Which hardwood used for this 4x5 camera body

<p>Hi Folks - I would appreciate your having a look at the pics of the 4x5 camera body and let me know which hardwood has been used?<br>

Also, could you have a look at the pic 'glass' and let me know if this is the back of this camera?<br>

What is the black board thing?<br>

If I still have your attention, I would appreciate your identifying the very heavy metal square (approx 30x30cm) in the 2 metal pics?<br>

And finally (are you still there?) if you can let me know if the strange mirror, wooden, tripody thing has anything to do with large format cameras?<br>

Regards<br>

Catherine</p>

 

<p>Also the brass fittings on the camera have discoloured, what would you recommend I use to clean/shine them?<br>

And here are the pics:</p><div></div>

<p>Next pic</p><div></div>

<p>Glass</p><div></div>

<p>Black board thing, middle panel springs up</p><div></div>

<p>Very heavy metal square (30 x 30cm)</p><div></div>

<p>Back of metal square</p><div></div>

<p>Mirror, wooden tripod</p><div></div>

<p><!-- @page { size: 21cm 29.7cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --><br>

This is the Mahogany body , I believe it's the Honduras type. The rest I'm still try to figure out .<br>

The third pic is the spring back a film holder with the ground glass the fouth should feet on the third and serve as dark cloth but, it looks a little bit strange probably comes from a much older camera. The mirror thing is defenetely not the part of the camera.</p>

<p>The wood of the camera looks like maghogany. A closer view would help to confirm.</p>

<p>The first photo of the camera appears to show a camera lacking a ground glass back to focus the camera. So hopefully the glass of the third photo fits onto the camera to make it usable.</p>

<p>To polish the tarnish off the brass, I'd first try the product Nevr-Dull. Look for it at hardware stores or auto parts stores. It works well with tarnish or mild corrision. If there are parts with heavier corrision there are various metal polishes available. The brass may originally have been lacquered to inhibit tarnish; since there is tarnish the lacquer is probably gone and the parts may tarnish again.</p>

<p>Hi Frank and Michael, thank you very much, I'm adding another pic of the camera for perhaps a closer look at the wood. Catherine</p><div></div>

<p>The camera doesn't look complete to me! If it is indeed a camera, there should be some sort of rail or bed at the bottom.</p>

<p>From the look of the back and other clues, especially the woodworking style, I think it might be a hand-made enlarger, and I don't think it's very old.</p>

<p>The craftsmanship certainly looks very nice, it seems very well made, but the style of the work at the corners (joints) is not like anything I've ever seen on old, antique equipment.</p>

<p>The ground glass parts also were most certainly not made for this piece of equipment.</p>

<p>Thank you Michael, I do know it was made by following the instructions in 'Building a Large Format Camera' by Jon Grepstad.</p>

<p>Looks like mahogany to me too.</p>

<p>Catherine please show the front of it to.<br>

I agree with Michael its an unfinished project and the parts there might have been thought as part to it but is a spring back on the camera right now isnt that right? Can you lift it up?</p>

<p>Thank you Steve and Frank again, here are some more pics.</p><div></div>

<p>Side</p><div></div>

<p>The mirror thing may just have been kept as a source of suitable, seasoned wood. It helps when making a precision object like a camera if the timber is well seasoned. The wood is much more dimensionally stable (does not warp, crack, shrink etc) <br>

I have always preferred old 19th - early 20th century internal doors for this purpose!</p>

<p>Catherine the first pic is the back of the camera I assume as there is the spring, show the opposite side.</p>

<p>It looks to me like you have bits and pieces from various cameras.<br>

The camera certainly looks like mahogany. But I would need to see in in person to be able to say for sure. It's not at all obvious what the make is - considering the bulk of some of the wood, I would wonder if it might be homemade rather than from a commercial manufacturer.<br>

The black think is a focusing hood from a Graphic camera. The glass is the back from a Graphic camera.<br>

The black metal square looks like it may have been the back of another camera - those round things look like they may have held the ground glass in place.<br>

The mirror is a 'puzzlement'. Don't have a clue what it may have been.</p>

 

<p>Sorry to be the dissenter -- looks like stained cherry wood to me. My house's hardwood floors are cherry and have the same grain and color. Wouldn't we need to know the density of the wood to make a final decision?</p>

<p>The wooden back appears to have been built for glass plates rather than film holders. The mirror thing may have been intended to hold glass plates as well..I think there's a "fume" stage in some plate processing...<br>

There's no camera bed and no evidence of standards (to support front and back bellows holding structures...whatever they're called)...this might be a partially completed portrait camera rather than view camera, for which adjustable standards aren't necessary...but there needs to be some kind of bed and focusing mechanism.</p>

<p>Now this is the cherry with out the stain just look and compare. same structure as on my Tachi.</p><div></div>

<p>To judge as best as we can without seeing the wood in person, we need a closeup of the grain. The grain patterns are more useful than the color since the wood might be stained. From what I can see of the grain, it looks like maghogany rather than cherry. Cherry commonly has black pitch pockets.<br>

I think the others are right, it is either an unfinished project or pieces are missing.</p>

<p>It is maghogany for sure. can't be anything else.With maghogany, there are very short darker lines in the grain. (To use an unscientific way to explain it). They are visible in the wood photos clearly. When I used to have a garage and built instruments, I worked with alot of maghogany and cherry. Still have several back and side sets in a relative's attic. With wood, what is more important is the grain pattern. In Frank's cherrywood photo,there are none of these short grain patterns.</p>