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Thread: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

  1. #1

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    My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    After many months of experimentation and learning, I've finally finished the camera I started putting together last winter. I built it as a sort of prototype for the 14x17 camera that I hope to start on one day. I have 200msheets of 8x10 x-ray film, and 100 sheets of 14x17, and I bought the film first. Silly, I know.

    To make this 8x10 camera, I had to teach myself to use my metal lathe and milling machine. Before that, I had to get them to work, and before that, I had to find machines I could afford to buy. So, it's actually been a project in the works for several years.

    I took a boatload of images of the camera today, and of the things that go with it. Here's one to get started.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 1 small.jpg  
    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 12:49. Reason: reloading corrected image

  2. #2

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    The parts I put together come from several other cameras. The front standard and the round rail are from a Toyo View 45G. The rear used to be for a Toyo 45D, and I modified it by stretching it out to hold an 8x10 back with aluminum channels. I found out fairly quickly that the back was quite wobbly, so I added the brass rods you can see on the top. They allow me to stabilize the back by securing it to the rock-solid front standard. The rectangular piece in the middle slides smothly on the rods until I tighten it down with set screws made for telescope focusers. This system woks okay, but will be no good on a larger camera.

    The wood is Sapele, which I found to be really nice to work with. I made the lens cap for my 360mm f/5.6 Symmar Convertible lens on my metal lathe, using metal lathe tools and sandpaper. It worked really well. The maroon colored aluminum was advertised as 'bronze' in color. This project was also the first wherein I did my own anodizing of aluminum, another skill I taught myself through trial and error. Flash photography really brings out the flaws. I think it looks better than it appears hear. Anodizing makes the aluminum much more scratch resistant, and prevents corrosion. And right after a piece leaves the anodizing bath, dyeing it is very simple, so why not do it? The dye cost only $10, and will keep for years if stored right.

    Here's my next photo:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 12:55.

  3. #3

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    In that photo and the one below, you can see the rotatable back. It's from yet another camera: an old Burke and James. It was painted a dull gray when I got it, so I stripped, stained, and finished it with polyurethane. I think it's mahogany.

    The bellows, by the way, were made for me by Custom Bellows UK. I had wanted to try making my own, but could not find a suitable material that would be both flexible and opaque enough to make look decent. In these photos, the 360mm lens is focused to infinity.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 12:57.

  4. #4

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    I made the ground glass protector, as well as the brass handle (in fact, I made most of the brass parts, including the knobs). That is a particularly unattractive photo in the last post, with the flash bouncing straight back into the digital camera. The protector is held in place with small neodymium magnets in the corners.

    made the ground glass by going to the thrift store, buying two 8x10 frames for $2.00 each, and grinding them with telescope mirror grinding grit. I've made many 4x5 ground glass sheets, but, boy, I was using the wrong grit! For those, I used rock-tumbling grit left over from my son's childhood tumbler. Each sheet would take a good half hour of hard work. For this camera, I took both sheets and rubbed them together, with the grit and some water in between. It took over a half hour, but the work wasn't hard, and I ended up with two very bright sheets. The grid lines are one-inch squares, drawn with pencil.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 12:58.

  5. #5

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    Here's another view, going around the camera.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 12:59.

  6. #6

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    Another. And here you can see the simple bellows support I made (the wooden piece under them). It works well in most bellows positions.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 13:00.

  7. #7

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    Here's a closer look beneath the camera standards and bellows. The thick brass bar is supposed to keep the top aluminum plate fro flexing when it's extended. It works, but not as well as I'd hoped.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 13:01.

  8. #8

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    Here, I've mounted my 210mm f/5.6 Fujinon W lens, and focused it to infinity. This is as close as I plan to push the bellows toward the rear standard, and I'm using the shortest brass support rods for it. I use automotive Heim joints at the ends of the rods, since they allow for a wide range of motion, but are very stable where they are meant to be.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 13:02.

  9. #9

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    And now I've attached my 760mm f/14 Rodenstock Apo Romar, again focused to infinity. I bought this lens for the 14x17 camera, but it shows how much the bellows can be drawn out when all three plates are extended.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 13:02.

  10. #10

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    Re: My DIY 8x10 Frankencamera

    Looking more closely at the 760mm lens here, you can see that I've mounted it on a 'shutter' I made out of an old 3x4 Anniversary Speed Graphic camera, which fits nicely between the uprights of the 45G front standard. I posted about this 'shutter' here when i made it, more than four years ago.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 15-Sep-2022 at 13:03.

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