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View Full Version : First time making bellows, is this an "ok" plan?



Nathan Appel
19-Jul-2011, 18:31
I'm building a 4x5 camera, and to go with the "diy" concept, I want to build the bellows also. I've researched some posts here, and a few other 'outdated' links (materials that are no longer accessable) If anyone has any tips or ideas, suggestions, comments, please, let me know! This is for a TAPERED bellows, the materials I am planning on using:
1: sheet metal to build the frame or bottom of the bellows
2: bk5 fabric for inner darkout material
3. 1oz pigskin or sheepskin leather for outer bellows material
4. HH-66 vinyl fabric adhesive
5. Manila folders for the "ribs"

does this sound ok? Thanks, and again, any feedback is greatly appreciated :)

Jim C.
19-Jul-2011, 22:34
1 oz leather is awfully thick, 1/64 " ( .015" - .016" ) if you're going to use leather
then head on over Columbia Organ Leathers (http://www.columbiaorgan.com/col/skins.htm#CML), they have a leather there that's almost a dead
on match for the old leather bellows thickness ( .008" ).

Nathan Appel
19-Jul-2011, 22:48
Thanks Jim!!!!

TheDeardorffGuy
20-Jul-2011, 17:36
In the 40s Deardorff used Sheepskin for bellows on the Baby Deardorff and some 5x7s. That leather held up surprisingly well. I have a few with that bellows and your description is identical except for the glue. Good luck

ic-racer
20-Jul-2011, 19:08
I used Lexan or polycarbonate for the ribs, but had not seen anyone else doing that. Ribs less likely to get wrinkled, they can bend and recover shape.

Curt
20-Jul-2011, 19:14
I used Lexan or polycarbonate for the ribs, but had not seen anyone else doing that. Ribs less likely to get wrinkled, they can bend and recover shape.

What thickness of Lexan, sounds like an excellent choice?

Curt

Jim C.
20-Jul-2011, 20:44
HH-66 and lexan might not play well together.

Nathan Appel
21-Jul-2011, 18:31
I used Lexan or polycarbonate for the ribs, but had not seen anyone else doing that. Ribs less likely to get wrinkled, they can bend and recover shape.

Wouldn't the lexan or other super rigid material potentially "chew" thru the leather or dark cloth, especially with constant wear?

ic-racer
21-Jul-2011, 18:38
What thickness of Lexan, sounds like an excellent choice?

Curt

I used Lexan from McMaster Carr I think it was 0.02inches
.http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=280928&postcount=59

Also, Gortite bellows are made with .010 mylar (polyethylene) stiffeners.

TheDeardorffGuy
21-Jul-2011, 19:18
Wouldn't the lexan or other super rigid material potentially "chew" thru the leather or dark cloth, especially with constant wear?

Yes it does unless you "soften the edges" w/ some 400 wet or dry sandpaper. Use wet it cuts better. On the corners go to a scrap booking store and get a corner cutter. Different radius are available. The incompatipility of glues can take months if not years. Some bellows after assembly will "gas out" and form blisters. The solution is the new brand of water based contact glues like PL Bond. It does not react with anything.

Steven Tribe
22-Jul-2011, 01:32
Tapered bellows are more difficult than "square" bellows.
The traditional UK/US field camera is a lot more complex to build than the tailback (Continental reisekamera) camera - which, unless you need extreme movements at the front, would make a do-able first attempt. And use simple square bellows!

Curt
22-Jul-2011, 02:47
I used Lexan from McMaster Carr I think it was 0.02inches
.http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=280928&postcount=59

Also, Gortite bellows are made with .010 mylar (polyethylene) stiffeners.

Thanks that's useful to know. I had an older bellows that had fiber paper stiffeners. I once used thin graphics film and it worked well.

Curt

E. von Hoegh
22-Jul-2011, 07:20
In the 40s Deardorff used Sheepskin for bellows on the Baby Deardorff and some 5x7s. That leather held up surprisingly well. I have a few with that bellows and your description is identical except for the glue. Good luck

"Held up surprisingly well" - I would say so!! Whatever the bellows on my V8 are, they've been on the camera at least since 1950, and are still lighttight.:)

TheDeardorffGuy
22-Jul-2011, 10:29
"Held up surprisingly well" - I would say so!! Whatever the bellows on my V8 are, they've been on the camera at least since 1950, and are still lighttight.:)
Does your v8 have a serial number? What is it? Does it have front swings?
Except for replacement bellows added later you camera came with Leather Bellows.
I have the name of the old supplier. Ajax or Acme Leather in Chicago near the stock yards. They tanned the leather very nicely. The supply was hit or miss though. I do not know why. I'm betting that the leather Co, was obligated to companies who bought larger orders. I know they supplied bookbinders on Dearborn St. Deardorff never bought in huge quanties except for #2 oval head screws. They bought a batch in 57 and the box lasted till 88. Now I use them and there are still 4 lbs left!.

E. von Hoegh
22-Jul-2011, 10:54
Does your v8 have a serial number? What is it? Does it have front swings?
Except for replacement bellows added later you camera came with Leather Bellows.
I have the name of the old supplier. Ajax or Acme Leather in Chicago near the stock yards. They tanned the leather very nicely. The supply was hit or miss though. I do not know why. I'm betting that the leather Co, was obligated to companies who bought larger orders. I know they supplied bookbinders on Dearborn St. Deardorff never bought in huge quanties except for #2 oval head screws. They bought a batch in 57 and the box lasted till 88. Now I use them and there are still 4 lbs left!.

The 54th made with front swings, that is, #553. Jack Deardorff said it might be a factory upgrade of an unsold NFS camera.

Yes, they are leather. Except for two frayed corners, they're damn near perfect.

Dan Dozer
24-Jul-2011, 11:47
I've made a number of bellows before out of different materials for cameras from 5 x 7 up to 8 x 20. Here's my two cents worth.

I found that drapery liner material from the fabric store worked well for the interior surface. I could only get white so I just painted it with black paint on one side and it worked just fine. Regarding the leather for the exterior - if this is your first bellows, you might want to start out with something less expensive than leather for the exterior. If you use leather, make sure that it is thin. I've tried imitation leather from the fabric stores and most of it is too thick to fold up thin enough. I found that black egyptian cotton (tight weave) works and looks real nice for the exterior and is easy to work with (got it at at the fabric store also). Manila strips for the stays is good. Glue - I used stuff I got at the the local drug store in the school supply section of all places. It's clear liquid glue in a long tube with a sponge applicator on the top.

The two hardest parts are the final gluing of the bellows and starting out folding it up. I made a form to wrap the bellows around for the final gluing (worked pretty well). If you don't get it formed pretty well when you do the final gluing, the bellows might fold up kind of crooked. Once you get the folding started, it goes pretty easily - just go around in a circle until you're done. Note that when you get the bellows folded up, lay it flat and weigh it down with some heavy books for at least two days. That will help in forming it for the compressed position for the camera.

Here's something to think about when making the stays for a tapered bellows. Use colored manila files for the stays and use two different colors (different colors makes it easy to keep track of things. Make one set of strips about a millimeter or two thinner than the other set of strips. You alternate the thin with the wider strips on the bellows sides when you lay them up. The wider strips are for the sides of the folds that go from the inside of the bellows out and the thinner strips are for the sides of the folds that go from the outside of the bellows in (hope that makes sense). By doing this, all the folds will go up and down at about the same angle. With a tapered bellows and all the stays the same width, the folds will tend to "fall forward". This may not affect the function of the bellows, but it might affect the look and how well the bellows folds up.

When I built my 8 x 20 camera, I wrote a journal and a section of it was for making the bellows. If you would like a copy of the bellows section, send me a PM with your E-mail address, and I would be happy to send it to you.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Dan