Selling my spare Mamiya Six. This one I bought for the bellows, they turned out to be punctured, so I kept it as a spare. I had it CLA'd when in Europe. So focusing, winding, shutter, etc. is all flawless except for the bellows that have multiple patches on them and may develop more holes. You should plan on replacing them.
I replaced the leatherette.
The optics have imperfections, looks like scratches and coating damage. It's fixable by a specialist, but may not be worth the effort.
Some facts:
Camera is not in mint condition, but it is a good user.
This is the version where you switch between 6x4.5 and 6x6 (has internal masking flaps)
The knob is missing for the switching of indicator windows, so you do it with a needle from the inside of film door
The film door is very difficult to open by hand, I used a small screwdriver to pry it open - this could be fixed
The leatherette was replaced
The rubber seals in the rear door were missing, so I 3D printed them from rubber-like material
The shutter, winding system and rangefinder were serviced in 2022
The glass had mold on it and it damaged the coating, leaving some permanent marks in glass. It looks nasty under strong light and I'm not trying to hide it. The mold was cleaned off and whole camera was treated with ozone.
I'm not sure how the lens defects will influence pictures - I did not go past f/8. See attached two examples of non-processed scans from Epson V500 flatbed auto settings, Ektar exposed at ISO 100.
I will include a 3D printed lens hood based on the original metal one.
Even though I tried patching the bellows, they developed more holes and need replacement. I patched them again now with Permatex Ultra Black.
The ever-ready case is not original to the camera and was modified by me to "loosely" fit, so that I could wear it on a strap. The case is included, no strap.
I’d like to get it and use it, I really would, but I would have to have a source for new bellows, get a parts-only model for a lens swap, and make sure I have the expertise for both of those operations. I love the camera in theory - very cool focus mechanism, 645/6x6 switchable, I think it’s a little smaller than some contemporary competitors (is it?)
tryjng to convince myself I’m up for the challenge…
See if Western Bellows is still in biz, super cool guy I've send him stuff and his workmanship was fantastic. Its been years since I sent him something though. Good luck, its a cool little camera.