I picked up a beautiful little Petite Kodak with lavender bellows - unfortunately, the bellows are stuck together. I would greatly appreciate ANY suggestions/methods of getting the bellows loose - I'm afraid of tearing them should I try to push them out from behind. Many thanks - Deb
I use the following method for separating layers of leather that are stuck together. It also works on bellows, however all the bellows I have 'reclaimed' have been out or off the body. I guess that your's are kind of partially hidden/protected by the body. You can work from the inside of the bellows in cases like this, if you use a small version of the tool and remove the front standard/board or whatever. The front of the bellows need to be free, so the folded sections can drop down under their own weight.
Actual method is very simple. Use a paint brush to apply a good quality leather/hide restoration cream to the visible parts of the sections. This acts as a lubricant for the next step. You then carefully work a fine bone or Teflon bookbinders folder between the stuck layers. Careful application of the folder and cream will allow you to work around each folded section and separate it from the stuck 'mass'. It is a very slow process and you should note that the sprayed surface finish is not a new process. Some 30s/50s leathers were surface coloured and these do not separate without leaving surface damage.
With small bone folders it is possible to work on the inside of the bellows. However any tension on the bellows from the front standard can lead to tearing, hence my comments about allowing the sections to hang freely as you separate.
You can make small bone separators from those bone cuticle sticks/tools that every Edwardian Lady had on her dressing table. A colleague has even used wooden tongue retractors - he just sands the edges into a blunt knife edge.
