Hi Jim,
Thanks for that. I'm in no rush so I'll start the search.
I could also use the rails alone and build the supporting structure for an extension. Wouldn't be too hard, I think.
There have been a few parts I've already found, but the teeth were too narrow, or had a different TPI count.
Ari, I paid a professional woodworker to do this once. Stripped the racks from an old orphan rail to make a replacement rear rail for an 11x14 Empire State.
Given that you don’t have a parts rail available, you might consider foregoing the track and using friction focusing instead. As long as you can lock the rear lock down tight to the new rail, you can just slide the rear frame forward and backward to focus.
Yes ^^^^^
Many modern field cameras do not have geared rear focusing and no one complains.
Phillips
Chamonix
Shen-Hao
Very true, thanks Michael.
Superb camera build, btw; I hope there'll be more updates coming, and some photos of course.
Thanks, Ari. And thanks for the superb FLM tripod the camera is resting on!
Very glad you like it!
I have a couple of odd and ends extension rails. They're from the right period, but I don't know if the specifications match. I'll see if I can find them and take a look.
“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
Thank you, Peter; very kind of you.
I don't know if this is typical of these cameras, but both standards wobble quite a bit in place, even when locked down.
The grooves on the focusing track have widened with age, giving the brass sliders plenty of room to move up and down.
I thought I'd fill up all the grooves with epoxy, then cut new grooves, but I don't think I have anything with a thin enough kerf that's also accurate enough.
So I applied some aluminum tape to the sliders, one layer for now, and it has improved the wobble somewhat.
Ari,
If I understand you correctly, the root problem you are trying to solve is that you do not have enough extension. Is that correct?
I know that sounds dumb to ask. But between reading two pages of replies and a having a case of lockdown hypnosis, I'm feeling a bit foggy.
Do you have additional bellows length in your existing bellows that is not already being used?
Hi Will,
Good to hear from you.
Yes, you're correct. I don't often need more extension, but for those times when I will need it, I thought to make my own short extension rail, about 6 inches long.
I could use some spare rails to help make the extension, don't need to find a real extension piece.
There's some bellows left when I'm at full extension (17"), maybe 8 inches, not a whole lot.
Hope all is well!
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