I recently picked up a Deardorff 8x10 field camera on Ebay. The serial number is in to 5500's. It came out of Chicago and looks fine, but for some minor wear to the wood and some split wood where larger, non-original screws were used. The bed looks just fine. The bellows was described as light tight, but I did a light test and counted 60+ holes--nearly every bellows fold had a pinhole or a thinning that allowed light to pass. So it needs a new bellows--though I may try the elmer glue/dishsoap formula along with some buffered black photo tape just to see what happens.

Nothing about the camera suggests it can't, with some minor attention, be made into a great field 8x10. However, the focus rail slot that the rear standard slides in is noticeably wider from wear along its rear portion than the more forward parts of the whole gear track and so the rear standard can rock back and forth a little more than it perhaps should.

I've considered folding a little metal tape (or plastic tyk tape) over the flange that rides in the gear track slot--to take up some or all of the space. But I wonder if the outer geared rails on the Deardorff can just be switched to the opposite sides of the camera to provide the "pristine" gear and slot for the usual focus travel of the rear standard. Anyone done this?

There is some talk of new parts available for Deardorff cameras, if I read a current website correctly. Any chance new track parts might become available?

Doug