Taking care of bellows

[claudiocambon]

This winter I had Martin Arndt put new bellows on my Tech V, and now, after 3 months in the dusty, dry field, I need to give the camera a good cleaning. I wanted to know what, if anything, people recommend for keeping leather bellows conditioned to keep them from cracking and otherwise falling apart. Thanks in advance!

[Scott --]

I use Bick 4 (http://www.bickmore.com/bickmore/leather_care/) on my leather bellows.

[Brian Ellis]

I've had two bellows installed by Martin and IIRC there was no conditioning recommendatin, you were just supposed to keep them clean. I'm pretty sure they aren't leather (unless perhaps you specifically asked for leather). You might give him a call and see if he recommends any conditioning agent.

[Bob Gentile]

I'm kind of partial to Lexol (http://www.lexol.com/) products. Been using them for decades with good results.

[Bernard Kaye]

On a small area, "paint on" glycerin, see how it takes to your leather bellows. It is available in pint or quart size over the counter at local drug store. It is inexpensive. Let it "dry" and forget about it. I use a half inch good quality soft brush so it doesn't take all day. You might want to apply to one side facing up, let it dry so there is no drip; then rotate camera and do side of bellows now on top. It works for me but I am not a chemist nor a professional at this so test it on a less valuable camera or small area of of prized bellows. Good Luck. Bernie

[Bernard Kaye]

Does anyone know if B & S is still in business. No reply to emails. Bernie

[Jim Noel]

Yes, they are definitely in business.
Try contacting through the web site rather than through your regular e-mail.

[Bernard Kaye]

That is the "problem." Three tries through their web site and no reply. Vacation? I hope they are not ill. Bernie

[emo supremo]

Does anyone use AmorAll on bellows?

[emo supremo]

Excuse me I should be more specific. Does anyone use AmorAll to clean filthy, dustcaked mildewed, smelly cameras, particularly bellows that are not leather. Also, reconizing that one would of course apply any product to a portion of the wood/bellows that is not visible, should a bellows be cleaned separately from a wooden camera (dorf) inorder to prevent damage to wood finishes?

[tenderobject]

hello guys!

sorry for bumping this old thread. just curios on how you guys maintain your bellows.. my new (old) ansco 5x7 have a good bellows. but when i'm stretching it from its fold some parts are sticking to each other. are there any ways to prevent this? i would like to clean it as well. the inner and outer part. not sure if its a pure leather but it looks fine.. any liquid i can put so the bellows won't stick to each other and will maintain its leather well?

thanks in advance!!!

[Bosaiya]

Lately I've taken a shine to Huberd's Shoe Oil (http://www.huberds.com/Home.html) for leatherwork. I wipe on a thick coat, let it set overnight, then wipe off the excess. This has worked real well for my all-weather cameras.

[RichSBV]

There are many good leather conditioner/cleaners out there. The Lexol products somewhere near the top. There are also very few leather bellows out there...

The best product for wood camera and bellows by far is lemon Pledge. Good for wood and vinyl bellows both. Not bad for metal parts either. You can put it on as much or as little as you like. It cleans and preserves...

For those in doubt. Years ago a very large power company did a test of products to clean and preserve a multitude of materials. They tested just about everything available at the time. The number one product came out lemon Pledge. It's even the best thing to use on cars although it doesn't offer as hard a protecting surface as auto polish...

Never use Armour All ! I tested that many years ago and it had a tendency to leave a gooey disgusting slime that just about can't be removed. For it's purpose, I used to use "Son of a Gun" instead and had good results with it. For everything else, I use lemon Pledge (no other 'flavor' of Pledge!).

As a slight disclaimer: I recently noticed a Pledge TV commercial that may have said they changed the formula? If so, I might still trust them but would want to do a little testing first...

[Bosaiya]

I use a lot of Lemon Pledge as well for "indoor" cameras or for a good cleaning before a heavier treatment. Both Lemon Pledge and Huberd's have beeswax.

[Steve Hamley]

Another vote for Lemon Pledge.

Cheers, Steve

[GPS]

hello guys!

... i would like to clean it as well. the inner and outer part. not sure if its a pure leather but it looks fine.. ...

thanks in advance!!!

Before you put anything on it make sure what the material is. Some older "rubber" coated bellows are beyond repair as the "rubber" has past its life...

[tenderobject]

thanks guys! the lemon pledge is also for furniture right? i think i have this one..but still, i'm not too sure with the bellows in my 5x7.. hope it would be fine.

[Bosaiya]

thanks guys! the lemon pledge is also for furniture right? i think i have this one..but still, i'm not too sure with the bellows in my 5x7.. hope it would be fine.

It's made for furniture, yes.