Question regarding No. 1 Autographic Kodak Special

Erik L

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Yeah, farmers are incredibly ingenious! They can fix a combine with a crescent wrench and a crow bar. Those little tools you have are a treasure for sure. I have a pile of old folders I’m making new bellows for and I curse every time I have to remove the old bellows frames! Not to mention having to drill out the little rivets in the lens board and replace with tiny screws. It’s a labor of love I guess…
 

John Wiegerink

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Exactly! I know that I certainly don't doll these old cameras up to make money. So, as you say, it's a labor of love.
 

Gramster

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I had a coworker who was an engineer in the Philippines before emigrating to Canada. He was very good at fashioning tools or modifying existing ones to solve problems. The modified screwdriver looks like it would work perfectly. Agree too that it’s a labor of love. I have a modest collection and hope to start using more of them this summer. I was able to piece together the 3A combination back and four film holders. I also have two 5x7 ROCC Poco cameras I want to use. My ROC Premo camera is close to ready. Just need to put the shutter back together. Also been freshening up a Blair Hawkeye Detective camera to use and it’s close to ready as well. I used to collect to display only but I have seen the quality of photos these old cameras can produce. Why not use them for what they were built for? I will say that getting one into shape where it’s ready for use is its own long quest but will be well worth it. I’ve learned a lot working on them and after 30 years of working on cars its so nice to be doing another type of mechanical work. I have one question though about the tool for prying the tabs. The opposite end has a design for it that I can’t figure out what it is for. Is it used in some way for bending the tabs back?
 
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John Wiegerink

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As to the special tool........do you mean the hooked-larger end? If so, yes, it's meant for bend the tabs tightly back in place.
You often hear about lens quality varying in performance and that's very true with older cameras as well. I think the thing that helps when it comes to final print quality for some of these older cameras is the large size of the negatives they produce. That can help cover up a "not so great" lens. I have two Western Camera Co. Cyclone No.5 4X5 "falling plate" box cameras, which have simple Achromatic Meniscus lenses that do a fine job in the picture taking department and are a blast to use. It did take a large amount of time sealing all the light leaks and tuning them up, but to me, it was well worth the effort. I have many cameras on the display shelf and want to or at least try to have them all working properly. Luckily, most of them now do.
 

Gramster

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The smaller end of the tool, circled in blue. I have seen the cameras you mentioned on eBay. They do looked like a fun camera to use.
 

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geojoe

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Wow, lots of activity since I last checked this thread. I am happy to see this discussion--which might revive my interest in resurrecting my camera. I did use plasticizing material on the bellows corners and shot a roll of film. The result wasn't pretty--still lots of light leaks. Maybe I will try the bookbinder tape method. Thanks!
 

Gramster

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I will be posting photos of the new bellows once I get them and install them. Hopefully next week they will arrive.
 

Gramster

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Time for an update on the new bellows I got for my No 1 Autographic Special Kodak. As mentioned Custom Bellows made the new bellows after I sent them the originals to use as a model. When the new ones arrived the two folds at the back on both sides were too wide to fit into the camera. Custom Bellows were very helpful to promptly resolve this and covered the shipping for sending them back to correct it. The second bellows arrived which did fit. They have now been installed and look great. I just need to do a test roll to see if any lights leaks around the camera back.
 

John Wiegerink

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My oh my, that looks just fantastic. Yes, please let us know just how it works out. If all is well I'll be ordering a bellows for mine.
 

Gramster

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Got the first roll of film through the No 1 Autographic Kodak. Ilford Delta Pro 100. Photos turned out well but the last four shots had signs of a light leak. I believe the source is the camera back. I have a second roll of film, Ortho Plus, (yes, not a direct comparison), and will see if it’s better as I taped up the area I think is the source. You will be able to see it easily in the one shot with the suspension bridge in the background. It’s a banding on both side of the shot. The other bridge shot has been cropped to remove it. In that shot the banding was only on the left side of the image, not both sides. Looks like I have to do each photo as a separate reply….
 

MattKing

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They look great.
And to a reasonable extent, you have picked scenes that are almost consistent with the age of the camera!
Here is how that bridge looked around 80 years ago. This might have even been taken by my Dad with a similar camera!
 

Gramster

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Nice old photo of the bridge. The view doesn’t look much different now except for the North Shore still being mostly forest and only three cars on the bridge. Never see traffic that light anymore.
 

MattKing

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That and the fact that the bridge still had just two lanes back then
 
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