New Case for the 8x10

[Chris Strobel]

Just took delivery of my new custom case for my 8x10.Its light, white, high density foam lining that doesn't shed, and was ordered Mon. and at my door Fri.For those needing a new case the company is Melmat, its the spacecase series.http://www.melmat.com/DesktopDefault.aspx

http://www.pbase.com/cloudswimmer/image/83713372/original.jpg

[John Hannon]

The C-1 has a new home. Looks good Chris.

[Chris Strobel]

The C-1 has a new home. Looks good Chris.

Its more to protect things from the camera, than the camera from things :)

[Walter Calahan]

Congratulations. Lookin' good.

[Merg Ross]

Impressive! Both the case and the camera! Wish my C-1 looked that good.
Congrats,
Merg

[John Hannon]

Its more to protect things from the camera, than the camera from things :)

I still have mine in a Stanley rolling tool case.

[Chris Strobel]

Well a little elbow grease and wadding polish revealed an old camera that had hardly any use when I bought it a couple years ago.I since bought a second one in like new shape also and am going to cut its rail down to facilitate short lenses as Christopher Burkett did His.Merg did you know Brett Weston when He was using the C-1?How far would He actually walk with that whole rig over His shoulder like in the movie?When He started using the Rolliflex was that the end of the 8x10?

Chris

.
Impressive! Both the case and the camera! Wish my C-1 looked that good.
Congrats,
Merg

[Captain_joe6]

Might I, and we, enquire as to the specific dimensions, options, and price of that fine new case you have? The C-1 is a burly beast that won't fit in anything designed for cameras, and I for one would love to shove mine in a nice white box. After all the time I've put into mine getting it disassembled, cleaned, sanded, primed, painted, cleaned again, reassembled, tested, adjusted, lubricated, new parts ordered, new parts machined, etc. (do I seem a little anal?), I'm more than a little paranoid about my baby's safety.

[Chris Strobel]

Might I, and we, enquire as to the specific dimensions, options, and price of that fine new case you have? The C-1 is a burly beast that won't fit in anything designed for cameras, and I for one would love to shove mine in a nice white box. After all the time I've put into mine getting it disassembled, cleaned, sanded, primed, painted, cleaned again, reassembled, tested, adjusted, lubricated, new parts ordered, new parts machined, etc. (do I seem a little anal?), I'm more than a little paranoid about my baby's safety.

Yeah sure, inside dimension (cavity for camera) 18"x14"x8".Foam thickness I specified is 1/2", two latches, three hinges, folding handle on top.cost 160.00.Maybe too pricey for some, but like you I put many hours into restoring this camera to new condition, and it was worth every penny to me.I was going to put it in a Pelican 1560 which is 135.00 at B&H, but am glad I popped the extra 25.00 for a glove like custom fit.If you want call Joe at Melmat (714) 902-1162, and tell Him you want the case Chris Strobel ordered in Aug. 07 (I've ordered other cases from Him in the past)

If you have any photos of your C-1 restoration job, I'd be interested to see them.I've thought about doing something wild with my second C-1 like machining some of the aluminum, painting with Ivory Imron, and gold anodizing the knobs etc. for fun.

[Merg Ross]

Chris, yes I did know Brett when he was using the C-1, but my earliest memories are trips together when he had the old wooden 8x10 Agfa/Ansco. Also, in the 1960's he was using a Mamiyaflex TLR, prior to the Rollei SL66.

As to how far he walked with the 8x10, I can recall whole mornings spent at Mono Lake, Point Lobos, Keeler and other places with his 8x10 camera over one shoulder and the film holder bag over the other. Perhaps never far from the vehicle, but a lot of walking nonetheless.

He did continue to use the C-1 after being introduced to the Rollei system, but he loved the Rollei for what it offered as an extension of his vision. Those of us using the 8x10 know its limitations, as did Brett, and the Rollei made so much of his later work possible. Also, the spider bite and infection which he suffered in 1979 weakend his arm to the extent that the 8x10 was an impossible burden. I recall visiting him in the hospital at that time and thinking how fortunate it was that he had the Rollei to look forward to when he recovered.

The movie you refer to, I assume, is the one made by Art Wright; the bearded chap with Brett at Point Lobos, struggling with the Calumet monorail, is yours truly. Later, I shortened the rail by about four inches, should have purchased the shorter rail in the first place.

Regards,
Merg

[Captain_joe6]

Well, Chris, unfortunately there were no pictures because everything was happening so fast! But I can give you a little overview of the process:

I have the magnesium, and therefore green, version of the camera. I started by taking the whole thing apart, slowly, being sure to know how each thing went together. Then, on to sanding with coarse steel wool, then a rubdown with good solvent (Goo-Off is the stuff I used, and it is amazing), and on to a whole lot of masking. Obviously, all of the sliding surfaces and such got masked off.

Then, with as many parts as would fit, I hung everything with thin wire from the struts and cross members of a ladder which became my paint rack.

From here, the usual. Prime, dry, paint, dry, check, paint again, dry again. For paint, I used Rustoleum Hammer-Finish spraypaint. The color I picked was the lighter, more muted two greens that are available in the hammer finish (the other is a deep forrest green), and it turns out that the color I used is an eerily close match to the original shade of green, just glossier and with more texture. Originally, the frames for the ground glass on both my 8x10 and 4x5 backs were black instead of green, so I used another hammer-finish paint, this time a bronze color.

A C-1 uses about a can and a half of the main color, about 2 cans of primer, and some fraction of a can of flat black for all the internal surfaces and light trap surfaces on the backs. I just happened to have the bronze secondary color already, so figure that one in as well.

For all the sliding surfaces, I rubbed them with progressively finer steel wool, making sure things were smooth and slick. I did the same thing with all the metallic parts to make sure they had a nice shine.

Once all the paint was dry, I put it all back together. Next up, I'm going to strip the Majestic tripod I've got it on (though because of its tougher paint I'll have to use chemical paint stripper) and repaint it that same bronze color.

One idea you might want to try out would be stone-finish paint. I thought that would look cool, but the nostalgic side of me said 'no, keep it at least somewhat like original.' Never argue with your inside voice. PM me with any questions, I'll help as much as I can!

[eddie]

Well, Chris, unfortunately there were no pictures because everything was happening so fast! But I can give you a little overview of the process:

I have the magnesium, and therefore green, version of the camera. I started by taking the whole thing apart, slowly, being sure to know how each thing went together. Then, on to sanding with coarse steel wool, then a rubdown with good solvent (Goo-Off is the stuff I used, and it is amazing), and on to a whole lot of masking. Obviously, all of the sliding surfaces and such got masked off.

Then, with as many parts as would fit, I hung everything with thin wire from the struts and cross members of a ladder which became my paint rack.

From here, the usual. Prime, dry, paint, dry, check, paint again, dry again. For paint, I used Rustoleum Hammer-Finish spraypaint. The color I picked was the lighter, more muted two greens that are available in the hammer finish (the other is a deep forrest green), and it turns out that the color I used is an eerily close match to the original shade of green, just glossier and with more texture. Originally, the frames for the ground glass on both my 8x10 and 4x5 backs were black instead of green, so I used another hammer-finish paint, this time a bronze color.

A C-1 uses about a can and a half of the main color, about 2 cans of primer, and some fraction of a can of flat black for all the internal surfaces and light trap surfaces on the backs. I just happened to have the bronze secondary color already, so figure that one in as well.

For all the sliding surfaces, I rubbed them with progressively finer steel wool, making sure things were smooth and slick. I did the same thing with all the metallic parts to make sure they had a nice shine.

Once all the paint was dry, I put it all back together. Next up, I'm going to strip the Majestic tripod I've got it on (though because of its tougher paint I'll have to use chemical paint stripper) and repaint it that same bronze color.

One idea you might want to try out would be stone-finish paint. I thought that would look cool, but the nostalgic side of me said 'no, keep it at least somewhat like original.' Never argue with your inside voice. PM me with any questions, I'll help as much as I can!

Damn! great work. show us some pictures. i remember what she looked like. i do auto body repair.....do you want a job?

eddie

[Chris Strobel]

Sweet!I used Never-Dull wading polish on all the un-painted surfaces myself.Put a nice shine on everything.I'm in the market for a mag version myself.All the mags I've seen for sale the past year or two on ebay were trashed :(


Well, Chris, unfortunately there were no pictures because everything was happening so fast! But I can give you a little overview of the process:

I have the magnesium, and therefore green, version of the camera. I started by taking the whole thing apart, slowly, being sure to know how each thing went together. Then, on to sanding with coarse steel wool, then a rubdown with good solvent (Goo-Off is the stuff I used, and it is amazing), and on to a whole lot of masking. Obviously, all of the sliding surfaces and such got masked off.

Then, with as many parts as would fit, I hung everything with thin wire from the struts and cross members of a ladder which became my paint rack.

From here, the usual. Prime, dry, paint, dry, check, paint again, dry again. For paint, I used Rustoleum Hammer-Finish spraypaint. The color I picked was the lighter, more muted two greens that are available in the hammer finish (the other is a deep forrest green), and it turns out that the color I used is an eerily close match to the original shade of green, just glossier and with more texture. Originally, the frames for the ground glass on both my 8x10 and 4x5 backs were black instead of green, so I used another hammer-finish paint, this time a bronze color.

A C-1 uses about a can and a half of the main color, about 2 cans of primer, and some fraction of a can of flat black for all the internal surfaces and light trap surfaces on the backs. I just happened to have the bronze secondary color already, so figure that one in as well.

For all the sliding surfaces, I rubbed them with progressively finer steel wool, making sure things were smooth and slick. I did the same thing with all the metallic parts to make sure they had a nice shine.

Once all the paint was dry, I put it all back together. Next up, I'm going to strip the Majestic tripod I've got it on (though because of its tougher paint I'll have to use chemical paint stripper) and repaint it that same bronze color.

One idea you might want to try out would be stone-finish paint. I thought that would look cool, but the nostalgic side of me said 'no, keep it at least somewhat like original.' Never argue with your inside voice. PM me with any questions, I'll help as much as I can!

[Turner Reich]

Merg, was the Calumet you were using in the Art Wright video a 4x5 or a 5x7? I noticed that Brett got really close to the subjects for some of his photographs, not being familiar with the '66, does the bellows give it close up capacity? Were you in any of the gallery scenes or just at Point Lobos?

Thanks for your participation and knowledge, there is a saying that goes somewhat like this: A minute with a master is worth a life time of study on your own. Again thanks.

[Captain_joe6]

With the exception of the bellows and the glass on the backs, there's not a whole lot that these cameras can't handle I've found. Plus, all the parts are interchangeable from the aluminums to the magnesiums I believe, so with a couple of junkers you might get something quite nice. Unless the metal itself was bent or damaged or parts are missing you should be able to pick up any C-1 and get it looking good and working good without too many problems. All the threads on the things are standard sizes. With some elbow grease and a good machinist I think even the most trashed C-1 could be brought back to life with less than a month's worth of work at the most, a week (how long it took me to clean, paint, and cure everything) at the least.

[Merg Ross]

Turner, not wishing to hijack Chris's thread, my reply will be brief. The Calumet camera I was using at Point Lobos was a 4x5. The Rollei, with bellows and choice of lenses is terrific for closeups. Brett actually preferred the 120mm and longer lenses. I was in the scenes at Brett's house at "Snake Time".

Thanks, Chris, sorry for the diversion.

Best,
Merg

[G Benaim]

As a brand new C-1 owner, I hope noone minds a brief thread takeover. How do you lubricate the focusing mechanism? Just clean the rails, or does it actually need some lunrication? Thanks,

GB

[Turner Reich]

Hi Chris, I have a C1 8x10 and it's in a small suitcase right now. I bought a case but it holds the camera but doesn't have enough room for lenses or holders but that makes the case too big. I checked the site you listed, it looks like they are a custom case maker who can make just about anything. I like the one you have and white is the right color to keep it cooler in hot weather. Now that you have the case what will you carry the film holders in?

I actually put my Kodak 5x7 in and holders with cloth and accessories in the other case I bought. Sorry to take the thread away to Merg, he has some great knowledge of Calumet cameras and the like and is always willing to share it with us.

[G Benaim]

Sweet!I used Never-Dull wading polish on all the un-painted surfaces myself.Put a nice shine on everything.I'm in the market for a mag version myself.All the mags I've seen for sale the past year or two on ebay were trashed :(

Actually, the one I just got is in excellent condition, a green magnesium one.

[archivue]

instead of a case... i'm using a 50 euros Vuarde 40 alpinist backpack with great success... with a toyo 810M or a Sinar Norma 8x10.
i put the holders in a laptop's bag.

http://www.koodza.fr/Vuarde-40_118_32514.htm