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Thread: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

  1. #1
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Hi there,

    There is scant official information on the internet about the 810M or MII, and information or questions from individuals is pretty scattered and haphazard.
    I hope that I can create a page that has most, if not all, of the information needed about these fine cameras, and make it a decent resource for anyone who owns, or is considering owning, a Toyo 810M.

    I'll be updating this page with my own 810M modifications, repairs and adjustments.
    Right now, my camera is in good shape, but I want to allow for more extension, and that requires a little machining and new bellows.
    I also replaced my Yanke GG with a generic GG on which a friend did some extra grinding work, and I'm checking that the focusing plane is in alignment with the film plane.

    Here you can post photos of your 810M/MII camera, accessories, and modifications; add your list of resources, manuals (I never found a manual), repairs, etc. etc.

    To get started, here is a search result of most threads related to the Toyo 810M/MII: https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
    There's a lot of information there, but if anything is missing, I have quite a lot of information from e-mails and PMs which I'll happily make available.

    Mods, let me know if this is not kosher; I'll move it somewhere else.

    Thanks, and enjoy the ride.

  2. #2
    adelorenzo's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Great idea Ari, I'll follow this with interest and contribute what I can.

  3. #3
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Excellent; thanks, Anthony!

  4. #4
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    As luck would have it, the new bellows I ordered from Rudy (Ebay seller ecbuyonline2008) arrived this afternoon.
    I was hoping they'd arrive soon, and I was excited.
    The reason I bought them is so that I could use my 25 1/2 Cooke; the 810M, in its normal set-up, only stretches to 650mm. Add to that, the Cooke needs 680mm of bellows draw, since the lens is used behind the shutter.

    Here are the new unopened bellows:
    P1030273 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    and the rear frame:
    P1030276 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    Right out of the box, the bellows look very well-made; I had sent specifications that they compress to 40mm while providing extension of 900mm. Rudy got that part right.
    The new bellows are red, made of synthetic material (vinyl?) that is not too thick, and compresses well.
    As they are new, they are still rigid, but more on that later.
    P1030274 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    You can buy the bellows and the frames from Rudy, and installation is included; these cost me $350 including shipping, and took 18 days to arrive from the date of order.

    Here is what my regular bellows looked like:
    P1030277 by toyocamera, on Flickr

  5. #5
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    And here is what the new bellows look like:
    P1030278 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    Pretty snazzy.

    I then removed the two screws that are in the camera rail; removing these allows the rail to extend farther, and even at its maximum, the camera is remarkably solid, with no hint of wobble, bending or movement.
    You also need to slide out the rail, and re-insert it backwards; the offset front standard, when reversed, adds a few cm to the extension.

    Now, I wanted to make sure the bellows were the right length and I also wanted to see how much extension $350 buys you.

    P1030279 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    Old bellows: 650mm
    New bellows: 850mm

    We have a winner! The new bellows allow for 200mm more extension, and I know I can squeeze out an extra 10mm if I really needed it.

    The bellows allow for full range of tilt on the front and back when fully extended:

    P1030281 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    Now, owing to the kind of material this is, and having just stretched the bellows out to near maximum, I was not surprised to see a little sagging when I had them at a more normal 300mm extension.

    So my next step is to attach some velcro strips to the top of the bellows, near the front, and prop them up a little when needed.

    If anybody has other suggestions, I'm all ears.

    Last thing to check was folding the camera, and making sure the bellows compress enough to screw in the silver doodad that holds the camera secure.

    P1030283 by toyocamera, on Flickr

    No problems there, the bellows felt as compressed as my Toyo bellows; amazing, when you consider that the Chinese bellows are 250mm longer.

    Were there any problems with the new bellows?
    Yes; I would be remiss if I didn't mention them.
    The frames Rudy supplied look exactly like Toyo frames; the front (square) frame fits perfectly.
    The large, rear frame took some manipulation and body English to seat it properly, so all is not perfect.
    I think that, with time, the rear frame will work itself into fitting, what with friction and all.
    There was also a tiny speck, a little defect on the surface of the bellows material about halfway up; I'll check it out, but it looks to be quite superficial.

    Right now, I'm going to do the flashlight test for the bellows and frames before I write to Rudy to give him the "all-clear".

  6. #6
    Cor's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Excellent Ari!

    I did buisness before with Rudy as well, no complains good service. Good to see that that camera can still fold. When I got mine the bellows were full of pin holes, a known problem with Toyo. I got a new bellows from Camera bellows, UK. This material is bit sticky, but Camera bellows assured me that that was normal for the material they used, it had to be this fabric else the camera cannot fold. Thus far no problems.

    There was another problem though: I sometimes got some extra exposure on one of the side, it took me quite some time to track it down to a very tiny gap between the rear frame of the bellows and the back, it was quite hard to find it with a flash light in the darkroom, but it was there.

    Probably there was a minute bend in one of the side of the frame. Anyway I tried to straighten that side as good as possible, and as an insurance I put some black linen tape over the bellows frame and the back.

    No more light leaks, but you might want to check yours carefully. ..oh I see that your planned to do so..

    Best,

    Cor

  7. #7
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Hi Cor,
    Yes, the bellows are extremely well-made.
    When I ordered them, I was afraid that they wouldn't fold up enough, so I asked Rudy to use thinner material. This is the cause of the slight sagging, I'm afraid. But I can work with it, using a strip of velcro when needed.
    Last night I did check the bellows for leaks, and happily, there is nothing to report.
    I also checked the rear frame, as I did experience this problem when I first got my camera; it was only user error, and I've since learned to be extra attentive when replacing the rear frame.
    Next step is to shoot film with the new bellows and rule out any problems in a real-world situation.

  8. #8
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Looks good, Ari. I'm glad it worked out.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  9. #9
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    Thank you, Peter; we'll see how I fare if the bellows sag is a real problem.

  10. #10
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Toyo 810M Resource/Fan Page

    You could use a block of something to temporarily put between the bed and the bottom of the bellows if the Velcro idea doesn't work for some reason.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

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