| Author |
Message |
    
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 15
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 05:50 am: | 
|
I am having a hard time finding really thin, light proof material to make a new bellows for my Agfa Isolette. The resource material I got on-line is excellant. I found printable patterns for the stiffeners , etc. The recommendation is for leather of 0.007" thick. The closet I have come is 1 oz. leather which is double that thickness. I hate to resort to buying a changing bag and cutting it up; that could get expensive. Does anyone have any sources for material? Thanks everyone! |
Dgillette4
Tinkerer
Username: Dgillette4
Post Number: 275
Registered: 04-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 01:11 pm: |
|
I have a bellows which are 2"x3" large end and 1.5"x1.25" small end will stretch fully open to 2.25" you are welcome to if usable..Don |
Kb2qqm
Tinkerer
Username: Kb2qqm
Post Number: 23
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 30, 2009 - 09:33 am: |
|
http://www.hewit.com/
http://www.hollanders.com/supplies/BrowseCategory.aspx?CategoryID=1456c794-c5d7- 4dec-b8a2-f9eeb64a6a56
Book binding companies. I emailed them both with what you are looking for in thickness for leathers. Should get something back soon. Thin sheep leather is what I was looking for too. I actually ordered 6x9 belows from CraigCamera.com and they had something that wasn't exactly made for my kodak no.1 folder, but that worked nicely and let me replace the bellows for $10 each. Not bad as Leather for bellows from above sites is about $140, not including shipping. Just a thought.
Greg |
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 16
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 30, 2009 - 10:58 am: |
|
Don, thanks for the offer; my bellows is approx. 2 1/2" square at the bottom and almost 5" long when open. I am thinking darkroom cloth? I just ordered some from Freestyle Photographic supplies. I will check out CraigCamera also. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 509
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 30, 2009 - 07:02 pm: |
|
One should be aware that good bookbinding leather is not usually that thin as supplied, the binder thins it down to required thickness using a paring knife. It can also work out very expensive as the tanning process is more specific for binding leathers, also it is normally sold by the full skin from these specialised suppliers. |
Kb2qqm
Tinkerer
Username: Kb2qqm
Post Number: 24
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 09:49 pm: |
|
I got messages back from both companies and they indicated that they have nothing near what you needed in thickness. They indicated I could pair down the sheep/goat skin.
There has to be something else out there. I will keep looking.
Greg |
Francis_otto
Tinkerer
Username: Francis_otto
Post Number: 29
Registered: 12-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 12:22 pm: |
|
dolbenleathers often have things on ebay, currently various bits of skiver, some in 0.8mm thickness: it might be worth looking at what they've got. |
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 17
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 08:31 pm: |
|
I just got a yard of darkroom cloth from Freestyle Photographic supplies for about $12 and it looks promising. I will report back with results. |
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 18
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 10:46 am: |
|
Well the darkroom cloth is the perfect thickness and obviously very lightproof. I made up the bellows but for the life of me, can't get the creases and folds to "take a set". I used a white glue to put the whole thing together. The rubberized side of both layers is facing each other with the cloth side out. I don't think I have the bond I want so I am going to try attempt #3 using rubber cement. I am not going to give up on this. The rest of the camera is nice, with a snappy clean shutter/lens. My costs on this thing haven't been very much but I am starting to get frustrated. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 519
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 04:22 pm: |
|
White glue is a definite no-no, you will have much better results with a chloroprene based cement. Getting some darkroom fabrics to crease properly can be a problem, you will find that many will just not co-operate! In a couple of cases where I had no choice but to use the fabric supplied, I bonded the fabric onto black cartridge paper before creasing and folding up.
I have some oldish cloth of unknown origin that will form permanent creases/folds under pressure and gentle heat. I made up a pair of copper jawed 'crimping irons', which were heated on an accurately controlled hotplate. I re-bellowed a couple of old Vickers Metallurgical Microscopes with this cloth and method, This was done about ten years ago and the bellows are still completely light tight - the folds showing no damage from their rather unusual formation. |
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 19
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 20, 2009 - 03:14 pm: |
|
Thanks for the feedback Glenn. I will keep pushing forward on this until I get a workable bellows. I learn a little on each attempt. I have a lot of respect for such arcane trades as bellows making. There was a time when the skilled trades not computers ruled the world. |
Will_ericson
Tinkerer
Username: Will_ericson
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 12:29 pm: |
|
Hi Doug,
I'm a bit of a problem solver and I have been thinking about this for awhile. Although I have never tried this - have you considered using a high content rag writing paper? The cloth content would give it some added wear resistance. You could dye it first with black fabric dye then paint it both sides with a flat latex paint. Latex paint never really gets 'hard" so it always has some elasticity to it. And the paint would probably permeate the paper making it stronger and light tight. Perhaps laminating two sheets would create a stronger more light tight bellows. Anyway just an idea for experimentation. Hope you work it out.
-will |
Doug
Tinkerer
Username: Doug
Post Number: 20
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 08:59 am: |
|
My next attempt is going to be an inner layer of the darkroom cloth with an outer layer of thin vinyl. All the vinyl I have found has been cloth backed and too thick. I will try to thin it out by sanding the fabric side down with sand paper on a block. I will bond the layers with rubber cement. I do appreciate everyone's input. The various views gets the mind working. The latex paint has got me thinking that it may serve as a "starch" to help put some body into the fabric to make it easier to crease the folds. |
