Stupid question - what're these hooks fer?

[Scott --]

Hi, all -

Revealing my ignorance here, but I wanna know: There are little hooks on the bellows side of the front standard on my Korona 8x10. I can't figure out what they do. Any help? :o

Thanks,
Scott

[IanG]

Sometimes bellows have small hooks or loops on them and when not using much bellows extension you hook the excess bellows to the standard. This can stop the bellows drooping and getting in the way when using wider angle lenses.

Ian

[MIke Sherck]

Long long ago, about when your Korona was new, it was very common for women in general and wives in particular to engage in a garment manufacturing activity called "knitting". "Knitters", as they were called, created many colorful and warm garments for their loved ones to wear using a labor intensive hand process which required significant amounts of time in order to complete, say, a sweater or a blanket.

Recipients of "knitted" garments were expected to show their gratitude for the gift by wearing the garment at every opportunity. This wasn't as much of a sacrifice as it sounds as central heating had not been invented yet and most folks spent much of their lives shivering in the cold (which also, incidentally, explains how you and I got here, but that's another story.) After wearing these items for some time they began to show the effects and became somewhat ratty looking.

The small hooks on your camera are specially designed to catch protruding bits of knitted clothing and help pull them apart, thus helping to speed destruction and consequent recycling of the garment. Since historically, photography has been a very male -dominated activity while knitting has been dominated by females, this camera feature was designed to help bring the two sexes together; assisting, as it were, with the reproductive chances of unmatched specimens of either sex, or in the replacement of tattered old clothing in the event the user was already married.

I hope this was helpful. If you please have any more questions, please move to the back of the line; I think I see my kids lining up with some more questions of their own. Don't bother cross-checking with Wikipedia; there have been some editing delays and my article on this subject, as well as many others, has not yet been posted.

Mike

[Scott --]

Thanks, Ian. Told you it was a stupid question.

Now, the loops are no longer there. How to improvise new ones? I'm thinking Velcro will be involved... ;)

Scott

[Scott --]

Nice, Mike. I like that. :D

[Ash]

My Korona has loops on its original bellows. Two actually. I think it's to make sure you don't get sag with short lenses.

[Steve Goldstein]

Mike, that's an outstanding explanation. Have you considered writing for the Internet Oracle?

[David A. Goldfarb]

You can make new ones out of ribbon and D-rings and attach them to the bellows wherever it's convenient with Pliobond. You can have more than one set placed for different extensions.

[IanMazursky]

:D Fantastic Mike!:D

[Clueless Winddancing]

Could they be catches for a grometed focus cloth?

[Clueless Winddancing]

Or, where a closed body-with-bellows's security belt/handle was attached?