I bought a 1268 4x5 Grafmatic, working, with a working counter (but missing the negative imprint wheel), a week or so ago, and a few days ago, a set of spare septums.
The Grafmatic worked out of the box, cycling through the septums and incrementing the external counter wheel as it should. This despite a couple of the septums having slight kinks that I suspected would prevent loading film sheets (hence ordering a spare set).
I was right, but the spares I had ordered (cheaply) turned out to be worse, every one slightly bent in some way and a couple having similar kinks in the film channels -- after operating this thing a bit, I can see how that would happen; if the septum stack isn't fully down into the well before pushing the carrier home, the frame would land exactly where these kinks are.
I'm a pretty good hand at straightening light gauge metal and quickly had all the visible bends smoothed out so the stack of spares would sit flat and steady, and after checking with scrap film sheets I located and corrected the kinks in the channels as well (the edge of a knife slipped into the channel does a fine job of lifting the kink). Great! I now have twelve flat septums that will accept film sheets without undue effort, and hold it secure and flat (all of the little spring tabs are in fine shape).
Except that now, both stacks, seemingly regardless of order, act like they're too long. If I slip them into the well one at a time (after latching the pusher tab), they'll drop flat, second, third, and fourth, with a little care, will still drop flat -- and then the fifth hangs, acts like it's a hair too long. This is with both the septums that came with the Grafmatic (which loaded into the well and cycled when it arrived) and the (straightened) spares.
Now, I know the standard wisdom is "you can't straighten those things, just throw them away and buy a new set."
Which was great advice when a set of these cost five bucks, and they were still making them (about the time I learned to operate an adjustable camera and develop film, if not a bit before). The few that are on eBay now are about nine bucks each in a ten-pack, and though the pictures are better, it's hard to be certain they're in new condition.
Does anyone know what I have wrong with these septums that causes them to be too long only when four are already in the magazine? I've checked; the way the springs work, a Grafmatic apparently can't cycle if a single septum is missing, and in any case, I can't get even the fifth one into the well, or if I do, it's so tight it won't move. Just forget even trying #6.
The obvious, and almost certainly wrong solution is to get a Dremel or similar and take a literal hair's breadth off the open end of each septum -- but without at least hearing from someone who's done this, I'm very inclined to believe that will make something else not work right -- and as they say in the machine shop, you can always take some off later, but it's awfully hard to put metal back.
Help!
The Grafmatic worked out of the box, cycling through the septums and incrementing the external counter wheel as it should. This despite a couple of the septums having slight kinks that I suspected would prevent loading film sheets (hence ordering a spare set).
I was right, but the spares I had ordered (cheaply) turned out to be worse, every one slightly bent in some way and a couple having similar kinks in the film channels -- after operating this thing a bit, I can see how that would happen; if the septum stack isn't fully down into the well before pushing the carrier home, the frame would land exactly where these kinks are.
I'm a pretty good hand at straightening light gauge metal and quickly had all the visible bends smoothed out so the stack of spares would sit flat and steady, and after checking with scrap film sheets I located and corrected the kinks in the channels as well (the edge of a knife slipped into the channel does a fine job of lifting the kink). Great! I now have twelve flat septums that will accept film sheets without undue effort, and hold it secure and flat (all of the little spring tabs are in fine shape).
Except that now, both stacks, seemingly regardless of order, act like they're too long. If I slip them into the well one at a time (after latching the pusher tab), they'll drop flat, second, third, and fourth, with a little care, will still drop flat -- and then the fifth hangs, acts like it's a hair too long. This is with both the septums that came with the Grafmatic (which loaded into the well and cycled when it arrived) and the (straightened) spares.
Now, I know the standard wisdom is "you can't straighten those things, just throw them away and buy a new set."
Which was great advice when a set of these cost five bucks, and they were still making them (about the time I learned to operate an adjustable camera and develop film, if not a bit before). The few that are on eBay now are about nine bucks each in a ten-pack, and though the pictures are better, it's hard to be certain they're in new condition.
Does anyone know what I have wrong with these septums that causes them to be too long only when four are already in the magazine? I've checked; the way the springs work, a Grafmatic apparently can't cycle if a single septum is missing, and in any case, I can't get even the fifth one into the well, or if I do, it's so tight it won't move. Just forget even trying #6.
The obvious, and almost certainly wrong solution is to get a Dremel or similar and take a literal hair's breadth off the open end of each septum -- but without at least hearing from someone who's done this, I'm very inclined to believe that will make something else not work right -- and as they say in the machine shop, you can always take some off later, but it's awfully hard to put metal back.
Help!
