Another 8x10 Eastman View No. 2 project [Archive] - Large Format Photography Forum

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Gordon Coale

27-Mar-2010, 21:04

So I was telling my friend Don, a retired photographer, about my new 1869 Voigtlander Petzval. (I bought the Petzval from Saint Eddie of the Wet Plate.) While I was going on about this beautiful old lens a light bulb went off in his head. He has been carrying this camera around for years. It had belonged to his dad and he had wanted to do something with it but has been realizing that he wasn't ever going to get to it. His thought was that I would be the perfect sucker...er, a worthy recipient for this unfinished project so he gave it to me along with a Century studio stand and a stainless steel sink and many 3 1/2 gallon stainless steel tanks.

His dad was high school music teacher. At the end of WWII he took a job in northern Ohio. He moved his young family (Don was 3) to this town to discover that the current music teacher had another 2 years on his contract and they couldn't get rid of him. They told him that if he could find employment for the next 2 years the job would be his when the current teacher left. So Don's dad opened up a portrait studio for those 2 years and his mom did the hand coloring for those that wanted color prints. This was the camera. After that time he hardly ever used it but for some portraits for friends. The Century studio stand was used to hold paint cans. The Century studio stand has been taken apart. I will deal with that when I get the camera cleaned up and working

The lens is a Wollensak Velostigmat Series II F4.5 12" with soft focus. The soft focus ring is bent and frozen and the studio shutter had been on backwards with the f stops facing the lens board. I think I can get the glass cleaned up. I view the lens schmutz as a protective coating. If the glass cleans up I will see if S.K. Grimes can take care of the rest.

It also came with an extension rail, 2 film holders, and 2 blank lens boards. He also needs to find the 5x7 split back for it.

Now to pull the the front standard forward, remove the belows, and start cleaning. And thanks to Eddie for selling me the lens that got Don to give me this camera.

More pictures at Flickr: 8x10 Eastman View No. 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gordoncoale/sets/72157623590269021/)

Mark Sawyer

27-Mar-2010, 22:45

Clean 'er up and she'll be a lovely camera, both to look at and to use. And if you get that Velostigmat repaired, it's a great lens:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=57385&highlight=velostigmat

ic-racer

28-Mar-2010, 12:51

Looks like a fun project. Are you going to make a bellows or buy one?

Gordon Coale

28-Mar-2010, 15:18

Mark - I have been following your thread on the Velostigmat. I didn't realize that is what came with my camera. I was stoked when I found out.

ic-racer - I will be looking to buy a bellows. I don't want to spend all my time on the camera. I want to take pictures! My friend originally thought it was a Century #1 and I found your Century restoration thread and pored over your posts. Inspirational!

Shen45

28-Mar-2010, 16:10

Gordon Coale

9-May-2010, 12:23

Progress has been slow on this. Reality keeps getting in the way. I cleaned the Velostigmat as much as I could and it's now on the way to S.K. Grimes for a CLA and a repair of the dented and frozen Fuzz-U-Lator. My friend Don found a picture of this camera in use in his Dad's studio circa 1947. That looks like the 5x7 back. Don has a 4x5 negative of this photo that he will bring, along with the 5x7 back, when we see each other next. I did try some Formby's furniture refinisher on a spot on the back for removing the old finish and it worked wonders. Tried cleaning a bit of the brass with some ammonia and Nevr-Dull and that worked wonders too.

Don had the studio stand refinished some time ago and it just needs a little cleaning and being assembled. The fasteners for the cast iron parts are missing but substitutes shouldn't be hard to find.

I asked Don about the studio shutter being mounted backwards with the f stops to the lens board and he knew nothing about that and suspected his Dad didn't know either.

Jim Galli

9-May-2010, 20:54

That should be really satisfying to get that old girl rolling again. They're great cameras. The Packard mounted inside is brilliant. Anxious to see some pics with it.

Gordon Coale

30-May-2010, 00:04

Bit by bit the Eastman No. 2 is being refinished. Formby's Furniture Refinisher applied with 0000 steel wool and finished with 2 coats of Minwax Tung Oil Finish for the wood. I played around with various schemes to clean up the brass. The big problem was getting rid of 90 years of tarnish and I found the solution in my local supermarket: Twinkle. It cleans up the bottom of cooking pans and gets rid of the tarnish on the brass. I finish the brass with Nevr-Dull. This afternoon I removed the bellows and took apart the front standard. I need to do this a section at a time. I am in awe of those that can take it all apart, keep track of everything, and then remember how to put it all back together. I've managed to lose a screw already as it is.

Michael Roberts

30-May-2010, 06:48

Gordy,
The wood and brass look great after cleanup!

I use zip lock bags from the kitchen for all the screws and other hardware from each part (gg frame, front standard, rear standard, lens board frame, etc.). Write what it goes to on a piece of masking tape with a Sharpie and stick the label on the bag.

Thanks for the tip on Twinkle and Nevr-Dull.

Keep up the good work!
-Michael

Gordon Coale

30-May-2010, 07:56

Michael,

Thanks for the zip lock bag tip!

Michael Cienfuegos

30-May-2010, 20:43

Thanks for the tip on Twinkle and Nevr-Dull. For the screw problem, I ordered new brass slotted screws from McMaster-Carr. Didn't cost too much, and I have decent new screws to replace those which were buggered up. Only problem is that you have to order a box of 100, but I have enough projects using very small screws (size 0, 1 & 2) that it was not a big problem for me. I will be attacking my 8x10 2D fairly soon, I'll try and document the project so others won't make my mistakes. Thanks for sharing your progress. :)

eddie

31-May-2010, 12:33

So I was telling my friend Don, a retired photographer, about my new 1869 Voigtlander Petzval. (I bought the Petzval from Saint Eddie of the Wet Plate.)

And thanks to Eddie for selling me the lens that got Don to give me this camera.

har har har. never been called a saint before!

enjoy the lens. she is a beaut.

eddie

ps. can you refurb my cameras?