Inherited a Shipload of Cameras

[Worker 11811]

I just inherited about 30 ammo boxes full of cameras plus several cardboard boxes full of darkroom gear and other random stuff.

So far I have only sorted through six of them and I already have 20 cameras of various qualities and vintages. There are a few Brownies and just a random assortment of cameras. Some are run-of-the-mill. Some are awesome.

So far, I have seen.
2 Kodak Pony 135's
2 Kodak Reflex II's
1 Yashica Lynx-14
There's a Minolta Mini-16
I've also got a Graflex Super D.

I haven't even gone a quarter of the way through it all but I know there are at least two Rolliecords and a Rollieflex in there. I'm probably going to end up with at least a dozen "good" cameras by the time I am done.

Right now, I am pulling everything out, assessing it and cataloging it all.

If anything is usable, I'm going to keep it and put it to use myself.
The Graflex has a 120 roll film back. I'm definitely going to take that baby out for a spin!

Most of it is all in metal ammo boxes. Most of it is packed in brown paper bags.
This is not good. Paper holds moisture.

So, right now, I'm taking everything out and getting rid of the paper.
I'm going to clean everything and put it back in the boxes where I found it. Then, once I have a list, I'll decide what I want to use and what I want to put on display in my collection or, maybe, find new homes for.

But, in the mean time, what do you suggest I do to help preserve the cameras until I can get around to working on them?

I figure, getting rid of that paper is the first step. Cleaning would be the second. Then, I am thinking about getting some silica gel packs and putting some in each can.

I'm hoping that will hold everything steady until I can get around to making a decision.

What do you all think?

 

[Brian Legge]

Don't underestimate how long cleaning up cameras takes. I picked up a batch - mostly cheap older rangefinders - earlier in the year and am still working on them slowly.

I love the work even though there isn't really a reason to do it. I probably put $200 in labor and $40 in parts into a camera I may shoot a roll with and sell to a friend for for $20-40. If you plan on doing this with a bunch of cameras, take your time with it. I'm actually taking a break on it after putting a bunch into cameras that weren't going to be worth using at all in the end.

If you have junkers beyond repair you don't want, consider offering them here. People are always looking for parts cameras.

Edit: I would suggest an early triage into cameras that would be easy to repair, aren't worth repairing at all (fungus issues, etc). This could easily cut the number of cameras down dramatically. Less stress and work.

 

[Worker 11811]

I'm already thinking of separating them into three batches:

1) Things I want to use.
2) Things I want for my collection.
3) Things I will find new homes for.

I expect group #3 to be the largest one. I do plan to offer them to APUGers but I don't have a set time table.
I also know that many of these cameras, regardless of what group they end up in won't be worth a whole lot of money. Money isn't the driving factor, here. At best, I might make a few bucks or, better yet, I might use the stuff to trade up for parts or accessories I need.

I have been told that there might be an 8x10 camera somewhere in the pile but I haven't found it, yet. I would like a tripod for it if I do find it. If there isn't a suitable tripod in the lot, I'd use what I have to trade for one. Something like that would be my personal best-case scenario.

First priority, right now, is to triage and stabilize. After that, I'll decide what things go into which group. Finally, I'll decide on what to do with the things I don't need/want.

As such, do you think that my first move should be to get rid of all that brown paper? I think it would hold moisture and cause degradation. I want to just give stuff a once-over and dust it all off then put it back, pretty much, as I found it. I imagine that silica gel desiccant packs would be a good thing to use.

There's also a butt load of old film. Virtually all of it is expired. I suppose it's all a write-off. Isn't it? I might experiment with a couple of rolls just for my own educational reasons. I wouldn't expect much from it.

I know there's a Polaroid in there. A few of them use 828 and 616 which is are defunct formats. Those would have to be collector's items only. I can reroll 120 film and use it in the 620 cameras. Can't I?

Bottom line is that I want all of the stuff that is viable to be used, even if it's not used by me. What can't be used, I want to be displayed in a collection. The rest I'll deal with as I come to it.

The worst thing that could happen is that all this stuff sits in a basement and rusts away. All this stuff came from my Father-in-Law's estate. He just passed away, recently. I know that he would not want this stuff to end up like that. I'm trying to use this principle as my guiding light.

 

[MattKing]

You can get re-spooled film for 828 - it's just expensive.

A lot of 616/116 cameras are relatively easy to adapt to use of 120 film, if you don't mind a bit of fiddling. I've got one, and it gives me interesting 6x12 negatives.

Any black and white film would be worth experimenting with. Any film that is still in original packages might be interesting to collectors.

Whatever you do, don't throw away any of the film spools for older formats - they may be worth more on eBay than the cameras .

Have fun!

 

[Mike Wilde]

Do a first pass to catalog what you have. Then the list can be mulled 'offline' I find all sorts of new connections come up if I mull them over a bit. If something has not moved for me after I have it for more than two years, I look to pass it on before consider tossing it.

A year ago someone gave me a whole blood related biochem company's worth of analytical chemistry from thier R&D department. There were over 300 chemicals to catalog. about 200 I will likely never use. The hydroquinone, silver nitrate, K permanganate, na sulfite na and k carbonalte, k bromide, K iodide (enough for a town of 40,000 in case of nulcear war!!!) etc.

I would never have figured out what had landed on me unless I catalogued it. i

 

[Mike Wilde]

The slower old films are a lot of time still viable but somewhat fogged, and loose speed. Expose more to get off the fog floor, and develop more ( someties 3x more) and things can often be viable. So test prior to toss.