Crafting a 5x7 bellows

Kawaiithulhu · Apr 18, 2014

My new fix-it project is an agfa-ansco universal 5x7 whose bellows has long since rotted away, leaving only the end frames and shreds of fabric clinging like tattered sails on a ghost ship For those of you who like dating these things, the salient features are cherry and brass with front standard rise & tilt (but no rotate on the vertical axis) and rear tilt, the tripod mount appears fixed in place; I think that puts it at 1940-41?

I'm taking the opportunity to learn and fabricate my own bellows but find a lot of contradictory articles, and mostly for folders on cameras 4x5 and smaller. I've seen everything from neoprene to bookbinding cloth and almost all require existing stiffeners, which is something that I will have to recreate.

Can anyone recommend resources for this project that would match how period bellows were made, materials and techniques and plans I can modify for my purpose?

ic-racer · Apr 18, 2014

Some info here: http://www.largeformatphotography.i...267-Here-we-go-Century-8x10-Restoration/page2

John Koehrer · Apr 18, 2014

If you want a rigid bellows, you need stiffeners.....................Don't go there, John..........Damn, you went there.
The lining can be a light, black cotton cloth. The hardest thing seems to be finding a flexible, thin and opaque outer fabric.

shutterfinger · Apr 19, 2014

A bellows for your vintage camera most likely came with a leather bellows. Modern day Naugahyde, which went into use in 1947 by Graflex corp, may be an alternative for the outer covering. The inner cloth can be a verity of materials including cotton cloth.

I sent a PM about a PDF copy of National Camera Repair Bellows making lesson from their repair school materials for a modest fee.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/...cd=10G-US-HM&gclid=CJb2irHe670CFcqUfgodrg0A7Q

Ian Grant · Apr 19, 2014

shutterfinger said:
A bellows for your vintage camera most likely came with a leather bellows. Modern day Naugahyde, which went into use in 1947 by Graflex corp, may be an alternative for the outer covering. The inner cloth can be a verity of materials including cotton cloth.

I sent a PM about a PDF copy of National Camera Repair Bellows making lesson from their repair school materials for a modest fee.

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/...cd=10G-US-HM&gclid=CJb2irHe670CFcqUfgodrg0A7Q

Where's the link to the page referencing the book ?

Ian

Steve Smith · Apr 19, 2014

Here is my method - although I have since made another set using a square cone as a former.

http://stevesmithphoto.webs.com/bellows.html

Steve.

Kawaiithulhu · Apr 20, 2014

Shutterfinger has it pretty close, I found a copy of the original Ansco brochure and the bellows were indeed a leather outer shell but with a "gossamer rubber cloth" liner that they seemed inordinately proud of having.

I won't be able to do anything much for a week or two, so I'll go hunting for fabrics and check my PM, thanks

shutterfinger · Apr 20, 2014

Player piano bellows cloth is as close of a material to the original "gossamer rubber cloth" that is currently available. I have used it to repair torn, heavy pin hole bellows an a Kodak Commercial View and to make shutter curtains for Graflex SLR'S. The one I used is .008 thick and is rubberized nylon, there may be some rubberized cotton if you search for it.

Ian Grant · Apr 20, 2014

The bellows on Agfa Ansco cameras aren't that well made, I have two 10x8s a Commercial View and a Universal View. The bellows on the Commercial View are better made, the ones on the Universal were coming apart where the seam is and I was not impressed by the quality of the materials used but they do seem to have stood the test of time. There were no light leaks one I'd re-glued the bellows.

Ian

Kawaiithulhu · Apr 20, 2014

Thanks for all the suggestions and pointers, y'all are helping to make this a fun project! Fortunately for my future stiffener drawingsI have one rib from the back and one from the front of the rotted bellows to sanity-check what I come up with. And the wood panels, of course.

For reference, this is the beast:

Ian Grant · Apr 20, 2014

You're lucky as you have one of the better Agfa Ansco 7x5 cameras with the front tilt, it's quite frustrating when there's insufficient tilt like on my 10x8 Universal.

The original Agfa bellows are actually quite thick and bulky and it will be easy to make a replacement. I need to make 5 or 6 sets as soon as I've moved in and settled in my new house,

Ian

Crafting a 5x7 bellows

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