Want to Buy Old Graflex lens board to Horseman/Sinar 4x5 adapter?

[frobozz]

Is such a thing even made? A lens board for 4x5 Sinar/Horseman (about 5.5" square) upon which you can mount a lens that is already mounted on an old Graflex lens board (about 4" square, with one beveled edge.) I have a couple of Cirkut-era lenses I'd like to try on the Horseman without all the hassles of swapping boards back and forth.

Duncan

 

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[Old-N-Feeble]

You can make one from a Sinar/Horseman board and parts from the front standard of a 4x5 Graflex camera.

 

[frobozz]

Oof, I hate to sacrifice working camera parts like that... but looking around, you're right. That's going to be the shortest, cheapest path to this adapter. Got an old Graflex front standard off of ebay for $25, and I have a pile of spare no-name Horseman sized boards so it's just a matter of cutting a big square hole in one and attaching the front standard parts.

Thanks for the idea!

Duncan

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Oof, I hate to sacrifice working camera parts like that... but looking around, you're right. That's going to be the shortest, cheapest path to this adapter. Got an old Graflex front standard off of ebay for $25, and I have a pile of spare no-name Horseman sized boards so it's just a matter of cutting a big square hole in one and attaching the front standard parts.

Thanks for the idea!

Duncan

Yep... that's all there is to it. Use some opaque/black silicone between the adapter and lens board and don't overtighten the screws holding the aluminum Graflex front mount to the Horseman lens board, lest you bend the thin aluminum Graflex frame.

 

[mweintraub]

I'm planning on doing this soon, any tips? I'd love to see photos on how you secured the mount to the board. Thanks.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I no longer have the adapter board I made. Mine was a Pacemaker 4x5 Graphic to 158mm Toyo View. It was easy. Just cut a square hole a tiny larger than the opening of the inner opening of the Graphic front mount and drill small holes in all four corners all the way through both pieces. Then use a bit of black silicon between the pieces and screw them together being careful not to overtighten and damage the thin aluminum of the Graphic mount. Use small-ish machine screws and nuts.

 

[jim10219]

I made an old Graflex board adapter to fit my Sinar F1. I just took a front standard from an old Anniversary Graflex and disconnected everything but the Bakelite board and the board locking mechanism. Then I took a generic Sinar lens board, and used a Dremmel tool with a metal cutting disk to cut out a square hole, roughly the same size as the opening on Graflex front standard. Next I secured the Graflex standard directly over the square hole with some tape. Then I drilled some holes through the back side of the Sinar board and into the Bakelite of the Graflex front standard, careful to make sure they line up, but don't go all of the way through. Then I used a hole threading bit, to thread the holes in the Graflex standard, and used a slightly larger drill bit to expand the holes on the Sinar board. Make sure your pilot hole is big enough because you don't want to crack the Bakelite by putting too much stress on it. It will crack easily. Next I cut out some felt of the right thickness and size, and glued it to the Sinar board with rubber cement to plug any holes from any light leaks. Lastly, I secured the Graflex front standard to the Sinar lens board with some screws and washers.

I wouldn't worry about hacking a front standard off an old Graflex. There are plenty of them in the world, and many are in unrepairable condition anyway. So it's better to recycle the parts into something useful than throw them away, or let them rot in an attic somewhere.