Recommendations for sealing a DIY wooden box camera

[Dugan]

Hi, all...
I'm in the design stage of building a 4x5 fixed-focus camera out of a wooden box originally used as a presentation box for a bottle of wine.
It is very cheaply made, with rough-sawn wood, with a sliding lid... Once I cut the holes for the back and the lens mounting flange, I will need to flock the interior, and then seal the sliding lid.
Any recommendations for what to use to flock the interior?
My first thought is ultra-flat black paint, but want to see if anybody here has any better ideas...
I plan on using Titebond to seal the lid, with maybe some black Permatex at the seams if it fails the lightbulb test.
Thanks for any input!.

Dugan

[Havoc]

I used flat black paint in a spray can for my build. After a layer of primer of course. In my thread Jac recommended this flocking material: https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/light...aterial/11682/

But I guess that paint will adhere better on rough wood than those flocking sheets. So if you go that way you'll need to sand and/or fill your wood.

[LabRat]

Where I get really nice finished wooden boxes is a local cigar store... There are different sizes from shallow to deep, different proportions, and some are finished in an old school traditional style... They charge me $3 each... The stores that have a smoking lounge go through a lot of them...

Finding one about as deep as the back focus of a WA lens, or maybe an extension for a longer FL, and adding a spring or Graflok back would make a smaller LF format camera easily... Other parts can be found at a good hardware store, or online...

For the interior, go to a really good art store and look at textured or flocked art papers, or textured or ribbed panels for architectural models, then painted flat black...

I don't like painting with Ultra Flat Black, as the surface tends to smooth, reflecting some light off the surface, but prefer regular flat black as there is a slightly more matt surface that seems to reflect less... I tend to like the Chalk Board finish, as it is tough, sheds less, and does not reflect too much, but does require a day or two for full dry, and has a very slight smell for about a week...

Have fun!!!

Steve K

[Greg]

search for "Self-adhesive Velvet Flock Liner" on the auction site

[Drew Bedo]

Cigar Boxes:

Look for "ACID" brand cigar boxers. they are made from thicker mahogany that most and have nice finger joints. The labels are glued-on and can be removed (with a bit of effort), to leave unmarked wood that refinishes very nicely.

They can be found on e-Bay or at cigar stores. Don't usually cost that much either. Some places give them away.

[Jac@stafford.net]

What Greg said, Adhesive black flocking paper here. I use it and it is the best. Before laying it in, tape the corners and seams over the wood with Gaffer tape.

[Dugan]

Thanks for the great suggestions!
I'll dig around and look into all the options.
Cheers,
Dugan

[Oslolens]

I have painted with black paint and used Tec7 or similar glue. I still could see reflections, so I used black paper to shield of. The paper was parralell to the film and placed in the middle. This was installed in a Ikea box out of birch plywood that fit a Kodak 8x10" back. Lens was a 330 F3.5 projection lens with focus tube. Doing it again, the paper would have been replaced by plywood due to stiffness, but the paper could still be used instead of paint. Sold for $500 with a film holder

Big Wehman, Toyo 5x7" and a small Chamonix