Hello all, I'm thinking about buying a 8x10 deardorff and was wondering how I could clean up some scratches on the bottom. Are there any quirky things to look for when buying a used one?
Hello all, I'm thinking about buying a 8x10 deardorff and was wondering how I could clean up some scratches on the bottom. Are there any quirky things to look for when buying a used one?
Scratches in the wood or the metal plate (if it has one)? Scratches in the wood can't really be "cleaned up" but a little almond oil, tung oil, or Danish oil can make them appear less noticeable.
Make sure the bed hasn't separated along the joints, it's expensive to fix. Make sure the front swing plates (if it has front swing) aren't bent. And make sure it just isn't plain worn loose from use. Some were used as studio or professional cameras and the gears and gear tracks can become worn and sloppy.
Other than that, the usual things when buying an older camera, make sure the hardware is all the same and all there, metal parts not bent, wood all the same finish, wood not cracked, etc.
Where are you at in East Tenn?
Cheers, Steve
I'm in johnson city, were practically neighbors heh. I'm a student at ETSU. I saw a studio worn deardorff online for not too much, bellows look good though.
Noah, I have a friend in Trade, who is a photographer and he also owns a nursery business called Appalachian Native Plants. You should meet him sometime...
Somebody else in your neck of the Tennessee woods who's very knowledgeable and helpful is Barry Cochran. He sells Deardorff parts on Ebay under the user ID "attrevida" and has a new website at http://deardorffcameras.com/.
That sounds good, always nice to meet other photographers. I decided against the deardorff and got a wista instead. Figured the upkeep/repairs would be more minimal than the other. Thanks allOriginally Posted by WalterE54
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