The seminal article on DIY bellows making is in the July-August 1966
issue of View Camera magazine. Mike Robinson shows how its done in four
pages - mostly pictures.
Regards,
Marv
Wallace Don wrote:
I just bought an old Eastman 8x10 and the bellows is not great. The
cheapest replacement I
I am not sure this is possible but you can coat the stuff with thin layer
of silicone of the sort used for sealing bathtubs, aquariums
and... You can thin it with a considerable amount of mineral
spirits (it takes a lot if you want to brush the result). Add
enough carbon black (I had success
Where did you get the emphatex?
John
--http://www.enteric.orgPhotography Gallery
and Camera Building
- Original Message -
From:
John Cremati
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 5:39
AM
Subject: [Cameramakers] bellows liner
sheen
Hi
Hi,
I
am in the process of building a 24x24 camera bellows and I found this
wonderful material called "Emphatex." . It is a 2 ply coated
breathable nylon material used to make sports gear..It is extremely
thin , light and subtle and is almost 100 percent light tight by
itself,however
Michael wrote:
The answers to these two questions should be decided together -- you want
to
select a glue that will work with the cloth and stiffener material that
you are
using. My guess is that if you use estar-based graphic film, which is
essentially polyester plastic with gelatin
Where did you get the cordura?
John
1) We are using two pieces of 60 inch
wide of a light weight black 330d Cordura cloth
whichwill have to be joined together to form the 20x24
parameter. Would you sew and glue them together or just clamp and
glue?
, 2002 2:18 AM
Subject: [Cameramakers] Bellows: glue
Michael wrote:
The answers to these two questions should be decided together -- you want
to
select a glue that will work with the cloth and stiffener material that
you are
using. My guess is that if you use estar-based graphic film
...I will
post the specifics of where I got it and its qualities once it arrives next
week...
Regards,
John Cremati.
- Original Message -
From: Gene Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Saturday, October 26, 2002 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows: glue
John
On Thu, 24 Oct 2002, John Cremati wrote:
1) We are using two pieces of 60 inch wide of a light weight black
330d Cordura cloth which will have to be joined together to form the
20x24 parameter. Would you sew and glue them together or just
clamp and glue?
Sewing will punch holes. I'd
I am trying to build a homemade camera bellows for a 20x24 camera and
have several specific questions. .
1) What is the ideal fold width or pleat depth for such a large bellows.).
2) What would be the ideal length on such a bellows using various process
camera lenses( 270 , 360,450, 600mm
Hi,
I would like to thank Sandy King for
the valuable information he has sent... It was extremely helpful
,Thank you...
I have a few other questions on this 20x24 inch
bellowsfor anyone who is able to answer or give opinions
1) We are using two pieces of 60 inch
wide of a light
On Tue, 15 Oct 2002, John Cremati wrote:
Do you remember what type of Cordura that you used?
Not specifically. It was a rubberized cordura that I purchased at Denver
Fabrics. I had been looking for a good, thin, reasonably light tight
fabric, and this was the closest thing I found that met
On Sun, 13 Oct 2002, John Cremati wrote:
Has anyone tried using Cordura Nylon as the outer layer in bellows
fabrication ? It is supposedly the toughest fabric on earth and is
water proof...( they are using it to make Fishing Waders...) The
deener 160 blend seems to be there thinnest
Allen [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 1:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows Material Cordura
On Sun, 13 Oct 2002, John Cremati wrote:
Has anyone tried using Cordura Nylon as the outer layer in bellows
fabrication ? It is supposedly the toughest
A long bellows isn't necesarily for a long lens. Close-up photography
requires longer bellows length.
Where your Nikkor 55 Micro needs only another 55mm (approx. 2 inches) to
reproduce 1:1 a 150mm 4x5 lens (6 inches) requires a bellows extension equal
to the focal length to accomplish the same
Only three of the suppliers had websites, and one link didn't work. The
other two didn't appear to sell to consumers. I was only able to find one
website, http://www.rockywoods.com/, selling the material to consumers, and
they only had 400 and 1000 denier thicknesses. The 400 denier was only
John,
If memory serves me right I used that kind of product when making my
bellows. I used it for the outside layer of the bellows. The inside is
made out of blackout cloth sold by Porters Camera in Cedar Fall. You
can see my camera and bellows at http://www.philsan.com/8x10.htm
Phil
John
--- John Cremati [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Has anyone tried using Cordura Nylon as the outer
layer in bellows fabrication ? It is supposedly the
..snip..
I used black cordura for the outer layer of a bellows
last year; nice and durable, but it proved stiff,
making for a somewhat bulky and
Has anyone tried using CorduraNylon as
the outer layer in bellows fabrication ? It is supposedly the toughest
fabric on earth and is water proof...( they are using it to make Fishing
Waders...) The deener 160 blend seems to be there thinnest material
as they are using it for clothing.
Murray,
A 150mm lens will focus at infinity at 150mm (6) from the film plane.
You are correct about the 1:1 at 300mm.
I would highly recommend Ansel Adams book The Camera for a good
education. Take a look at my website on some
info on how I built my camera.
http://www.philsan.com/8x10.htm
Hello:
I still need to make it to a library or find web explanation and read how
view cameras work, because it would answer many basic questions.
For now I am curious how close one might need to put a lens to the
film...for example, with a 150 mm lens and 4 x 5 filmholder, I'm told 300 mm
Dwight,
Try Porters Camera in Cedar Falls Iowa. Thats what I made my bellows out of, its
a slight bit thicker than I wanted but I used a thin cordura nylon on the
outside. Sagging is not a problem on my bellows untill I get out around 20
inches or so.
http://www.porters.com has 3yards 58inches
the help.
- Original Message -
From: Philip J. McCourt [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] bellows replacement material
Dwight,
Try Porters Camera in Cedar Falls Iowa. Thats what I made my bellows out
of, its
a slight
- Original Message -
From: Frank Earl [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 10:47 AM
Subject: [Cameramakers] bellows replacement material
in addition to the dryer vent material - they make a
duct material that comes in 6, 8 and 12 inch sizes. A
2
: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] bellows replacement material
- Original Message -
From: Frank Earl [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 10:47 AM
Subject: [Cameramakers] bellows replacement material
in addition
- Original Message -
From: Ron Baker [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] bellows replacement material
Depending on what lenses you expect to use you can make a bag bellows out
of
darkroom clothe
re: bellows chat, Aerial film contrast
1. Bellows support. Manufacturers have done it in one of two ways. a small
rigid support on the bottom that is attached to the rail, and a snap
connection that holds together several inches of bellows (basically the
amount your lens would require for
William,
Thanks for all the suggestions. Remember, this is aerial COPY film. It
doesn't actually go into an airplane. Makes no difference though, all
your thoughts are just as valid. I had some time today to do some
research, based on the suggestions given here. Interesting stuff out
there.
in addition to the dryer vent material - they make a
duct material that comes in 6, 8 and 12 inch sizes. A
2 foot length will compress down to an inch. Heating
contractors have it and will let you have a foot or
two for free usually. Shiny inside, but could be
flare-proofed with flat black
I'll add one other bellows material option to the mix. I've used a material
called blackout cloth. It is very thin, white, and the material you see
used on "blackout" type window shades. I used it to build new bellows for
an old Burke and James 5 x 7 View Camera, and it worked very well as the
Hi,
Daniel: since the material is so flexibel, how do you make it rigid, do
those paper spacers realy last?
About the Micro-Suede:
It sounds like a fabric, sold here in Europe, under the name of "Amaretta",
it's more or less an imitation of alcantara, both are polyester
micro-fibers.
On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, george jiri loun wrote:
Why not to use the "original" material?
Well ... "original" material would be Moroccan Leather. This stuff has
become a bit difficult to find in sufficiently thin stock. I did locate
an importer here in the U.S. that could get it from a tannery in
Hello all,
Speaking of those spacers/battens stiffeners, I have been thinking I
would like to try using some knd of thin plastic. I have seen plastic
that would fill the bill before, I just have to go out and find some,
preferably black. There are a couple of industrial plastic vendors here
in
On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, Huib Smeets wrote:
Daniel: since the material is so flexibel, how do you make it rigid, do
those paper spacers realy last?
What is interesting about bellows is that once they are folded the folds
themselves provide a certain degree of rigidity. The cardboard spacers
On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, John Sparks wrote:
There is at least one other person on this list in the area. I live in
Monument.
Very cool! Looks like we've got someone in nearly every town up the front
range. Ken Watson is up in Ft. Collins. He does wet plate Collodian, and
has been building
On Fri, 16 Mar 2001J.Wayde Allen wrote:
Why not to use the "original" material?
Well ... "original" material would be Moroccan Leather.
--
Would it?? Why not the "original" material from Wista cameras for . ex??
Pretty the same as the one from
On Fri, 16 Mar 2001, george jiri loun wrote:
Well ... "original" material would be Moroccan Leather.
--
Would it??
That's kind of the problem with a word like "original". It isn't always
clear what one means. I'd hazard that a very large number, if
Hi there.
I'm new to the list, and just came in on the discussion of bellows
fabric two days ago. Following a suggestion one of you made, I tried to
contact Flexible Products in Florida, but at the moment their email
system is bouncing back messages, so I just called them. Here's what I
was
- Original Message -
From: "Myron Gochnauer" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 9:36 PM
Subject: [Cameramakers] bellows fabric
Hi there.
I'm new to the list, and just came in on the discussion of bellows
fabric two days ago. Following a
Hi:
I use a very thin, very lightweight, very cheap and
very durable nylon cloth available from party supply
stores. It is sold as picnic table cloths. It is
opaque in the black color. It is around $10 for a roll
a yard wide and 50 feet long.
Two layers cemented together with 3M Type 77
. Wayde Allen Sent:Friday, March 16, 2001 10:14 AM To:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:RE: [Cameramakers] bellows On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, John Sparks wrote: There is at least one other person on this list in the area. I live in Monument.Very cool! Looks like we've got someone in nearly every town up
I've had a few people asking about the bellows material I used with my camera so I did a little research and found that the only place I could find it in my town (Colorado Springs, CO) was a Hancock Fabrics. Here's the info I got: The material is called Micro-Suede and it is availible in several
On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, Daniel Rhoades wrote:
I've had a few people asking about the bellows material I used with my
camera so I did a little research and found that the only place I
could find it in my town (Colorado Springs, CO) was a Hancock Fabrics.
I hadn't made the Colorado Springs
the fabric
comes in?
John Sparks
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of J. Wayde Allen
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 4:02 PM
To: List: cameramakers
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] bellows
On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, Daniel Rhoades wrote:
I've had a few
Sent:Thursday, March 15, 2001 4:43 PM To:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:RE: [Cameramakers] bellows There is at least one other person on this list in the area. I live inMonument.I would guess Micro-Suede and rubberized cordura nylon are fairly differentthough they may work equally well for a bellows. I have
ars ago, I still
have a lot of it, so cheap it was...-:) George
- Original Message -
From: "John Sparks" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2001 12:40 AM
Subject: RE: [Cameramakers] bellows
There is at least one other person on this list
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
Michael,
I had similar thoughts once that I never acted on. I wondered about
winding thin piano wire around a form to make a large weak spring in the
shape of a bellows, then stitching/gluing the fabric to it. Might work
for some applications. I'll have to try it someday.
Gene Johnson
Hi Ted:
One of the major reasons for using tapered bellows is
to avoid having to use a bag bellows.
Tyler
Tyler,
That is fine if you do not need any movements. If you do any
archetectural photography you may want movements with a wide angle lens.
Ted
Hi Ted:
Having done commercial and advertising photography
with an 8X10 Deardorff for many many years I would
have to disagree with you. The tapered bellows on my
V-8 allow me to use quite extreme perspective
correction with no bag bellows. While I cannot use
extreme correction with very short
.
Ron
- Original Message -
From: "Tyler Samson" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows and movements
Hi Ted:
Having done commercial and advertising photography
with an 8X10 Deardorff for many many yea
Halogens which have
a much wider angle of view than a normal wide angle design.
Ron
- Original Message -
From: "george jiri loun" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 4:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Bellows and movements
- Origin
Bradley,
If I were to build a large format camera for a lot of different lens, I
would make it with at least a 6" lens board. I had an old Calumet 4X5
camera that had 4" lens boards. While it is nice to have a small lens
board most of the time, if you want to use a wide angle lens with a
On Tue, 23 Jan 2001, Bradley Small wrote:
How long should the bellows be? I am assuming that the longer is for
closeup and the shorter is for infinty and wide angle.
How much movement is necessary? I assume at some point it is no longer
useful. I assume each of these movements has a name.
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