craig_supplee

<p>Steve, that is an excellent idea. I won't have a tripod but I'll think of something. Paul, that is a very good idea about spooling film just before the shot.</p>

<p>After thinking more about this and reading the resposes, I decided on taking a digital AND medium format. I am going to sell my D40 to my brother and ordered the new D3100 that has 14MB. That should help with enlargments. I am also going to take my Kodak Monitor six-20 folder that I just mounted my Anastigmat Special lens in from a Vigilant six-20. Not coated, but will work fine for the B&W shots. I might even run a roll or two of Velvia through it.<br />Thanks to all for the interesting and helpful responses. Now where did I set my Dos XX?</p>

<p>First let me say Hi to all. It's been about 1 1/2 years since I posted on this forum (or site for that matter). Collecting vintage cameras moved to the back burner for awhile. I sold my RB 67 system and thought I wouldn't miss it, but the bug bit again to play with B&W film in medium format, so I bought a Koni Omega Rapid M system recently. I have the camera, 90mm, 58mm, and 2 backs so I can have my favorite 400 TMY-2 and Velvia 100 loaded at the same time.<br>

Now comes my dilemma which causes me to post this. I am going to Mexico in February for some fun in the sun. My main use camera for parties, special events, family shots, etc. is a Nikon D40 with the 18-200VR lens. This camera will definitely go with me, but I am wondering about lugging the honking Koni kit along also. I can jam almost all of it into one camera backpack, but this thing weighs a ton, and I'm just not sure once I get down there if I would utilize it. My biggest reason for taking it would be the huge enlargements I could make from it compared to the D40. What would you do?</p>

<p>Your camera is the Kalloflex Automat KII model, which was made for one year in 1956. Features the Prominar viewing and taking lenses. Excellent camera with excellent glass. Take some pics with it. You will love the results. Not really rare, just that they were only made for one year, and I think most people besides me hold onto them.</p>

<p>The Medalist I did not have any provision for flash of any kind. That is what John meant by "no issues". I had both, and the Medalist II had F and M settings on the shutter. I left it at F and used the flash terminal on the body for my PC cord. I changed the ASA type connector to a standard PC as the ASA was not always making a good connection. I had no issues with using my Nikon SB-28 with this method.</p>

<p>This is easy. I'm selling most of my stuff now so I can buy woodworking tools. I can then go back to making heirloom pieces for family and friends. Hopefully some of these will still be around after I'm dust. I know my cameras won't be around.</p>

<p>I just came across a posting from a member promoting their camera equipment for sale and linking their ebay ad. This is the second one I have seen recently, and I think this is in poor taste. What is the official PN position on this type of activity.</p>

<p>Thanks very much Ralf. I'm afraid I can't take any pictures with it as I don't have the means to shoot 5x7 film.</p>

<p>John, one "a" in Vinegar, and Sam is still the promoter along with his son. This is the second show that KEH will be involved in.</p>

<p>I came across this on the Detroit craigslist: <a href="http://detroit.craigslist.org/pho/1121533609.html">http://detroit.craigslist.org/pho/1121533609.html</a>. I also received an email from KEH that they will be there too. I have been to this show in the past. Some good vintage stuff there.</p>

<p>Thanks Stuart, Frank, Mark. This one definitely warranted a little more TLC than I give most of my cameras.</p>

<p>Were you taking the dark slide in and out with that side of the camera in the direct sun?</p>

<p>Somehow I never equated Bell and Howell cameras with quality, but I believe I have been proven wrong with this one.</p>

<p>What became of the Powers family and their mansion?</p>

<p>August - you slipped in there while I was writing. Thanks to you also!</p>

<p>John - thanks for the website. I'll definitely keep that as a favorite.</p>

<p>Subbarayan - thanks for your kind words.</p>

<p>Louis - thanks so much. I cracked up in appreciation when I read your response. I hope your jaw feels better tomorrow!</p>

<p>My thanks to you all for your truly kind words.</p>

<p>Cliff, as I was working with this camera, I kept being impressed by the ingenuity and craftsmanship that went into these cameras. I tend to think of the 18 and 1900's as dark ages, but every time I play with an old camera, I am brought back to reality. One of my daughters asked me the other day if I was going to sell this one. I told her this will probably be part of my heritage to them.</p>

<p>Tom, there was a Long Focus Premo model at the same time as this one. One of the differences is that the vertical brass support bar on that camera is a wider leather wrapped piece of wood. I don't know if the back is reversible on that one.</p>

<p>Cliff, all I can say is WOW! What an excellent camera you have created. That's awesome that you hand made the brass fittings. That camera must have taken many enjoyable hours to build. I have a past in custom woodworking, and I really like the craftsmanship you have put into this little "Waterbaby". I bet you will enjoy using it as much as you did building it.</p>

<p>before #2</p><div></div>

<p>after #4</p><div></div>

<p>after #3</p><div></div>

<p>after #2</p><div></div>

<p>after #1</p><div></div>

<p>before #2, see below</p>

<p>Bringing an American beauty back to life!<br>

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Just about the end of February I was cruising on everyone’s favorite auction site when I came across a listing for what was described as a Rochester Optical 5x7 Wooden Plate Camera. After looking at the pics for awhile, I noticed that there were a lot of folds in the bellows for a standard case style camera. I did a little research, and good fortune was with me the final day of the auction, as I won the camera without any other bids. I now know I got a good deal on it and my suspicions were correct, as it turned out to be a Reversible Back Premo by the Rochester Optical Co., c1898.<br>

<br>

As you can see from the photos, the leather was in very bad condition, and basically was crumbling off in my hands. There was no way I was going to display that in my Living Room looking like that with leather bits falling to the floor every time I turned around. The brass was also tarnished and the scratches had rusted. As is often the case with old cameras, somebody along the way got to it that didn’t quite know what they were doing. There was a broken guide, and the back was jammed inside off the track. Luckily this was minor damage. The good thing is that the interior wood was in very good shape, and the bellows was sound. It just needed a cleaning. The wood received a coat of my favorite Butchers Paste wax. The smell of this stuff is heaven!<br>

<br>

I consider myself a fairly good tracker of information online, but I was having a very hard time trying to find a leather source for a larger piece, as I wanted to wrap the whole case without any visible seams. I finally came across the J. Hewit & Sons Ltd. website. They are out of Scotland, and cater mostly to the Bookbinder industry. This company was my saving grace. They have numerous styles of leather skins. I chose an Embossed Skiver in the Morocco pattern. This sheepskin was plenty big enough to do what I wanted. The staff at J. Hewit was very helpful and supportive of my numerous questions about the product, how to glue it on, thoughts on blind tooling the line work, etc. Roger Barlee and David Lanning of J. Hewit & Sons deserve special mention here. If anyone is contemplating recovering a large camera, I would definitely talk to them. They are top shelf and professional all the way.<br>

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I used a carbide scraper and sandpaper on a cork block to remove all the old leather. This was the hardest part of the whole restoration. Probably the messiest too. Lots of leather dust flying around the shop. Care has to be taken here, as Mahogany is a fairly soft wood. You have to go easy on the sanding. <br>

<br>

After much more research with regard to the best glue to use, I ended up going with Roman’s Golden Harvest Wallpaper and Border Paste. I used this so that in another 100 years, someone else might decide to change the leather and I wanted it to be strippable. I just used a cheapy “genuine bristle” brush, and brushed it onto a section at a time. It worked great. The Skiver leather is only .4mm thick, but I didn’t want to have any overlaps that would show a bump, so I cut the leather on the doors and bottom so that the seams would be at one of the tooled line locations. This worked out very well. You have to be accurate with your cuts though, as this leather does not want to stretch much. I was pleased to see that it didn’t shrink at all after drying. I have to add here that working with this fresh leather smell was very intoxicating. I might just think of a career change, and go into Bookbinding. <br>

<br>

I used Brasso to clean all the various brass parts and pieces, and I have never seen a camera with more brass on it in all my life. Imagine trying to hold onto and clean the heads of #1x1/4” flat head screws. I am a much more patient person as a result of this project. In cleaning the brass, I also had to clean the brass hinges, which ultimately took off the black finish they had on them. To get them back to a antique black color, I used a product called Brass Black by the Birchwood Casey Co. This is commonly used in the gunsmith world. It gave the hinge barrels a great look. <br>

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The new carry handle on top spent part of its former life as a black belt (no, not Karate). I found it hanging around in a Salvation Army store. It was about the same thickness as the original, and was solid leather. After cutting it out, I heated the edges with my soldering iron to darken them up a bit.<br>

<br>

Speaking of a soldering iron, this item was perfect for a DIY tool to reproduce the blind tooled lines you see on this and all those old cameras. Naturally in production, they would use special hot tools. You work with what you have though. I have a larger iron that has a 3/8” tip that I ground special for this job. I also used a heat control to turn the heat way down. I then used a metal straight edge as a guide, and ran the iron slowly alongside this to burn in the lines. The leather I used has a resin finish on it, so the heat from the iron made the lines dull. To rectify this, I cleaned the leather after I was done with a leather conditioner. This brought back a subtle sheen to the lines.<br>

<br>

I was missing several of the #1 screws I mentioned earlier, and this was another battle trying to find them. Greenboatstuff.com came to the rescue. The only other part missing from the camera was the rear slide lock. Rob Niederman came to my rescue this time. He sent me pictures of another Rev Back lock, and so I cobbled up something pretty close that actually works. Rob has a great website, and a nice write-up on the Rev Back Premo. His is a 61/2 x 81/2. You can see that here <a href="http://www.antiquewoodcameras.com/revback.htm">http://www.antiquewoodcameras.com/revback.htm</a>. <br>

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I have naturally left out a lot of detail in trying to keep this article as short as possible, so if there is anything that someone needs clarification on, just email me.<br>

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All in all, it was a very rewarding experience, and it went back together with very little yelling. I look forward to doing it again. Rob Niederman said it best: “The highly polished wood interior, brass trim, and maroon bellows makes this one of the most beautiful American folding plate cameras.” My camera now has a place of honor in my Living Room, and I am glad I could bring this American beauty back to life. All I am waiting on is an appropriate wood tripod to complete the picture. Ebay, here we come! Thanks for your time.<br>

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

<p>No, plastic is the norm. Usually you have film on it though that will allow it to rotate smoothly. Load some film in that thing and start taking pictures.</p>

<p>If it is like the C3, there is a gear that engages the take up spool. If memory serves me correctly, it adjusts the crank throw for proper film advance as you go through the roll. If you have a plastic spool in that position, the gear is probably hitting the webs of plastic.</p>