Restoring my "new" Agfa Ansco 8x10.

[LabRat]

The first thing to do is to "triage" the camera to find out what's right and wrong with it, then take fone or camera snaps of everything including fine details of how all parts stack everywhere, and then possible damage issue areas (this will be useful when reassembling)...

The next good investment is an adjustable square (from your hardware store) and any straight edges you might have so you can open camera to operating positions and check all planes of wood, bed etc for proper flatness, then use adjustable square to place on bed to make sure standards are not at some off angle... Then operate all controls and movements to check they are not binding or stuck... Go through it all, check bellows for leaks, holder inserts correctly, lens boards flat & fits etc... Once camera is re-assembled, use a small flashlight inside to see if all wood joins are properly sealing from leaks...

Resist the temptation to go compulsive to make all like new during restoration, rather "listen" to the patient carefully to "hear" it's needs-to-do and do those mostly... Over-restoration won't work/look right and worked a long time like it is...

Also consider that refinishing is a two-edge sword that can also hurt the wood by oversanding, and chemical stripping can harm the wood joints bonding... Try to restore original finish to moderately attractive, as a strip/new finish job is long and difficult to get right... And you want to shoot a working camera soon...

Good luck/ask questions...

Steve K

[IainP]

Thanks, Steve. All this is sage advice -- especially about the adjustable square and the need to ensure all straight edges are in fact straight. And I will be mindful about overdoing it. Simon's restoration resulted in a completely rebuilt camera -- not something I'm capable of. Better to use it than have it on the shelf as an unfinished project...

[LabRat]

Another useful item for the project is a piece of plate glass or a stone kitchen counter for a bench to put flat items (like the back) to check if they sit evenly on it or do they rock a little... Plan B would be to deal with that as another step, but good hardwood cameras are often still flat/straight if they were stored in a reasonable environment... You will check for flatness and evenness... And solutions will be applied as needed...

Steve K