Lever lock on Burke & James View Camera

[brianentz]

I have a Burke & James 5 x 7 commercial view camera. It has a lever lock feature to secure the rear standard in place. It doesn’t work. I can’t figure out how to repair it and I’m wondering if anyone here knows of somebody who might work on something like this? Or any idea for how I might repair it?


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[Mark Tweed]

The twin levers create a locking action with simple cams. If you remove the back standard and unbolt the plate that covers the cross rail, it will expose the workings. Perhaps your cams have worn down such that they no longer create a binding friction. Looking at my own 5X7 Burke and James, from underneath where there's a limited view with out unassembling the works, I'm unable to determine how the cams are attached to the spanning rod. For all I know they may have a set screw, spot welded, or press-fitted. Once you taken it apart it should be easy to determine the problem.