Folding Brownie No. 2A Restoration Question

Hi all,

I am very new to this forum and really to all things. I found an old (okay, very old) foldable brownie in a junk shop and am seriously considering buying it to play around with. It's actually in great condition on inspecting it except for the shutter. It sometimes works a but kind of just . . . hangs there. How difficult is it to restore/replace the shutter mechanism on these cameras? Do they generally just need cleaning or maintenance or I would I have to find a second Brownie for parts? Is this even possible? The camera is 90+ years old, but as I mentioned is in great condition otherwise.

Does any one have experience with this? I'm sorry, I'm a newbie and not very handy. So, I'd need things fairly broken down if you are so kind as to provide a how-to.

Thank you so much.

Czenzi

Hi Czenzi, Welcome to the forum.

There were two Kodak No.2A Folding Brownies, a 2A Folding Autographic Brownie and a 2A Folding Pocket Brownie. The 2A Folding Pocket Brownie is the simpler camera, the case resembles a rectangular box when folded and the film is loaded through a sliding door in the back. The 2A Folding Autographic Brownie is different in that the case is rounded (although some early examples have square corners), the bellows assembly is removed from the front to load film, and there will be a small folding door on the back to make use of Kodak's "Autographic" feature (basically a primitive date back).

Now the most common shutter to find on these cameras is the Kodak Ball Bearing shutter, this shutter is very reliable, but with excessive use they can simply wear out and they are not easily fixed at that point. Odds are there is simply dried lubricant in there, which a flush with some lighter fluid will clear, but you should be aware of the other possibility.

The other thing to be aware of is that Kodak cameras of this era frequently suffer from deteriorated bellows which allow light to leak onto the film. Some NOS bellows are available, but replacement is not an easy task for those not mechanically inclined.

Assuming you have good bellows and the shutter can be made to work, the final issue is that by Kodak's nomenclature, a 2A Brownie takes 116 film, a format which is not readily available anymore. This leaves you to adapt another commonly available film format (like 120) if you want to shoot with it.

Hi,

It's an autographic version. So, the little stick is the "stylus" then? I'll definitely have to practice loading it . . .

Thank you for letting me know about the lighter fluid. I am aware that it may just be a very pretty display for my office. But, I would like to try to make it workable.

The bellows is in good condition by sight. Once I get it, I'll look to see if any light gets through. My grandma was an upholsterer and I am comfortable enough with leather work to be able to patch things, but I have never worked on a bellows. Would patching be possible generally? (I know you can't see it).

I read up on 116 film and have sourced the adapters and also the spools to use 120 film. I won't buy them until after I work on at least the shutter.

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you.

Yes, the stick is the stylus, but seeing as autographic film, which is different from ordinary roll film, is no longer produced, that is a moot point.

As to the bellows, they normally develop holes in the corners, which if small and few in number can be patched with a thin and flexible lightproof substance, liquid electrical tape is often recommended for this purpose. But, if too large or too many, the act of folding will open up new holes or reopen old ones, and replacement is the only further option.

VP116 isn't that hard to find on eBay, and usually works pretty well.

Keep bidding about $5/roll and you will have some pretty soon.

Other sizes, like VP122, are harder to find, cost more, but still

findable.

To me, it is more fun to use the right sized film.

If you want to use 120, there are plenty of 120 cameras around, including

ones very similar to the one you have.

Last summer, I went out with a Brownie 2F, which is a (brown) box

camera that uses 120 film. I even had a roll of VPL in it, which is a

tungsten balanced color negative film (that they also don't make anymore).

I also had rolls of TMax100 and TMax400 in it.

Specifically, it is the Autographic Brownie 2 that uses 120 film.

You should find one for $20 to $30 or so.