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C. D. Keth
6-Sep-2008, 16:33
I've been kicking around the idea of restoring a Kodak 2D for a while and, with all of the nice restorations lately, I finally got a camera to work on.

Will Thompson generously let me come down to his house and take my pick of the bunch of cameras he has accumulated and doesn't want to hold on to. I chose a very solid 2D that has had the front standard modified (in very ugly fashion) for front tilt. He set me up with another front standard and hardware, an extension bed, and even a couple of nice lensboards.

The only tricky thing to do will be to route out the new front standard to accept the mechanism for the front rise. Apparently kodak used slightly different mechanisms over the years.

Consider these "before" photos.:cool:

EDIT: My apologies for all of the deleted posts but I decided to just host all of the photos on a quick page on my website. You can see them here. (http://www.christopherketh.com/2d.html)

IanMazursky
6-Sep-2008, 18:39
She looks like a fun project! One that will probably be a labor of love.

Good luck!

I recently restored a Korona 12x20 and 5x7.
Blood, Sweat & Tears but so much fun!

C. D. Keth
6-Sep-2008, 22:33
By the way, does anyone know where I could find a date/serial number list for the 2Ds? I'm interested in finding out when it left the factory.

The Dread Pirate Robins
6-Sep-2008, 23:16
I look forward to seeing the progress on this project.

Jim Galli
7-Sep-2008, 00:09
Congrats on a fine project. That Packard will be your best friend. I have a Deardorff that is languishing because the old 2D has a packard inside. I don't seem to miss the front movements very often. If anything it's front swing I miss from time to time.

Mike Fiction
7-Sep-2008, 11:38
Good luck! Can't wait to see your results!

I'm almost done with mine, just need to make the bellows and a few small parts.

Let me know if you end up with an extra tightening knob, I'm missing one.

C. D. Keth
7-Sep-2008, 21:38
Will do, Mike. I think I'll be in the same boat, though. I'm missing the left knob for the front rise mechanism.

C. D. Keth
8-Sep-2008, 22:18
I disassembled everything this afternoon, so now I have a big box of hardware, a bunch of weird pieces of wood, and a ton of envelopes of screws with notes written on them about where the screws go.

I made up a strong bucket of Murphey's oil soap this evening and gave all of the wood a scrubdown with a rag and a toothbrush. The outside of the bellows got the same treatment, though I was less liberal with the water and very gentle.

http://www.christopherketh.com/images/2DOriginal18.JPG

As you can see, the wood looks pretty darn good! The color is even and the existing finish is a bit crudely applied but in decent shape. I had been planning on completely stripping the finish off and starting new but I've changed my mind. The wood looks so good that I'm going to keep the original color. I'll just patch the few places that need it and stain them to match. Then some light sanding to even everything out and the new clearcoat can go on. I haven't decided exactly what that will be. The existing finish is probably some type of nitro lacquer so perhaps I'll take the extra time to do a nice glossy nitro finish like ic-racer did. I love how his camera turned out so I'm seriously thinking in that direction.

ic-racer
9-Sep-2008, 06:58
I had been planning on completely stripping the finish off and starting new but I've changed my mind. The wood looks so good that I'm going to keep the original color.

I did not strip mine either. I just refreshed the appearance with a fresh top coat.
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=279469&postcount=33

Ralph Barker
9-Sep-2008, 07:20
If you want to retain more of the antique look, you might also consider just using a hand-rubbed finishing wax, such as that used by makers of fine furniture and antique restorers.

SaveBears
9-Sep-2008, 07:50
I have done a few of these cameras and if you like the nice rich look of the aged finish, I would agree with Ralph, if you strip it, then your going to have difficulty in maintaining that rich look that only comes with age. Talk to a local antique restoration shop and they should have some good ideas on what you can do to restore instead of redo.

C. D. Keth
11-Sep-2008, 12:23
I have got to where I have to stop on the wood for a while. I need to route the new front standard for the rise/fall hardware. I have to do that at my Dad's place.

In the meantime, I've been working on the hardware. It wasn't bad at all really, just looked the 50-80 years old it is. I wanted the brass to still look like an old camera so my polishing was pretty minimal. I didn't worry about some of the stained pieces or the pitting. Some time with 0000 steel wool and then some finer polish was all it took. Then everything gets 3 coats of lacquer to keep it shiny. It took 3 evenings in all. I'm lacquering today while it's warmer and while my girlfriend is out of the house.

Here's a taste. These pieces are drying from the third coat of lacquer. Only thing left is to flip them over for a bit more lacquer. I go thinner on the backsides since there won't be any wear and tear.

http://www.christopherketh.com/images/2DInProcess1.JPG

Another bonus popped up. Will Thompson, who I bought the camera from, called me a couple of days ago. He found the extension rail that belongs with my camera and he also found the sliding tripod block that came with it. I met him this morning to trade those for the non-matching extension rail he gave me before. I'm pretty psyched to be able to have a 99% (I'm missing one knob) complete antique camera to restore.

Will Thompson
13-Sep-2008, 07:16
Christopher & Mike, You might be able to talk me into pulling them from one of my Century No 2 junkers.


Let me know if you end up with an extra tightening knob, I'm missing one.

Mike Fiction
13-Sep-2008, 07:35
Christopher & Mike, You might be able to talk me into pulling them from one of my Century No 2 junkers.

Would a pretty please help? :)

The other piece I'm missing is the plumb level for the rear standard. Would you be willing to part with one of those as well?

Pretty Please?

What would you want for them as well?

C. D. Keth
13-Sep-2008, 08:53
Christopher & Mike, You might be able to talk me into pulling them from one of my Century No 2 junkers.

Would the tightening knob for the front rise/fall be the same for both camera models? I can't do anything that would permanently attach it to the rod because then I wouldn't be able to disassemble the front standard anymore..