Busch Pressman 4x5 bellows mod

[David Starr]

The 4x5 Busch Pressman, and maybe a lot of others, has the front of the bellows glued to a metal "plate" that screws to the front standard. I want to make the opening in the plate a bit wider - the height is fine - so I can use a couple newer lenses I have. Does anyone have any ideas on how to "unglue" the bellows from the plate so I can do this?

[Jim C.]

I've never had to take the bellows off my Pressman, but I would
suggest trying solvents to loosen the glue, brushing them in sparingly and
let it sit and work the glue loose, my order would be first being the least aggressive -
naptha
alcohol
acetone
and as a last resort, lacquer thinner.

[Robert Hughes]

I'd leave that Busch Pressman alone and find another camera to fiddle with. My Pressman "D" is good for what it is, but I don't think it's very amenable to customizing.

[David Starr]

The opening in the front of the bellows is only about 1/8" smaller than what's needed to allow my 90mm Nikor-W & 210mm Caltar II from fitting. If i could take 1/16" from each side of the bellows frame, they'd fit. I have a second bellows I can try it on, so if I mess up, the camera's not hurt.

[David Starr]

Someone om APUG suggested trying heat & it worked. I used a tacking iron & the bellows came loose rather easily.