A good introduction to bellows making?

[svlindbe]

I saw a flea-bay auction for prited instructions called "Make Bellows For Folding Camera Photography Antique" (Item number 190241927817) available from Canada. Do any of you have experience with this? Is it any good, or is it better to get all the tips for free on the internet?

Svein Lindberg

[Peter De Smidt]

I haven't read the one mentioned. That said, Doug Bardell and a few others have some pretty good explanations on the net. Personally, I'd look at as many of these as I could, do some thinking, and give it a try on a small practice bellows. The most important thing is to have good materials. Opaque, thin and flexible are required, and this isn't so easy to find. The first bellows I made were fine from a geometry perspective, but they were too heavy and stiff for camera use.

[audioexcels]

As Peter said it, there's quite a bit of lit on the web about bellows making. There's some very good sites with tutorials explaining methods they use to make bellows, and they seem to be plenty fine. Materials is definitely essential as I have seen even newer cameras on the used market look kinda abused on the bellows in spite the rest of the camera looks perfect in condition. Makes me wonder if the manufactures have the bellows made by a lower grade quality or if the user abuses the bellows and not the camera;)...

[ic-racer]

Again, good materials (read 'thin') are needed for the best results. My first one was a little too thick and stiff also, but it works fine on a 100 year old view camera with limited movements.

Here is a thread where I share my trials and tribulations of bellows construction: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=29267

[Ron Marshall]

Perhaps you've seen this site:

http://my.net-link.net/~jsmigiel/bellows.html

[Jimi]

Here's two (last one wide angle bellows instructions in german only):

http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html

http://www.foto-net.de/net/dyo/gross_ww.html

[Sandeha]

I used the darkroom cloth from Porter's, but its too thick for comfortable compression ...
http://www.sandehalynch.com/bellows.htm

If anybody can source the thin vinyl coated fabric used by commercial bellows makers, that would be good.

[Doug Howk]

Barry Young has a manual titled "Modern Bellowsmaking". The directions look good, but I have yet to try it. He recommends the cloth from Porters, but I don't see it listed anymore on their site.

[Ben Hopson]

Barry Young has a manual titled "Modern Bellowsmaking". The directions look good, but I have yet to try it. He recommends the cloth from Porters, but I don't see it listed anymore on their site.

Porters no longer carries the cloth Barry recommended for bellows making. He did some looking for an alternative source and found it at Freestyle Photographic so it is still available, just not from Porters any more.

Link is to Barry's book on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150286735470&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RCRX_Pr3_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=150286704547&itemcount=3&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m184&_trkparms=algo%3DCRX%26its%3DS%252BI%252BSS%26itu%3DISS%252BUCI%252BSI%26otn%3D3

[Colin Graham]

I used the darkroom cloth from Porter's, but its too thick for comfortable compression ...
http://www.sandehalynch.com/bellows.htm

If anybody can source the thin vinyl coated fabric used by commercial bellows makers, that would be good.

Sandeha, you might want to try a thinner cardstock than 190 GSM. I use the same cloth and more of a paperweight 90 GSM stock for the pleat stiffeners and don't have compression problems.

Great site by the way, thanks for sharing that.

[rwyoung]

I have Barry's book and his method does work. I've done one small tapered one with it.

I was thinking about trying to use some vinyl wall-paper as the material. Maybe spray paint one side black.

[numnutz]

Has anyone any idea what the title of the book that was copied to be sold on ebay is and if possible the author.

nn :)

[Peter De Smidt]

Romney, who produced a bunch of books on camera repair, had one on bellows making.

[Mike Fiction]

Would this make a good outer material?

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17579

[Mike Fiction]

And is this the stuff for the inner material?
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1307

[Peter De Smidt]

Would this make a good outer material?

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17579

I can't tell. Thickness and pliability is key. Get some samples.

[robert fallis]

You can get curtain material, which is made for home cinemas it is
chemical coated on one side to make it light proof, and then use black cloth for the inner liner, so you have no trouble with scatter light I got twenty metres of ebay for a fiver plus postage, which was more than the cloth cost

bob

ps. it comes in useful to black out the darkroom too....

[Shen45]

I just measured some blackout [ivory coloured] curtain lining and it is .013". It is totally light tight as well.

[Glenn Thoreson]

Blackout curtain material is pretty good, as is the stuff some changing bags are made of. I just murdered a changing bag to make an 8X10 tapered bellows and it worked pretty good for a first try. I had no pattern. I just constructed a card board form in the shape of a "pyramid" and layed it up around that.

[EuGene Smith]

Peter mentioned the bellows making book by Ed Romney - it is a good bellows making manual and is still available. Ed's widow, Sara, now sells his camera repair manuals, tools, etc. at www.edromney.com Just scroll down through her opening page until you see a picture of the camera repair tool kit, then click the "booklist" link below the photo to find the bellows making manual.

[svlindbe]

It is kind of strange: The original question has had 19 responses so far, but not one answer.. :-) Still, many of you have pointed to useful sites and shared valuable information regarding bellows making. Thank you! More tips and useful experiences, anybody?

Svein Lindberg

[Randy H]

For stiffeners, try using about 65 lb paper. "LIGHTLY spray it with lacquer. Let it dry thoroughly. Comes out roughly about the same stiffness and all as that stuff they iriginally used. Then look at local leather supply for pigskin splits. Look for pieces large enough, and the thinnest they have, to cover them with. If you look at For Sale section for Brand Camera, that is how those were redone. I carefully dismantled old bellows, and rebuilt with the leather splits. Soft and supple and easy to wotk with, and holds creases really well. Compresses easy and tight.