Richard Sullivan (richsul@earthlink.net)
Wed, 24 Feb 1999 13:16:58 -0700
Patrick,
As you know I treasure and own one of your beautifully restored Burk and
James 5x7 in blond maple. I love it. The problem is it is too nice to use,
at least the way I use cameras. It has to be lovingly handled in the field.
I am rough on cameras and toss them in the van fully opened. That's why I
love my metal Calumet C1. It is industructable. For the C1, a full restored
bellows is perfect for me. For the beautiful Burk & James, I like the new
bellows. The same for my mint Leica M2. Using it is a crime, at least the
way I treat cameras.
--Dick
At 02:23 PM 2/24/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Richard,
>
>My statement was not meant to repute the proported magical qualities of this
>material. It may or may not work as you say. True, I have not had any
>experience with this material. My point was that once a bellows starts to
>pinhole, it will pinhole further as the material has reached a point of
>deterioration that will continue to get worse over time. You of all people
>should know that the quality of work I do in my restoration mitigates against
>any kind of jury rig solution, which I believe this to be. If people want to
>slap this stuff inside their bellows, fine. Go for it. But if anyone is to do
>this, do the whole thing, not just what damage is visible. There is no long
>term experience with this material, so I will not say it is the magic bullet.
>It may not hold up with the constant expansion or contraction a bellows goes
>through in daily operation. Then again it may. But I think it is premature to
>say this material will be an effective long term solution as nobody really
>knows. There are two attitudes at work here about cameras and equipment. There
>are those, like myself, who feel about their cameras as a concert violinist
>does about his instrument. To be cherished and protected against any kind of
>abuse, neglect, and mistreatment. Then there are those who treat their
>equipment as merely another tool and use them as only a means to an end. For
>those who are in the latter group, this is one solution. For those in the
>former, it is unthinkable.
>
>Patrick Alt
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