Horseman 10x8 Help

[Moofy]

Hello.

I have just bought my first 10x8 camera, a Horseman, (not entirely sure of the model). It was pretty cheap, came with a lens and seems to be in fairly good condition so I can't really complain.

I've come to the conclusion though there's something odd about the front standard. Specifically unless it is at maximum rise it's not centred on the rear. Have I been sold a camera with an incorrect front standard (presumably one for a 5x4 camera) or is this just what they are like? From doing a bit of googling it seems like they usually have a spacer on the front to bring it up to the same level but I don't know if that was a later addition or not.

Any help most welcome, including if any of you have modified yours or have a service manual for the camera, I am not against machining a part to raise it up.

207062
207063

[Oslolens]

I Google pictures of 8x10" Horseman cameras, and all but one had a higher front "swivels". So you might have no front but two back swing mechanisms

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[Jimi]

It seems that the rear standard is reversed since you have the controls on the "wrong" side. From what I can see your assumptions may be correct - that it is a 4x5 standard and that it would need to be modified.

In some cases - Sinar Norma and some Linhof monorails comes to mind - the larger 5x7 and 8x10 cameras use a 4x5 front standard and a different, lower rear 5x7/8x10 standard. In the case of the Horseman, the 4x5 model already rides close to the rail, so my thinking is that the 8x10 would from the outset need to get the (4x5) standard higher up to be zeroed out.

[Tin Can]

You do have a front 8X10 standard

It is also normal on Horseman to rotate any standard to however it works best

I often have the L standards on same or opposite sides

You can also rotate the frames to get the frames closer or farther apart

https://butkus.org/chinon/horseman/horseman_450/horseman_450.htm

Be gentle with this very good and sturdy camera, parts are impossible

Sinar lensboards and Sinar shutters also fit

[Jim Michael]

What happens when you move that front standard to the rear and rear standard to front? Also put both standards on the same side as Jimi said.

[Bernice Loui]

Mixed lash-up of Horseman L parts.

The rear appears to be a 8x10, the front is a 4x5 L. These parts are mostly interchangeable like Sinar, but with more exceptions if they are interchanged than Sinar.

The 8x10 Horsman L has a riser post to lift up the L frame to center it on the 8x10 rear. This is the give away this camera is a mixed lash-up. This is what a 8x10 Horseman L should look like.
https://kamerastore.com/product/horseman-le-8x10-monorail-camera-with-upgraded-fresnel-lens-ground-glass-2/

This your first view camera?


Bernice

[Moofy]

This is my first monorail, I have a little toyo field camera but that doesn’t have removable parts.

The reason I had the back on the other side was partly because I figured it might slightly more evenly distribute weight having each ‘L’ on one side but also because the markings on the focus knob read correctly when placed on that side.

From looking up pictures and from the camera listed on Kameratori it would seem as though the only difference is in having a riser post on the front. I’ve started trying to disassemble mine to see how it holds in place. In doing so I’ve hit a hurdle, in that the focusing gear is held in place with a pin. It needs to come out before I can get in any further and I don’t have the tools to hand to do it with any hope of reversibility. My thought is to machine a cylinder to raise it up the the correct height, given that as far as I can tell is all the official horseman one does. eBay has so far not offered the easy option of finding another front standard.

[Bernice Loui]

To make this 8x10 Horseman functional, need to find the correct 8x10 front standard or make up the parts required to convert the 4x5 front standard to 8x10 front standard. Horseman made variations on their L camera standards some have geared movements, others not. This will figure into what is needed.

"The reason I had the back on the other side was partly because I figured it might slightly more evenly distribute weight having each ‘L’ on one side but also because the markings on the focus knob read correctly when placed on that side."

~This would make camera movements not really possible. The "L" frames need to be set up as designed or the camera movements will not work properly.
Respect the original Horseman design as the folks who designed the camera understood well how the camera needs to function and how the camera user would
use the camera.~


Bernice