Hello all.
I have an improved Seneca 8x10. It was donated to me about a year ago.
(thanks again to kirk giddings)
I'm trying to get it up and running. Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.
My main issue is that the front standard is not very stable. The brackets that secure it to the rail are cracked. I see these as being a weak point in the design of the camera. Especially since when you fold it up, there is a ton of strain put on these points. I suppose they really need to be removed from the camera and welded, but I dont have any of that equipment. Replacing them would be an option too if anyone had a parts camera.
The bellows are in good shape, allthogh there are some pinholes in the corners. I'm sure this has been answered before, but if someone can give me a quick answer it will save me some time.
The ground glass, while intact, has a big scratch in it. Someday I will replace it with a nice satinsnow glass but in the meantime I think it is useable. Incidentally, I was able to greatly increase the brightness of the gg by wiping a few drops of light oil on it. Great for portraits, sucky for wide-angles.
Of the lenses that were so graciously donated to me, I decided on the Gundlach Radar 12 inch f4.5 in Betax #5 shutter. After fiddling with the shutter every now and then, I was able to get it working and it sounds reasonably accurate. The lens is huge, and the glass is in great shape. However when I cleaned the lens, it seems to have marked up the surface. Kinda looks like someone took an eraser head to it. Is it possible that it was soft-coated? Is there a polishing compound I can use to clear it up?
Last question: The rear standard has some interesting brackets.. they are half-way up on the inner side of the box. It looks like they attached to the bellows at one time. They dont seem to have any purpose and i will likely remove them. Any ideas what they were for?
I have an improved Seneca 8x10. It was donated to me about a year ago.
(thanks again to kirk giddings)
I'm trying to get it up and running. Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.
My main issue is that the front standard is not very stable. The brackets that secure it to the rail are cracked. I see these as being a weak point in the design of the camera. Especially since when you fold it up, there is a ton of strain put on these points. I suppose they really need to be removed from the camera and welded, but I dont have any of that equipment. Replacing them would be an option too if anyone had a parts camera.
The bellows are in good shape, allthogh there are some pinholes in the corners. I'm sure this has been answered before, but if someone can give me a quick answer it will save me some time.
The ground glass, while intact, has a big scratch in it. Someday I will replace it with a nice satinsnow glass but in the meantime I think it is useable. Incidentally, I was able to greatly increase the brightness of the gg by wiping a few drops of light oil on it. Great for portraits, sucky for wide-angles.
Of the lenses that were so graciously donated to me, I decided on the Gundlach Radar 12 inch f4.5 in Betax #5 shutter. After fiddling with the shutter every now and then, I was able to get it working and it sounds reasonably accurate. The lens is huge, and the glass is in great shape. However when I cleaned the lens, it seems to have marked up the surface. Kinda looks like someone took an eraser head to it. Is it possible that it was soft-coated? Is there a polishing compound I can use to clear it up?
Last question: The rear standard has some interesting brackets.. they are half-way up on the inner side of the box. It looks like they attached to the bellows at one time. They dont seem to have any purpose and i will likely remove them. Any ideas what they were for?
