0.31 inch thick, 1/2 inch width, 12 inches long brass strips are readily available from the hardware stores. I prefer working with brass as it is easy to cut, bend, grind, sand, and drill. In addition, brass looks great new or tarnished. For my 14x17 camera back, I cut 2 strips from a sheet of brass originally made as a door kick panel.
Here's a off the wall idea. My dad and made an 8x10 back for an old 11 X14 back,probably 30 years ago. We looked for spring steel etc. He made the springs out of hickory wood strips. Worked perfectly. Just the right amount of tension. And it's really pretty. I sold the camera to a friend, she still has it, works perfect.
Best Mike
The TravelWide cameras come with a spring clip to grip the film holders. You might check with them on how they sourced that material.
Drew Bedo
www.quietlightphoto.com
http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo
There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!
This is one of the coolest ideas I've heard of! I might try it on my next build.Originally Posted by Duolab123
Sorry for the long silence... have been away. All I did was file the teeth off two hacksaw blades. The build was a prototype, to solve problems, so I was not concerned too much with appearance. Here is a shot of the springs of my totally built 8x10 back.
a second view...
Very nice! Question - what keeps your camera back attached to the box? I see some metal tabs on the bottom, but nothing on top.
a second view...
I have a concern about using hacksaw blades - my experience is that although they're very flexible and springy, they're also rather fragile and if bent too far they simply break - shattering and spraying shrapnel around the place. Has this been an issue?
Neil
Spring pressure and the head of the four sliders! Works great and, so far, no spring breakage from the hacksaw blades!
Curtis: I re-read your question and now I understand what you ask: not what keeps the GG frame on (the springs) but what secures the actual back to the camera. The experiment was to use "base" materials and build a prototype I could refine later. I used a lot of off-the-shelf hardware store parts. In this case, there is a vertical pin in the center of the top of the back, and a double-hung window sash lock engages it and provides the spring tension to hold it while it sits on the two tabs at the bottom. I'll try find a photo now, or I'll take a fresh one with the I-phone if that is acceptable here...
The two "scars" on the back are filled holes: initially I had mounted the GG screen on studs: they hampered the movement and made film carrier insertion difficult, so I eliminated them. The GG screen stays in place fine with just the hacksaw blade spring pressure, as I said in an earlier post.
The same type lock secures my lens boards in place on the front standard...
(photo before bellows were folded)
I folded two sets of bellows. The first was too heavy a material and the folds were not crisp, the second is better, but not pretty... I need to practice a bit more and try to trust thinner fabrics. But they work!
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