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Thread: "did i make a mistake...."?

  1. #11
    Format Omnivore Brian C. Miller's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Quote Originally Posted by pudentaineLf View Post
    But no lens, lens boards or shutter.
    The first thing you need to do is check the bellows. In a dark room, extend the bellows all the way and shine a very bright light inside it. Check the corners for pinholes, and see if the back is light-tight with a film holder in it. Pinholes can be filled in with a bit of flexible paint, and there's lots of posts about how to do it. If the bellows are cracked or torn, then you can get a replacement for it.

    While these were manufactured with a focal plane shutter, you'll need to see if it still operates. If the curtain material is still intact, then it can be cleaned and lubed. As for lensboard and lens, there's lots of those. If you are on a really tight budget, then you can easily trade the Grafmatic for a lens and shutter in excellent condition. Otherwise post a WTB in the For Sale section and see what you can get for a lensboard and a lens. The Wollensak lenses perform very well, but they don't have much for movements.

    As far as an overall deal, you did very well, even if the camera was a heap of mildew. The various parts are worth over $52.
    "It's the way to educate your eyes. Stare. Pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." - Walker Evans

  2. #12

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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    does he know about the focal shutter or is he saying there is no lens/in shutter combination

    Even if torn you can fix the shutter curtain
    Mine -SLR- had torn through at the slit stays in two places
    some stitching of new thinnn material over the old and cement to make it all smooth
    Has been fired hundreds of times -with and without film- and even out in the freezing cold all day twice.
    works great

  3. #13

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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Ya, I know what that uncertainty feels like. Went through it myself a few years ago when I bought a similar rig for $24. Mine came with a lens and some horrendously out-dated film. After using it a few years I invested in an overhaul of the leaf shutter... and now I feel even better about the whole deal.

  4. #14
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    That's a good camera there if it's working. The focal plane shutter goes from 1/10 to 1/1000 which is more useful than the pacemaker's 1/30-1000 shutter. You can make lensboards for it on a table saw. If the built in shutter works, make a lens with a magnifying glass, a reinhold wollaston meniscus, or spend $100 for a nice used shutter'd 127-180mm range lens.

  5. #15
    Medium format evolving 2 Large pudentaineLf's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Jones View Post
    You got a bargain. I'd like to make a few mistakes like that! Lens boards for your Anniversary model can be sawn and milled with basic woodworking tools from 1/4" plywood or MDF, or built up from two pieces of 1/8" plywood or MDF. While the original lens may have been a 127mm Kodak Ektar or similar lens, photographers often substituted something else. With the focal plane shutter, even enlarging lenses can be used. These Graphics are also convenient for pinhole photography, and Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day www.wppd.org/ is next month. Some people like the effect of magnifying lenses. Lenses from the largest of old folding cameras cover 4x5 film, but may be more valuable gathering dust on a shelf than harvesting photons on film. Much information on these cameras is available on www.graflex.org and in Graphic Graflex Photography by Morgan & Lester. The 8th edition covers the latest variations of the Anniversary model, although earlier editions should suffice.
    Thanks, some one asked me if the curtain was gone, it is but that is used for the same purpose as a focal plane shutter?, Right?

  6. #16
    Medium format evolving 2 Large pudentaineLf's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Quote Originally Posted by jp498 View Post
    That's a good camera there if it's working. The focal plane shutter goes from 1/10 to 1/1000 which is more useful than the pacemaker's 1/30-1000 shutter. You can make lensboards for it on a table saw. If the built in shutter works, make a lens with a magnifying glass, a reinhold wollaston meniscus, or spend $100 for a nice used shutter'd 127-180mm range lens.
    Thanks, I'm getting some great advice!

  7. #17
    Medium format evolving 2 Large pudentaineLf's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Quote Originally Posted by BrianShaw View Post
    Ya, I know what that uncertainty feels like. Went through it myself a few years ago when I bought a similar rig for $24. Mine came with a lens and some horrendously out-dated film. After using it a few years I invested in an overhaul of the leaf shutter... and now I feel even better about the whole deal.
    Thanks for commiserating, sounds like you got your $24 worth and more, heh?

  8. #18
    Medium format evolving 2 Large pudentaineLf's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    Quote Originally Posted by sun of sand View Post
    does he know about the focal shutter or is he saying there is no lens/in shutter combination

    Even if torn you can fix the shutter curtain
    Mine -SLR- had torn through at the slit stays in two places
    some stitching of new thinnn material over the old and cement to make it all smooth
    Has been fired hundreds of times -with and without film- and even out in the freezing cold all day twice.
    works great
    He's not sure....oop's (joking) I mean I'm not sure yet , it hasn't gotten here so I just have the photos.

  9. #19

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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    I made lens boards for my older Speed Graphic from 3/8" birch plywood from the hobby shop. I cut it on my table saw, drilled a hole for the lens and I was set. Cost for three lens boards was under $5.
    Michael Cienfuegos

  10. #20
    Medium format evolving 2 Large pudentaineLf's Avatar
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    Re: "did i make a mistake...."?

    whats the difference between the curtain and the shutter on the lens board?

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