Richard Knoppow (dickburk@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 24 Nov 1999 16:14:05 -0800
At 04:08 PM 11/24/1999 -0400, you wrote:
>DEAR LIST,
> I remember a very long string about bellows replacement and lost in
>there somewhere is someone who will replace leather bellows. Does anyone
>remember who it was?
> I have a lovely Kodak #2 cherry wood and brass 5X7 with a packard
>shutter...great fun! But the brown leather bellows are giving up!
>(Understandably!) The bellows appear to have a rubber lining inside so
>that, even where the leather has torn or worn, there seems to be a rubber
>membrane keeping it light tight. Curious!
> Thanks for your help...
> CHEERS!
> BOB KISS
>
There are several makers of bellows. Two that come highly recommended are:
Western Bellows Company
9340 7th Street, Suite G,
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-980-0606
And:
Universal Bellows
25 Hanse Avenue
Freeport, NY 11520
tel. 516-378-1264
There is also Flexible Products in Florida but I had a bellows made by
them and was not impressed by the workmanship although they function fine.
Western does not do leather, I don't know if Universal does. I've seen
many examples of Western's work and its top quality.
There are also a couple of makers in England, but I don't have names at
hand.
Generally a bellows maker needs the old bellows to make new ones. They
will also use the end frames from the old bellows unless they are broken.
Synthetic bellows are more practical and long lived than leather. Leather
looks good and is authentic for old cameras. Kodak 2D cameras originally
had red leather.
The inner liner is rubberized cloth. Normally, the rubber side is inside
glued to the stiffeners, it sounds like the cloth was turned around in this
camera.
Bellows normally have three layers. The outer layer, which is very thin
leather (skiver or book-binder's leather) in older cameras; the stiffeners,
made of heavy Manilla cardboard, in the center; and the rubber coated cloth
(similar to the stuff used for focal plane shutter curtains) on the inside
with the cloth side facing the inside of the bellows. In modern bellows all
three are replaced with plastic materia.
The biggest problem with leather is dry rot. This shows up as flaking,
especially in the corners. There is no cure for it. The corners also get
the most strain so tend to develop pin-holes. I have never had success in
plugging them up although others swear by one means or another.
For a 2D a bellows should cost about $100.
They are not hard to remove or replace.
----
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles,Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Sun Dec 05 1999 - 17:09:24