DIY Bellows Idea - Feedback please

[bobbotron]

This is my favorite idea. Have you seen it done? I was thinking four cables, but the bottom can sag all it wants. Could the cables even be threaded through loops on the outside of the curtain? Like a curtain rod in a window?

What I'd like to build is front and rear standards that slide along a table for a ULF wetplate camera..

I haven't tried it, but I feel relatively confident it would work well. I might try it if I try to make another wide angle 4x5 camera.

[SergeiR]

Oh for... Now you made me pull out hat of DIY again.

So think about it like this.
How big is your camera? How much extension you WILL need (or how much is allowed).
All you looking for is sort of "roof" between rear and front that you can drape over (think blackout curtains) - roof won't let it sag.
Sliding roof can be made out of anything , from your regular cabinet hardware sliders to small collapsible ladder to old telescopic antenna rods (or old tripods).
You just need to be able to hook end of rods to standards and have enough fabric to go over and under (and some extra to do tucking & etc.

PS: i done that as experiment couple years ago with simple blackout curtain material for Joans Fabrics & broken metal tripod (paid like 5$ for it on camera swap meet and used it a while till it broke down and got used for this ).

[Michael Roberts]

This link illustrates JoeV's idea of using card stock and tape: http://www.instructables.com/id/bell...format-camera/

If you want to use two or four telescoping rods inside a bag bellows, how about picking up some cheap used trekking poles from a thrift store?

[Paul Kinzer]

I made my own bag bellows out of a film changing bag. I got a 4x5 Toyo camera very cheaply because its bellows were trashed. I didn't want to spend more money on new bellows than I had on the camera, so I bought a used changing bag. It was mostly just two sheets of opaque black cloth sewn together, with opaque gloves sewn into the seams. I assume that's how most are made. I just cut off the gloves and sewed together the holes that left behind. Then I cut holes in each of the square sides of the changing bag that were the right size for the frames from the ruined set of bellows, and then clamped the edges of the holes within the two pieces that made up the frames. The seams that were originally the edge of the bag provide enough structural support that my bag bellows out of a bag don't sag into the light cone. I'm not sure if that will be any help to the OP, but someone might find it useful. I got a view camera out of it for less than $50 total cost.