General advice requested for restoring a Kodak Master View 8x10

[J_3]

I am restoring a Master View. It's in fairly good/functional condition but has some corrosion issue. I do not want to strip off the original enamel. Any advice on the following restoration topics would be appreciated.

1. Two of the original knobs are missing. These seem to be press fit brown enamel painted metal.
2. Corrosion is present at some of the sections of the body / some of the enamel has been worn though. It looks like magnesium rust but I don't know. My thought was to clean out the rusting material carefully with a drumel and then coating the area with some sort of zinc primer followed by hobby modelers enamel matched to the color as close as I can eyeball, but I don't know what's best here.
3. The brass spring for holding the ground-glass frame on are corroded along with anything brass (it looks like the copper content was too high). My thought was to sand these out and then coat them in museum wax.
4. All of the metal screws are rusted (iron). I'm hoping to trade everything out for stainless steel but the prospect of matching every screw on the camera is a bit worrisome.
5. The bellows need sealed. I've used liquid electricians tape in the past but here that would have to be done on the interior of the bellows because they are brown rather than black on this camera.
6. Some of the flat black interior pant and felt seals need replaced. What is the best interior coating?
7. Some of the gear work on the focusing mechanism has rust. I'm thinking buff it out as best I can and then use museum wax.
8. I'm not sure about this, but it kind of looks like the tripod mount for this camera is backwards. It protrudes out from the base by about 1/8th of an inch. This does keep the base from ever getting scratched, but it means the camera is held 1/8 above the base plate on the tripod and gains no additional stability. The tripod mount itself is in a small disk held in with 3 screws. Does anyone know if it was meant to be mounted like this? It seems odd but thinking about it the screws are inset so this is probably correct.
   

Thanks in advance for any help !

[Tin Can]

McMaster Carr has all screws

The tripod mount has been modified or shimmed.

Usually they are too far recessed for some screws to attach

Look it up at Glennview Camera use that spelling

[Greg]

I would seriously consider stripping off the original paint. I did this on a Burke & James gray wooden flat bed view camera. Under the gray paint was wood that I'd grade as being better than #1 grade, fine furniture grade to be sure. Using the finest steel wool that you can get your hands on and with a lot of rubbing, metal parts can be brought back to looking almost new. Also think about acquiring a totally beat up Kodak Master View for parts. A WTD post on the FORUM might yield for you great rewards. Last year I wanted to construct an 11x14 very wide angle pinhole camera but with a real 11x14 back. Posted a WTD ad and one of our FORUM members had one off a B&J process camera, and offered it to me at a reasonable price... didn't have to think twice about paying him for the back.

[Cameron Cornell]

That sounds like a big project. These cameras have good bones, though. The metal is aluminum, not magnesium. I got this information directly from the curator of the Eastman House. I saw pictures online once of a Kodak Master Camera that someone had stripped down to the aluminum, so it’s quite possible, but it does radically alter the look, obviously. Mine is scratched deeply enough in a couple of places that the underlying aluminum is showing. I thought about trying to match the paint to touch it up, but decided against it. You can find the original instruction manual and a parts list here: https://www.butkus.org/chinon/kodak/...ter_camera.htm. Unfortunately, the parts list doesn’t list the exact specs on most of the screws. I replaced my tripod mount with a 3/4” mount from Glennview Camera. Like Randy said, the original is recessed maybe 1/8”.

Cameron Cornell
Washington State
www.analogportraiture.com

[Jac@stafford.net]

Never seen a 3/4" or 1/8" tripod mount. Enlighten me.

[Cameron Cornell]

Never seen a 3/4" or 1/8" tripod mount. Enlighten me.

Oops! I spoke that message into my phone during a quick break from building a LEGO farm with my daughter. I meant 3/8” and 1/4”, of course.

[Cameron Cornell]

I do have the original 1/4” tripod mount for the camera (sans screws) if the OP or anyone else needs it.