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Nico
Tinkerer
Username: Nico
Post Number: 29
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 13, 2010 - 05:43 am: | 
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Hello everyone.
My uncle brought me a beautiful, very old folding camera from 1886, in apparently good condition (considering its life), except for humidity or some gunk on the shutter mech (compur), oxidized metal parts, light seals in bad condtion and dried leather bellows.
I can fight with them all.
The true obstacle to get this beauty working again is the missing film holder, which supposed to be a slim metal cartridge with a slide cap or something.
The thing is that I've never seen such a thing before and I don't know how it looks like. It most likely would be to build a new one but don't know how to do so.
Has anyone had this inconvenient too?
Any ideas regarding the construction of a film holder will be very appreciated.
Regards |
Msiegel
Tinkerer
Username: Msiegel
Post Number: 197
Registered: 03-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 13, 2010 - 01:49 pm: |
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I have some of which I can take photographs but not before Wednesday. Anyway those should be around on the *Bay for very little money.
If needed I can lend you one to be used as a sample but I'm in Austria and have no idea how much postage would be to your place. |
Nico
Tinkerer
Username: Nico
Post Number: 30
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - 10:32 am: |
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Thank you Martin for your very kind offer, but I'm not sure if they could fit here, being such old maybe it has a special size. Besides just yesterday got an idea of were to get this in an antique camera shop here in Buenos Aires. Maybe they have one that fits or some sample to build it, so you don't have to loose one nor bother about shipping it. I'll better ask there first. Buying on E-pay is such a deal..
Anyway it would be nice of you to send me some photographs, just to have an idea.
Here are the sizes that I measured for the focusing glass and for the whole frame that holds it. You can tell me if they are common or what.
Glass holder frame:
21 x 14,8 cm or 8,3 x 5,9''
Focusing glass:
19 x 13,2 cm or 7,5 x 5,2''
Apart from that I've got a phone number to call some woman who repairs old bellows and replace them.
Great!
Thank you anyway! |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 855
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 08:19 am: |
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An educated guess would seem to point to a 7" x 5" or 12cm x 20cm cut film holder fitting the camera back; however the dimensions you give do not really help in working out the original format - the 1886 date would indicate the use of glass plates as the norm. You should measure the internal dimensions of the aperture in the screen frame, as this will give you the image size and thus the format of the camera. A quick search on Google or similar will then turn up tables of standard plate and cut film formats.
It is a relatively simple task to adapt modern cut film holders to fit these early wooden bodied cameras - you just make a hardwood frame that will support the metal film holder in the same position as the glass focus screen, sealing any slots/mounting grooves with felt or velvet light seals.
The major snag to producing images will be a supply of suitable cut film - the solution is often to go for a smaller format, for which a readily available source of film is available and mark out the mew image size on the screen with fine lining tape. |
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