof and very flexible. The downsides are, that it's difficult to bond to almost anything (I used 3M transfer tape) and that bellows past a 8x10 size, tend to sag too much under their own weight.

[starkec]

That looks very promising. @radii did you use two layers for ease of construction or was it necessary to be completely light tight?

[radii]

That looks very promising. @radii did you use two layers for ease of construction or was it necessary to be completely light tight?

Both really. I tested it with a flash, and minute amount of stray light was coming through a single layer. Maybe neglect able, but having the ribs in between the two layers, just made sense to me.

[Pfsor]

Generally speaking, the ribs give the bellows its firmness, the bellows material layers covering it give the bellows its flexibility.
Notice that the ribs are cut so as not to impede the flexibility of the bellows while still making it firm.