:( My mint Graflex 2x3 RB 'B' is curtains!

**Tin Can** · 1-Mar-2015, 16:18

Originally Posted by jnanian

hi randy

not sure how many 5x7 graflexes were made
there were 3 different models
the portrait graflex
the compact graflex and
another one that i can't remember. press graflex?

someone recently purchased a compact graflex and posted on apug ... info about it & a video
post CLA and it looks beautiful. it takes film holders rather than only bagmags...
not sure if the press? or the portrait only are able to take bagmags, but
they are a thing of beauty ( all of them ! )
i have a series D and have pined for a 5x7 for ages, but never found one
that wasn't in shambles or that didn't cost as much as a bhonda civic ...

there is a company in england ( i think ?) that sells the rubberized fabric the
shutters are made of ... IanG might know of them?
from what i remember, he fixes thornton roller blind and other
vintage graflex slr type shutters.

good luck !
john

Thanks John,

I suppose you saw the 5X7 Aero Bag Mag that just sold on eBay? It was not for Graflex cameras.

I was trying to remember if it was IanG or Steven Tribe who knew of curtain material.

Staring at this problem for a little more just now I see several ways to make new curtains. The right 'stuff' is always a good start.

I will PM Ian now.

**Jim C.** · 1-Mar-2015, 16:25

You got old rubber and cloth, you're better off replacing the curtain than patching. It's going to fail somewhere else.
If you must patch, PM me I can send you some scrap pneumatic bellows cloth that's an almost dead ringer replacement.
You could cut strips to glue with Pliobond.

**Tin Can** · 1-Mar-2015, 17:00

Originally Posted by Jim C.

You got old rubber and cloth, you're better off replacing the curtain than patching. It's going to fail somewhere else.
If you must patch, PM me I can send you some scrap pneumatic bellows cloth that's an almost dead ringer replacement.
You could cut strips to glue with Pliobond.

Thanks Jim,

I just used good Gaff tape on 2 of the apertures. It looks good. Now I am trying to set curtain tension. Looks like I need to reset the bottom windup spring key position., since that spring unwound and now I have little tension at 6. Going to look online for setting Graflex curtain tension now.

Found this! http://www.graflex.org/helpboard/vie...2854e98e143880

**Tin Can** · 1-Mar-2015, 17:30

Well that last tip from Bert must only apply to 3X4 and bigger as this 2x3 has no way to wind it up like that. No winder cover nut.

But I am onto something.

Now I know the whole curtain must be wound up on the bottom roller with "0" showing at the upper window. Then I need to wind up the bottom roller spring while rotating the faceplate on the tension # roller backwards to 1 or less.

I am getting there. I should not have removed the bottom roller ratchet as that little spring is a bear to reinstall, but now I know how...

Sunday in Chicago Winter!

**Tracy Storer** · 1-Mar-2015, 20:20

Ken Ruth at Bald Mountain can make new curtains, but it's not cheap, he recently quoted me $630-$700 for a whole new curtain set for a 3x4 Series B. I have no doubt the work would be exemplary, he comes highly recommended. Instead, I found a Super D for less $ which is on it's way to me.....hopefully it is %100.
I was concerned when I read of the Speeder curtain on the way to you....Speeds don't have revolving backs, so I doubted the slits would be spaced correctly.

**Tin Can** · 1-Mar-2015, 20:49

Originally Posted by Tracy Storer

Ken Ruth at Bald Mountain can make new curtains, but it's not cheap, he recently quoted me $630-$700 for a whole new curtain set for a 3x4 Series B. I have no doubt the work would be exemplary, he comes highly recommended. Instead, I found a Super D for less $ which is on it's way to me.....hopefully it is %100.
I was concerned when I read of the Speeder curtain on the way to you....Speeds don't have revolving backs, so I doubted the slits would be spaced correctly.

Well, I am getting to know this thing pretty well. And I haven't broken anything yet, but I in a little trouble with the upper selector box. It now needs to come off and a tiny drift pin that should be brass was replaced with steel and very tight. Old repair. Might be a bit of a trick drilling out..

I'm sure Ken Ruth can do a fine job and as we all know time is money. I have always been a DIY guy. It's how I became a lifelong mechanic. My brother gave me now valuable antique Matchless motorcycle he had taken completely apart. I was 15, he was 20. I soon learned he loved to take stuff apart and never assemble it again. I'm could at things most people give up on.

I find these RB's very interesting, I don't have much money in it and have a couple even cheaper 3x4 RB's that work fine. I am a 2x3 addict though and want this one to work. The exterior is darn near perfect.

Thanks for watching.

**Michael Cienfuegos** · 1-Mar-2015, 23:01

Randy, the curtain was out of a 2x3 Speed. I have two 2x3 series B Graflex cameras, didn't think to measure the width of the curtain. I repaired a 3x4 Speed with the curtain from an ancient 3x4 Auto-Graflex, so I figured they were the same width. I have too many Graflex priducts around this place, been using the 3x4 AutoGraflex this week, I'm going to need more film, guess I'll try and buy inot the Ilford special film cut if I have any money left.

m

**Jim C.** · 1-Mar-2015, 23:16

Originally Posted by Randy Moe

Well, I am getting to know this thing pretty well. And I haven't broken anything yet, but I in a little trouble with the upper selector box. It now needs to come off and a tiny drift pin that should be brass was replaced with steel and very tight. Old repair. Might be a bit of a trick drilling out..

It's a steel taper pin, they were never brass.
Support that area well it'll take a few good whacks to get it out after soaking it in some penetrating oil and heating.

I wound up making little pin pusher out of some tool steel, lessened the blows needed and took the risk out of bending anything
but I still needed PB blaster and heat to break the hold.

**Michael Cienfuegos** · 1-Mar-2015, 23:27

I used a 1/16" pin punch to very carefully drive out that little pin. It actually came out pretty easily, I tapped it with a 10 oz. ball peen hammer.

m

Originally Posted by Jim C.

It's a steel taper pin, they were never brass.
Support that area well it'll take a few good whacks to get it out after soaking it in some penetrating oil and heating.

I wound up making little pin pusher out of some tool steel, lessened the blows needed and took the risk out of bending anything
but I still needed PB blaster and heat to break the hold.

**Tin Can** · 1-Mar-2015, 23:43

Originally Posted by Jim C.

It's a steel taper pin, they were never brass.
Support that area well it'll take a few good whacks to get it out after soaking it in some penetrating oil and heating.

I wound up making little pin pusher out of some tool steel, lessened the blows needed and took the risk out of bending anything
but I still needed PB blaster and heat to break the hold.

Ok. I was using sharp blows with a 2 oz hammer and a 1/16th straight pin punch. On My 3X4 RB it looks like a brass pin to me.

As there are existing hammer dents in the area it is definitely an old repair. It really looks like a nail as it was clipped with side cutters on both ends. I'm getting nowhere.

I was trying to reset the upper selector to 0 and stupidly removed the L lever that trips the curtain. I got the 0 reset but now cannot reinstall that L lever by sneaking in the side, hence I need to remove that pin and the whole box.

Never tried this before. Learn by mistakes.

I put it away for the night and will regroup and attack later.