Cambo SC Rail Too Tight in Standard

[_T_]

I just received a new to me official 30cm rail for my Cambo SC. Highly recommended btw, much more convenient than the 54cm which is much too long for normal use.

I had trouble when initially installing the new rail. It seemed to be too tight in the standards and the friction drive was unable to move the standards along the rail. They would just spin in place.

After googling and trying every tip and trick on the internet including cleaning and lubricating the various parts that needed cleaning and/or lubricating but still coming up short I nearly found myself at a loss.

That’s when I discovered that all I had to do to get the camera to function properly was install the rail upside down. Now it works perfectly.

So here’s a tip for any other SC users who find themselves in a similar situation.

There are 4 possible ways to install the rail. It can be flipped end over end and it can be rotated along its long axis 180°. If you find that one position doesn’t work try each of the other 3 until you find the one that works best.

Hope that helps.

 

[BrianShaw]

Great tip. Thanks!

 

[abruzzi]

interesting. They're 1 inch square rails, right? I'm suprised changing orientation changed fit, but there you go.

 

[_T_]

Yeah I measured across the flats with some calipers and there’s a slight difference something like 0.2mm - 0.4mm. And it’s not perfectly square in section either; when you measure across the corners they’re slightly different.

They’re also not perfectly straight. I used some winding sticks and they’re slightly twisted and the center is thinner than the ends when you sight the light gap with a straight edge.

Both of my rails are like this. They’re both second hand but im pretty sure it just comes down to the fact that they are extruded aluminum with no additional machining besides cutting to length.

Edit: for the record the rails are not 1” square in section. They are about 25mm and the extra 0.4mm could be enough to keep it from working

 

[numerus]

I have had the same experience. My Cambo SC had been disassembled for shipping. When I wanted to put it back together, it was almost impossible to push the rail into the standards. At some point I also came up with the idea of turning it 180°. And, surprise, everything fitted perfectly and the Cambo has been working perfectly ever since.

 

[Mal Paso]

My Cambo SC standards have screws under the focus and lock knobs to adjust tension on the rail. I think my old one had them too but I've no idea if all cameras had them.

While working on a Land Rover engine I learned the British term "selective fit" where you try all possible positions until you get the bet fit. lol

 

[Neil Poulsen]

Thank you for the tip.

In fact, I have a newer Cambo SC rail that I intend to use with an older 6x9 Cambo view camera. I'll keep this in mind.

 

[Mal Paso]

The most common rail is 25mm square but I've heard of people using 1 inch square stock which is almost .016" larger. There are different rails for the SCX, Legend and SF.

 

[Dan Fromm]

The most common rail is 25mm square but I've heard of people using 1 inch square stock which is almost .016" larger. There are different rails for the SCX, Legend and SF.

The long rail I used for my SC-based Baby Bertha was 1" square 80/20 t-slotted extrusion, their size 1010. Inexpensive, available in lengths up to 96", works well.

 

[Mal Paso]

The long rail I used for my SC-based Baby Bertha was 1" square 80/20 t-slotted extrusion, their size 1010. Inexpensive, available in lengths up to 96", works well.

Excellent! Good to know that works. I'm guessing there are 2 slots per side and the friction wheel runs between them. I started to build my Bertha on an SC frame but switched to SF when the opportunity presented itself.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Excellent! Good to know that works. I'm guessing there are 2 slots per side and the friction wheel runs between them. I started to build my Bertha on an SC frame but switched to SF when the opportunity presented itself.

This is what 80/20 size 1010 (1 inch square) looks like:

The friction wheel runs on top of it, as it does on the 1"x1" SC rail.

Berthas are long lens SLRs. Your image shows a long lens camera. Where's the SLR module, and which SLR are you using?

My Baby Bertha's SLR was a 2x3 Graflex RB Ser. B. I made the rig to use a 900/10 Apo-Saphir. It was a disaster. Read about it at http://www.galerie-photo.com/baby-bertha-6x9-en.html

 

[Mal Paso]

Oh, mine is a 600/1200mm 4x5 with a Nikkor f9-19 telephoto, no reflex. I couldn't find a center support either and converted a SC one to SF. I bought a small mill and made the rail clamp from a block of aluminum. The rail is 42" with extensions and focuses to 5 and 25 feet. I made 2 struts to stabilize the camera from wind and vibrations.