Front Mount Packard shared with several lenses

[Joe Forks]

Ok folks, don't beat me up too much over this, I did use the search function and I've reached out to a few that know, but still just want to make sure I use the best / easiest / economical, and sensible method to skin this cat.

I'm in the market for a new Packard shutter, I know where to get it and what it costs.

Where this gets tricky for me is how to share it among a few lenses with a front mount, like a 14 inch Vesta and 15 inch Eidoscope? The Eidoscope at least has threads (no measurement at the moment).

I'm probably going to go with an 8" square packard, 4.5" opening unless someone learns me something different.

Tips, Tricks, advice, warnings, it's all welcome, please tell me what you know about it.

Best
Joe

[Louis Pacilla]

here's one idea Joe

http://mysite.verizon.net/fowler/photo/packard2.htm

http://mysite.verizon.net/fowler/photo/packard1.htm

I just found this here .However this is not my method. I'll try & snap a few photos of my simple solution. mine should work for any size Packard I would guess.

There are many ways to skin this cat & all work well . I'll keep searching & post any other viable solutions plans I find.

Peace

O.k. Joe, I found it. This is the thread I recalled seeing awhile back. Scott has a very good solution to front mounting a single Packard to several different lenses. I've have seen other post showing the same solution. More or less.

Here:http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=64431&highlight=Packard

[EdWorkman]

Weeellllll
i sacrificed a Speed Graphic body to front mount- wait til the end-.
I fit a piece of 1x into the body with lightsealing cloth around it.
It fits over the barrel of a B&L 14x17 Tessar, FP shutter to the outside.
i rigged the body also to a 36 in Aero tele, but the Speed remnant slips inside a nesting box for gross focussing.
If I get back to the project for another lens, I'll cut another piece of 1x pine to fit over the barrel and slip into the body to make it interchangeable.
1x pine is really 3/4 inch thick, but it's the thickness that makes a more rigid connection. It seems to work okay [but see below] and i have room to make it 2 or three thicknesses if i need to
i haven't tried it in the field, so it may require some tweaking to make the collar a tight-enough fit inside the body- I can always use sacrificial black tape.
So-
see Ash's Packard front mount thread and figure out a way to make the lens slipon part removable, like a [really thick] lensboard.

[Jim Galli]

Joe, first off, I'd see if a 7" Packard with 4" opening wouldn't work. Smaller is better with front mounted weight. Here's how I've done several....the quick and dirty method. Picture a smaller packard for sake of discussion, you'd just find bigger parts for yours. For a 5" shutter with 2 3/4" (from memory, don't bust my chops) hole, I just get the hard paper core from a used up roll of 2" wide tape and glue it to the Packard. Then I black that whole mess out with some black gaffers tape, spray some semi-flat black paint on it and it's ready. The round hard paper core just slides over the front of the lens and the Packards sitting out front ready to go. You don't even slide it on until your picture is all ready focused and ready to expose. The Packard slides on like a black hat.

So for the big Packard I'd probably go down to the Home Depot and see if some of the thin water drain fittings might be the right size for the sleeve. Or a big tomato can might work well too.

This doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to expose pictures.

[Joe Forks]

See you guys are worth your weight in gold already! Lot's of things I didn't think of. I thought of skg and evilbay, but I didn't think of Home Depot! I don't know why not!

If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free.

Thanks again
Joe

[Randy]

Joe, you can do what I did - semi-permanently mount the Packard inside the front standard of my Fulmer & Schwing 8X10, rendering the front rise/fall inoperative, then poke a hole in the bottom of my beautiful, original, and probably expensive bellows for the air hose to run. It works great, is invisible, and I just open it up when using shuttered lenses.
I like the ideas posted here. I will employ them on my newly purchased 5X7.
Of course, leave it up to Galli to come up with such a simple fix. BTW, Have you seen his darkslide shutter (http://www.apug.org/forums/forum44/22200-jim-galli-shutter-barrel-lenses-drum-roll-please.html)?

[Jim Galli]

Eddie made a movie of the infamous galli shutter in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICLG3HCDlhk&feature=related

[Louis Pacilla]

ho Joe

Here is my fast & easy solution. I took a wood Kodak #3 filter holder that has an opening of 4"& a clamp system to fit many sizes if lenses. I then put an old lens board between the Kodak filter holder & the Packard. The lens board gave me a wood surface to sink screws into.

I have attached a couple of photos to show my Packard rig. This works on several of my field lenses.

Like I said in my earlier post. Many ways to skin this cat. This is mine. You could do a similar style just larger in size.


Here you go:

[Joe Forks]

You guys have been tremendous help , as always, and I can't thank you enough for the ideas and inspiration!

[Joe Smigiel]

I made a holder similar in some ways to Lou's. I took a square piece of plywood about an inch larger than the Packard and used a hole saw to create the central opening. Then, around the opening on the back I glued 4 small blocks of wood (3 would work) that I had previously drilled through and added brass threaded inserts. I used thumbscrews in the threaded inserts to screw down and hold the piece around the lens barrel. The Packard is attached to the front of the board as in Lou's example.

It ain't pretty but it works and was cheap.