Mamiya RB67 Bellows is crinkled up ...

[peter k.]

Camera has been stored awhile and the bellows evidently crinkled up when last used.

Suggestions?
Lubricate it?
If so with what?

 

[Kino]

Replacement bellows average $50 - $70 on Ebay and a previous posting elaborates on how to replace them: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/replacing-rb67-bellows-how-to.100029/

Short of that, I would carefully extend the bellows fully (not over extending them) and gently clean the bellows with distilled water mixed with a drop or two of dish washing soap and a soft toothbrush. Wipe them down with a microfiber cloth and then let them sit for about a week to dry. If you have bad creases, try to reform the pleats with your fingers before letting the bellows dry completely.

I like to treat old bellows with ArmorAll to give them more flexibility, but it's real important that they be totally dry afterwards before collapsing and storage to avoid mold or fungal growth.

 

[xkaes]

Much depends on how bad the kink(s) is and how long (and hard) it's been closed.

I'd start off by slowly expanding the bellows -- assuming you haven't already -- and as the kink(s) start to appear, see if you can slowly un-kink it/them with a q-tip on the outside or inside.

 

[peter k.]

If you have bad creases, try to reform the pleats with your fingers before letting the bellows dry completely.

Well will give that a try, thank you for the info.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

For 40 years I've always stored my rb67 with the bellows contracted all the way. No problems so far. No lubrication either. How do you owners do it?