Which body to use?

[PhotoWrangler]

I have this anniversary model of course,

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And this unknown parts body came with the deal.

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The parts body does not have a back or a lens board and its in a little rougher shape. The front is covered in cheap wood grain vinyl, but the bellows are better than the older anniversary model.

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My question is, will it be easier to take the back and lens board off the anniversary model and put them on the parts body? Or swap the bellows out? I prefer to swap the bellows and use the anniversary set up, but I don't want to take on more than I can successfully repair. There's no electronics involved so I'm slightly more comfortable digging into this, but my only concern is the mechanism of the FP shutter.

Any suggestions?

[PhotoWrangler]

40 views and not a single reply. Is it that stupid of a question?

Maybe I should have asked, "what would you do in this situation?" instead.

[jnantz]

chris

i would use the camera that is together rather than swapping things out.
why make things harder for your self ?
your bellows are probably OK
you might just put a sheet of film or paper in a film holder,
expose it outside during the day and process it and see if it is fogged.

removing the fp shutter, the film back and the bellows will be a pain.
you could always sell this camera and parts camera and get something
a little newer ( or older ) without physical and mechanical problems.
it might cost a few dollars more, but in the end it will work right out of the box

have you wound and released your FP shutter yet?

[PhotoWrangler]

I used a flashlight in the bellows last night and in the creases and folds, where the outer layer has peeled away from age, its nearly like looking at light through a cheesecloth.

[Leonard Robertson]

I would wind and release the focal plane shutters in both bodies and look carefully at the shutter cloth while doing so. You can look through the lens board opening on the more complete camera to get an idea what that cloth looks like. If one cloth looks better than the other, or one runs smoother than the other, I would go with that body. The back is relatively easy to swap. I suspect the bellows is a little more involved to swap, but you can probably manage that if needed. It looks like your "good" body has a rangefinder which you may find useful. So it will be really nice if that body has a good FP shutter and only the bellows needs to be changed. I imagine there is info on graflex.org on servicing the FP shutter if it is just running slow. Of course you don't have to have a functioning FP shutter, you can just leave it open and shoot with the front shutter to get started using the camera.

Just my opinion, but I think you have the "Best" Graphic there - the iconic Anniversary. It is the coolest Graphic that looks like a classic camera should. Folks will tell you it doesn't have enough movements, or enough chrome, or you can't live without a Graflock back. Assuming you can get a functioning camera out of the two, just go ahead and shoot a bunch of 4X5 film. Then you can decide for yourself if the Anny works for you or you need to move to something else.

Len "Love all my 13 or 14 Graphics, but love the 4 Annies the most" Robertson

[PhotoWrangler]

The focal plane shutter on both of them are "sticky". They work, but sometimes they get stuck or drag. The material is good though. I used the flashlight and the one on the Anni body is good. No pinholes or anything.

[Alan Gales]

40 views and not a single reply. Is it that stupid of a question?

Maybe I should have asked, "what would you do in this situation?" instead.

It wasn't a stupid question. It was probably that the 40 of us that read the question were too stupid to give you a good answer! :o (embarrassed smiley)

[Leonard Robertson]

It sounds like changing the bellows from your parts to your good Anny is the best bet. That is great news the curtain looks good. Here is one page I have Bookmarked from graflex.org on lubing the FP shutter:
http://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtopic.php?t=2447 You can probably find additional info on graflex.org
You have an advantage here in that you can use your parts camera to experiment on, then do the same procedure on the good body. I looked at one of my cameras and I'm pretty sure you need to remove the back to get to the screws that hold the bellows in. You can probably tell better on your parts camera which already has the back off.

If you haven't seen Jo Lommen's great Graphic site, it is a must see: http://lommen9.home.xs4all.nl/index.html

I just remembered this site, too: http://www.southbristolviews.com/pics/Graphic/graphicmanuals.html Appears to include an Anny service manual.

Len

[jnantz]

I used a flashlight in the bellows last night and in the creases and folds, where the outer layer has peeled away from age, its nearly like looking at light through a cheesecloth.

you might try to seal your bellows
with india ink and pva glue
you can paint it on the thin parts
and it will blacken it right up and seal it.

[PhotoWrangler]

you might try to seal your bellows
with india ink and pva glue
you can paint it on the thin parts
and it will blacken it right up and seal it.


This sounds interesting... And easier! Can you explain it to me a little more?

[jnantz]

pva is white glue, you can get it at a crafts / art store
it is pretty cheap ... black india ink blends with it
and the glue dries black. equinoxphoto.com sells something
similar, proprietary that does similar thing ...
you can do a search here or on apug using the terms "bellows patch"
and find a few other solutions to your problem, i think rubberized latex is anotherone of them ...
the glue-thing is pretty inexpensive and easy ...
extend the bellows fully before you apply it, and paint it on
let it dry ( glue doesn't take long to dry ) then un-extend the bellows ...
it might take more than one coat, who knows ..

have fun !
john

[PhotoWrangler]

I'll be at Hobby Lobby bright and early!! Thanks!!

[PhotoWrangler]

pva is white glue, you can get it at a crafts / art store
it is pretty cheap ... black india ink blends with it
and the glue dries black.



Thanks John!! I tried this today and it seemed to do the trick. I bought SOBO brand glue because it was listed as a PVA brand, and it dries flexible. I mixed it with some black India Ink in a small bottle and then brushed it onto the folds, cracks, and corners on one side of the bellows. After I applied it, I checked it with a flashlight and it seems to have filled the pinholes.

I'll let it dry overnight, and if it does ok, I'll finish brushing it on the rest of the bellows tomorrow. Hopefully it will spare me a few more months to get to know 4x5, and save some money for replacement bellows and a total refurb of the camera. I've gotten quotes from two places anywhere from $150 to $330 for a total refurb.

[jnantz]

pleasure's mine, but credit goes to jeremy moore who told me
about the magic elixer a few years ago ..
have fun !
john

[PhotoWrangler]

So this is what it looks like today... Ugly, but working!

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[Len Middleton]

40 views and not a single reply. Is it that stupid of a question?


Christopher,

Further to Alan's comments, your question was not stupid, but not specific enough...

The only way of telling what the thread was about would be to open it. It is only when opening it that it would one know that whether they would be able to respond intelligently to it.

I can be frustrating waiting to get an answer to a problem. You might help yourself out if you are more specific in the future in the subject line e.g. "Best Way of Making One Good Graphic Out of Two". Not all of us know about Graphics...

Good luck with your future questions,

Len

[BrianShaw]

Ugly bellows is OK, as long as it holds dark... or repels light.

[E. von Hoegh]

40 views and not a single reply. Is it that stupid of a question?

Maybe I should have asked, "what would you do in this situation?" instead.

I'd get a brand new bellows. They're not very costly, and well worth it. Do it right, once.

[PhotoWrangler]

I'd get a brand new bellows. They're not very costly, and well worth it. Do it right, once.


I've contacted two repair centers about a total refurb of the camera. Estimates range from $150 to $330 with Steves Camera in CA being the most expensive. I wanted to do this now, because I plan on sending the entire thing in after Christmas to have it completely overhauled - lens CLA, the FP shutter cleaned and redone, bellows replacement, and an overall cleaning of the body. If this will afford me two months of use, so that I can test the 4x5 waters, it was worth the $5.99 bottle of glue for me....