I purchased your 12" Dagor to make portraits on this camera. :)
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It will be great for your 5x7 :).
Ken Lee, I just realized I've been to your website numerous times lately for tech guidance. :)
Cleaning my brass was difficult. I read a blog about soaking it in Pure Ammonia for 1 hour. I soaked mine for 4 hours and still didn't come off easily. After that, I boiled the brass in vinegar (all I could find here was brown rice vinegar) for about 5 min. Both of those processes loosened some of the grime. I then followed that with letting each piece sit in ketchup for 30-45 min. I used a brass metal brush to scrub when I needed to get difficult spots and a car wash sponge elsewhere. I then scrubbed the pieces down with a heavy baking soda mixed with water paste. Finally, I used another paste made with Bar Keeper's Friend to polish it. Final step was to wash in a water bath and then dry.
1. 4 hour Pure Ammonia bath (I've never been able to find pure ammonia in Korea, but luckily found one at an American import store on 40% clearance sale)
2. 5 min. bath in boiling vinegar
3. Soaked in ketchup for 30-45 min.
4. Scrubbed with baking soda paste (water + baking soda ~1:1)
5. Polished with Bar Keeper's Friend Paste (water + Bar Keeper's Friend ~1:10) - international buyers can find this on the auction site for $3-4 + $10 shipping (took about 2 weeks to arrive)
6. Water Bath, then dry
I have no idea if this is kosher or not for the brass. I read about how to use various household items to clean and polish brass. I found after a few attempts that this method worked for me.
Could it be that the Model 2 was cherry, while the 2D was mahagony? (The "D" meaning dark finish.)
My camera says 2-D and could very well be mahagony (like it's original finish). When sanded down, it's a cherry sort of color to it. I assumed mahagony was darker. I don't know a lot about woods. It was my first project dealing with wood.
Unfinished mahogany and cherry have a similar color. Mahogany has a more open grain and is a little denser and heavier than cherry. It is also a little harder.
Sounds like your project is coming along. The brass must have been a lot of work, would be cools to see some pictures, must look very nice. On my WP 2D I cleaned a few areas of the brass where it was heavily discolored but just enough to match the patina of the rest. That was quite a bit of work, can't imagine doing all of it.
Roger
I'll get more pictures up next week. Brass is finished, but I individually wrapped and labeled all the piece groups with their matching screws. Even the piece groups had different size screws! I knew if I did them all together it would be difficult for me to regroup them. Between doing this in our apartment with a 3 year old and working in it in my office, I've been really lucky to not have any pieces missing. A few screws fell into the sink and almost lost them, but I managed to grab them before they fell down the drain into oblivion.
Thank you very much for you description of the different woods.
http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/2d8x10.jpg
As shown in the above photo, Kodak 2D cameras have 2 rail sections: one in front which is attached to the base and folds up - and another in the rear which detaches. There is a nice old catalog illustration here.
If we're using only short lenses, we don't need to attach the rear rail section. That feature can make the camera more compact and portable. A lens can be kept on the camera: just fold the front up for transport. It's a very clever design: a folding rail camera.
http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/2dfolded.jpg