Solida III repair and bellows replacement?

[tom_halfhill]

Does anyone know a reliable U.S. repair shop that can overhaul a Franka Solida III folding rangefinder camera (6x6cm) and replace the leather bellows?

 

The bellows is the main problem. It's irreparably torn. I found a European hobbyist named J. Noir who claims to offer CLAs and custom-made bellows for these cameras, but his exact location is uncertain, and I can't find out anything about him. My friend who owns this camera would prefer a U.S. shop because he lives in California. The camera is a sentimental possession from his late father.

 

J. Noir's website: J. Noir - Repairs & Sales

[Bill Bowes]

Hello. From looking at the web site, all prices are in Euros, so I would guess some where on the continent for a mailing address.

Here in the US, all my expierence has been with Jugen Krackle who uses the seller name of Certo6 on Ebay. His home is in Penn.

Go onto Ebay and search for his current auction and contact him thru that email address. His work is Top Notch and I speak as a multi camera CLA / Bellows owner. He has a selection of colors for the bellows. All these folders are his work. Aloha, Bill

[ralf_j.]

Jurgen is very good at what he does, I have had 3 camera done by him, and I do not know anyone in the US that offers his quality of labor. You will need to ship him your damaged camera and he will bring it back to life. Now keep in mind this is not going to be cheap, expect to pay more than 100$ for this type of work, but you get what you pay for. Regards, Ralf

[rodeo_joe1]

Custom Bellows UK will make a set of bellows for you, but it'll probably cost far more than the camera is worth.

 

It might be cheaper to look for a similar 6x6 folder that has a good set of bellows and swap them. Bellows can usually be removed fairly easily, with at most needing the use of an organic solvent to dissolve old glue. If you're lucky the bellows might be held in place only with screws.

 

Another route is to cut and fold a set of bellows yourself. It's tedious but not rocket science, and bookbinding fabric is fairly readily obtainable.

 

FWIW. I spoke to someone from Custom Bellows a couple of years ago, and they recommended synthetic bellows, rather than leather. Much more durable and flexible than leather, apparently; that's if authenticity isn't paramount.

[rodeo_joe1]

P.S. The f/2.8 Schneider Radionar lens fitted to the Solida III has a fairly unique 'swirly' look. So I'm quite surprised that the Solida hasn't gained the ridiculous cult status of some other cameras.

[tom_halfhill]

Thanks for the tips. I had already found Custom Bellows UK during my Internet search, but a U.S. shop would be preferable to avoid the international shipping on top of the repair cost. One alternative might be to order the bellows from the UK so my friend can install it himself, but neither of us have the tools or experience for nontrivial camera repairs. He has no experience at all, and the most I've done is replacing gaskets on film doors and the foam mirror bumpers in SLRs.

 

The cost of a professional repair isn't too important relative to the camera's value. It was his father's, so the value is mainly sentimental. I doubt he would object to a synthetic bellows. The Solida camera indeed feels solid and above average for a vintage 6x6 folder. And I have some Ilford 120 film in my freezer that I've used to test a few of my own family heirlooms.