Bausch&Lomb Unar 4.5 series 1b help

**Leicanemo** · 2-Jan-2025, 17:17

Fate strikes again one off the blades sheared it’s end off. I have attempted to repair with celloid grains from old costume jewelry and acetone. It is back together. The question is will it still have enough tensile strength now. It’s not much torque it’s just friction. Now I am seriously considering the Waterhouse option. Or should I look into laser cutting a new set of blades ? I would still have to attach the pins on the end. Brass or plastic… I need to think about this. In the meantime I have finished restoration of camera and stand. I have three lens on boards ready to use and have constructed a 4x5 back.

**Leicanemo** · 3-Jan-2025, 15:18

Several more attempts to repair aperture. I give up on the original blades they are too old and fragile. They continue to bind or pop out. I only have so many good years left , and spending them bent over the bench and stacking celloid blades in a circle in a brass ring is not a good use of time. The soft focus mechanism works fine. I do not believe that the Waterhouse idea will work either because of the inner barrel. I would not be able to use the rack and pinion on the lens. Or I would have to remove inner barrel and cut a large section out of it. Or decide to rack it in or out and cut a slot there. This is disappointing but it is a studio soft focus lens. I will experiment with making apertures for the front of the lens. If any one has a better suggestion please share with me.

**cowanw** · 3-Jan-2025, 16:24

Not encouraging more of your time but I have made quite serviceable leafs for shutters out of fully exposed and developed 8x10 film.

**Leicanemo** · 5-Jan-2025, 18:11

I thought of that. But it seems like it will always be an issue. So out of the blue a 88 mm iris shows up on eBay in the Ukraine. I bought it it should slip right in front of the lens. I will post pictures when it arrives. I have kept all of the original parts. I figure most of tve time I will shoot it wide open anyway but now I have an auxiliary aperture