Goerz 16 1/2 " F 9.5 Apo Lens

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I have a question for our resident lens experts as I know I am not but I do love all the bargains I seem to find when it comes to lenses.. I picked up the front and rear elements for this lens from the bay. I have an old Acme ( patent September 14, 1915) shutter and the elements screw in just fine. Now I don't know if they are spaced right and probably not. If I try to screw them in real tight the shutter binds. Do I need spacers? How does one tell? How much of a difference does it make? Do I just shoot something on the 8x10 and find out? I'm sorry if this question is insulting to any of my esteemed lens experts but I just don't know.
The elements look like they are almost brand new and very, very clean. They are from 1948 I believe. # 769798.

Thanks,

Jim

[cdholden]

Jim,
I've got a 19" APO Artar (pre-Red Dot) that lives in an Acme #4. I'm not sure about direct placement of that focal length in your shutter, but if it won't focus (requiring spacers or reduction in collar length), that will be apparent on the ground glass.

Best of luck,
Chris

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Chris, thanks. I'm looking for a board to mount it on.

Jim

[Steve Hamley]

Jim,

My Ilex #4 for my 16-1/2" Red Dot Artar is 1.880" front-to-rear. If yours isn't within a few thousandths of this, I'd call Adam Dau at S.K. Grimes and see if he has spacing information because he's certainly seen many in barrel and in shutter.

If your shutter is very close to this, then you need to proceed to determine if the iris is in the same place relative to a reference (factory mount) lens.

Cheers, Steve

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Steve, thanks. I don't have digital calipers but my calipers are awful close to what you measured.

Jim

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Wow, I mounted the lens on a board and focused it. Shutter works fine. I'll have to run some film through to be sure but it looks good on the GG. Now I have to redo the F stop scale.

BTW, the nice thing is that this whole set up only cost me $64.00
Jim

[cdholden]

Jim,
Spend another $20-40 and get a decent, yet inexpensive micrometer/caliper. Athletic tape and a fine tip sharpie will make a temporary iris scale (replace before the adhesive comes out in the summer months) help you note the important apertures you want to use on your shutter... and you've got a caliper to measure with for when this happens again!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Chris, good idea! I do need a digital caliper. I know where I'm going tomorrow.Can't wait to use the lens.

Jim

[c.d.ewen]

Jim:

I've got a lens marked: "Goerz Apochromatic Aratr F:9.5 Focus 16 1/2 In No 755598"

Close in serial number, but not quite the same company.

For what it's worth, my barrel measures 1.741".

Charley

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Charley, I appreciate this information. I've mounted the lens on a board and put it on the 8x10 and it comes into sharp focus. So I guess I'm okay. I'll shoot some images when I can and let everyone know how they come out. Looks like a great lens if everything is right. So far so good.

Jim