Goodwill Find

Picked up a camera lot from Goodwill for a few box, mostly odds and ends, a Pony 135, an Imperial 127 in Blue, an Olympus Digicam as part of their "Tough" series line, and one of Ricoh's '60s attempt at a windup camera.

My interest though turned to an early 20th century large Box Camera, made byBlair Camera of Rochester. It uses the massive Kodak 118 roll film that seems to have been exposed and rolled inside the camera in its spool. I am not sure what emulsion it is but it states on the seal tape that it would print best on Kodak Velox paper. (Frame appears to be 3.25x4.25")

I am not sure I have a reel that fits this but will check an older FR Daylight system I have somewhere.

The camera inside is near mint, the wood in perfect shape, while the outside does have some wear. Should be a fun project to restore.

So managed to clean it up and get it ready to shoot. The lens is a doublet cemented together, one element thinner than the other. I had a ball trying to s figure out why the image was not sharp at film plane - I was not expecting anything pin sharp - but no fuzzy either. Then I flipped the lens in its barrel with the concave part outward and the convex toward film plane, and voila and image is sharp enough one can expect from this type of camera.

Perhaps someone had flipped years ago for close-up?

I have sandwiched a roll of Holga 400 (Arista.edu 400) in the original backing paper from 118 roll. Will see what comes out.

Size reference

So managed to clean it up and get it ready to shoot. The lens is a doublet cemented together, one element thinner than the other. I had a ball trying to s figure out why the image was not sharp at film plane - I was not expecting anything pin sharp - but no fuzzy either. Then I flipped the lens in its barrel with the concave part outward and the convex toward film plane, and voila and image is sharp enough one can expect from this type of camera.

 

Perhaps someone had flipped years ago for close-up?

 

I have sandwiched a roll of Holga 400 (Arista.edu 400) in the original backing paper from 118 roll. Will see what comes out.

Did you keep the 118 in the dark, or are you not going to attempt any makeshift processing?

Did you keep the 118 in the dark, or are you not going to attempt any makeshift processing?

I tried to thread it through existing reels after kind of space them correctly but it was impossible as the film has a very stiff curl. Will attempt safelight processing in a aluminum tray and see what happens in hc 110a at 4-/5 mins at 65F

I tried to thread it through existing reels after kind of space them correctly but it was impossible as the film has a very stiff curl. Will attempt safelight processing in a aluminum tray and see what happens in hc 110a at 4-/5 mins at 65F

'Atta boy! Determination and perseverance will win out in the end! :)

gene m would be proud, wherever he is.

'Atta boy! Determination and perseverance will win out in the end! :)

gene m would be proud, wherever he is.

Yeah, he disappeared unfortunately

One way or another, Gene M is no longer active here, but I'd remind people that his wonderful site of "found" images is still preserved on the internet

LINK Index 2014