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Pin holes in used bellows

P Sanders

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Dec 1, 2025
Messages
25
Location
Hawthorne, New York
Format
4x5 Format
In testing a newly purchased 8x10 (an old Deardorff) I found several pin dots of light leaks at the bellows creases and folds. Is there a liquid flexible sealant that can be applied to the bellows? I have doubts concerning black plumbers or gorilla tape.

Thank you for your help
 
Yes, what's suggested above will work, but after you fix one pin hole another will pop up since the bellows is probably on its way out. I used an old 4X5 years ago that had a few corner pin holes. I didn't have much money at the time so a replacement bellows was out of the question. All I did for a long time was after setting up and final focusing I would take my dark cloth and drape it over the bellows and tuck the extra under the bellows and between the front bed. I'd then pull the dark slide and trip the shutter. Worked extremely well until I sold the camera.
 
I do large and small bellows repair with 3M Type 850 black polyester tape alias "bellows repair tape". This ultra-thin tape is stronger and more durable than any bellows it is applied to. Expensive.
 

for that problem ,I'd use black liquid silicon and a small brush.
 
Thank you. . . I never heard of liquid electrical tape and was researching black aquaseal (wet suit repair). Will buy both liquid tape and black silicon.
 
I paint the bellows with Puffy fabric paint, and if that doesn't plug the holes, I cover the area with book binder's tape.
 
I've used the Bostick and "Sullivan Bellows Patch kit" with successful results.
 
If they are just pinholes, then stick a pin through the hole then put a blob of liquid electrical tape on the pin and pull it back through. Put a little on the outside of the hole too. That is the best way I've found to repair a pinhole.

Then plan on buying a new bellows because once you start getting pinholes it is like playing whack-a-mole. You are going to get more as you use the camera and move the bellows.
 
As just mentioned, you can try all these suggestions. I'm not saying they won't work, but when a bellows starts to show pinholes, it's on life-support already. You're just postponing the inevitable, and every time you use it, you are probably creating new pinholes. After you fix the currently visible holes, make sure to check it again next week or next month because there will probably be new ones.

Please, don't shoot the messengers.
 
And different camera companies' bellows vary in longevity. I've got a silk-lined leather bellows that's very old without any pinholes, and a much newer bellows that I've already had to replace.
 
I've fixed several bellows with T-7000 black flexible glue. It only works for small pinholes, big ones need a full replacement.
 
Black, waterproof silicone sealant, applied minutely with a spatula, outside and in.
A decade or so back I used opaque black darkroom Ilfochrome Classic contrast masking tape to seal pinholes.
 
If there’s like a couple of holes from an area of specific damage sometimes you can fix it. If there’s a bunch of pinholes all over you can never patch them all. You’ll end up in an endless cycle of patching and checking and finding more holes until you give up and get new bellows.
 
I’ve used stick on ripstop tape to firstly to reinforce the bellows corners; apply when stretched out over the full length. It is thin and pliable so will follow the folds when collapsed. It is not light tight so then apply liquid electrical tape or Plasti Dip in my case. I did this with a Speed Graphic on each edge to avoid future problems.
 
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