Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows Construction

[Dave]

Daniel & group, I went to a huge fabric store in the Portland, Oregon area and I found the following fabrics: 1. Ultra suede (which is a polyester microfiber base) at $49.95/yard 2. A polyester microfiber that was black and looked like suede but was not entirely light proof ($10.00/yd). Maybe I bought the wrong material or the material you referred to isn't available in my area. The ultra suede is way to expensive and the other stuff I found  is not truely light proof. So I went back to my old standby which is Ultrex (thin waterproof, coated nylon, about $9-10/yd.) which is reasonably priced but requires contact adhesive to bond (big pain in the rear end). With contact adhesive you get one chance to get it right with no wrinkles. So, I was dissapointed that the materials didn't work out and the tear mender adhesive didn't bond the Ultrex fabric. Once my wife tried to help me lay-up the fabrics with contact adhesive and it almost caused a divorce. However, I tried some aircraft canopy adhesive which looks and handles just like the tear mender  latex or alphatic resin (white glue) and is EASY to use. It bonds the Ultrex really well because it is designed to be used with plastics and non-poros materials. Bingo! A combination that works! With the canopy glue  is easy to postion and re-position the kraft paper stiffeners and the liner fabric. The glue dries clear and remains flexible just like the termender. I just brush it on with a cheap paint brush. It can also be thinned and cleaned up with water. I bought the canopy glue from a hobby shop and it is normally used to glue clear plastic canopy materials to a variety of other materials without discoloring or melting the plastic. I glued a test sample with two layers of Ultrex and a small sample of Kraft paper in between. When I ripped it apart the layers of Ultrex delaminated. In- other-words, the glue held better than the bond between the fabric and the fabric's own laminated layers! The brand of glue is "Super RC Z 56". J & Z Products Inc. 25029 So. Vermont Ave, Harbor City, CA 90710. Best wishes, Dave http://www.pacifier.com/~dpayne/lfpage.html Daniel Rhoades wrote: I've finally found the perfect stuff to make your own bellows that look nicer than any I've seen (including professionally made).  I found a fabric that is light proof and very handsome.  It is a polyester microfiber suede that looks and feels just like the real thing but isn't nearly as thick.  It was $16.99 a yard but well worth the money.  The glue I found doesn't add any bulk to the bellows, glues the craft paper spacers nice and tight, dries stable within a half an hour, is water proof and is clear and flexible when dry.  In fact, I think it is helping the bellows to retain a good elasticity after the bellows sat in compression when I was done making it.  It is called Tear Mender made by Val-A out of Chicago (www.tearmender.com) and I found it at the same fabric store I found the fabric.  It is basically a natural latex in a solvent and when I put the gaberdine backing inside the bellows it glued the two cloths like one.  I was able to get a draw on the bellows from 1.5" to 17" and the corners are sharp and clean.  I'll put some pictures and info up on my website as soon as the pictures are developed.  Thought those who are planning making bellows would like to know.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Dan Rhoades www.rhoadescameras.bizland.com   Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com