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#1
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Graphic View I
I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in
love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike |
#2
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Graphic View I
"darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike You might try John Craig for instruction books, http://www.craigcamera.com The Graphic View was the first model of the camera. The Graphic View II has a different arrangement for swings and tilts and I think has some other differences. There is some information on the Graflex site at http://www.graflex.org Be careful to enter .org because there is also a .com site which has nothing to do with the Graflex organization. Graflex View lensboards are similar to those used on 4x5 Anniversary Speed Graphic cameras except they are of metal rather than wood. If you have access to metal working equipment they are not hard to make but wood ones will do quite well. I would not worry about authenticity too much. Graflex began to make bellows of synthetic materials sometime around the late 1930s and unless they are serously abused they are generally light tight. The Graphic View is recent enough so that all of them should have synthetic bellows. If the bellows do need replacement its just possible some originals may be available but there are two or three companies who can make new bellows. I have no idea about sources of parts but the Graflex site has some discussion groups on it and you might find help there. Also try Fred Lustig, I don't even know if he is still alive but he has the stock of parts from the Graflex Western Division and is an expert on the cameras. The problem is he will want the whole camera and is reluctant to sell parts. He never had a web site or e-mail. At least worth a try. Make sure you get parts for the original model, there are a lot of differences between the first and second versions. Fred Lustig 4790 Caughlin Pkwy #433 Reno, NV 89509 1 775 746 0111 Graflex Parts and Service -- --- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA |
#3
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Graphic View I
"darkroommike" wrote
I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. I had one when a student, and I agree about the looks -- a very pretty camera, as is the View II. I think they were the only really good looking cameras Graflex made. Graflex must have gone outside the company for the design. it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I see Richard has already pointed you to Graflex.org and Lustig. I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. My View I, in its previous existence, originally belonged to the Cleveland Police department. It was _really_ worn out and the bushings and gears for the standard-to-rail adjustment assys were shot. I had a machinist look at making new parts but the cost wasn't worth it. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). I made boards by laminating chip-board from the back of legal pads to the right thickness. Died them black with Kiwi sole edge-dressing and soaked them in thinned Waterlox to waterproof them. I have seen lots of people with Masonite boards. A Graphic View with an original board may be a fashion faux pas. I know that isn't the answer you are looking for, but in case you can't find OE boards... My biggest gripe was the inability to use a WA lens. A 90mm Angulon would just fit in the recessed lens board and focus at infinity but the bellows were compressed tight and movements were impossible (which, since and Angulon doesn't have any extra coverage to allow for movements, wasn't that big a deal). -- Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters http://www.darkroomautomation.com/index.htm n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com |
#4
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Graphic View I
Thanks Richard, I had heard something about a guy that had
bought out a stock of Graphic parts but it's good to know a little more. Yeah, the I has base tilts and the II has on-axis tilts and a slightly longer rail, I'm still hoping for at least one original lensboard since this is as much a showpiece for me as a working camera. Info like this is why I love this board. darkroommike Richard Knoppow wrote: "darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike You might try John Craig for instruction books, http://www.craigcamera.com The Graphic View was the first model of the camera. The Graphic View II has a different arrangement for swings and tilts and I think has some other differences. There is some information on the Graflex site at http://www.graflex.org Be careful to enter .org because there is also a .com site which has nothing to do with the Graflex organization. Graflex View lensboards are similar to those used on 4x5 Anniversary Speed Graphic cameras except they are of metal rather than wood. If you have access to metal working equipment they are not hard to make but wood ones will do quite well. I would not worry about authenticity too much. Graflex began to make bellows of synthetic materials sometime around the late 1930s and unless they are serously abused they are generally light tight. The Graphic View is recent enough so that all of them should have synthetic bellows. If the bellows do need replacement its just possible some originals may be available but there are two or three companies who can make new bellows. I have no idea about sources of parts but the Graflex site has some discussion groups on it and you might find help there. Also try Fred Lustig, I don't even know if he is still alive but he has the stock of parts from the Graflex Western Division and is an expert on the cameras. The problem is he will want the whole camera and is reluctant to sell parts. He never had a web site or e-mail. At least worth a try. Make sure you get parts for the original model, there are a lot of differences between the first and second versions. Fred Lustig 4790 Caughlin Pkwy #433 Reno, NV 89509 1 775 746 0111 Graflex Parts and Service |
#5
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Graphic View I
I get it, like the much battered Nikon F that a "real" press
photographer uses, a Graphic View needs a home-brew lensboard. OK, I still want one original for looks but talked to my local model railroad dealer yesterday and he has all kinds of basswood and plywood in ready-cut 4 inch wide sheets I figure I can produce several boards for just a few bucks. Also I think the Crown Graphic View is also very pretty just darn rare, only made a couple of yeas and discontinued when the metal Graphic View I was introduced. And the Pacemaker Graphic is attractive in a form follows function industrial design way, no great beauty but pretty ergonomic for a camera designed decades before the concept became a big ballyhoo. I have a link to a guy that "butchered" a Graphic View to make a real wide angle camera, if my CAS (Camera Acquisition Syndrome) keeps kicking in I'll have enough parts before I'm finished to build a Wide Angle Camera but I want mine to have RED bellows. http://bigcamera.com/articles/GraphicViewStubby.htm CAS is similar to NAS which is the disease that the Nikon MF group on Yahoo talks about all the time, so CAS is not original just very descriptive of my affliction. Before eBay I only got the opportunity to buy stuff at camera shows now it gets me everyday, probably why I haven't any money to fix up what I already have! darkroommike Nicholas O. Lindan wrote: "darkroommike" wrote I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. I had one when a student, and I agree about the looks -- a very pretty camera, as is the View II. I think they were the only really good looking cameras Graflex made. Graflex must have gone outside the company for the design. it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I see Richard has already pointed you to Graflex.org and Lustig. I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. My View I, in its previous existence, originally belonged to the Cleveland Police department. It was _really_ worn out and the bushings and gears for the standard-to-rail adjustment assys were shot. I had a machinist look at making new parts but the cost wasn't worth it. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). I made boards by laminating chip-board from the back of legal pads to the right thickness. Died them black with Kiwi sole edge-dressing and soaked them in thinned Waterlox to waterproof them. I have seen lots of people with Masonite boards. A Graphic View with an original board may be a fashion faux pas. I know that isn't the answer you are looking for, but in case you can't find OE boards... My biggest gripe was the inability to use a WA lens. A 90mm Angulon would just fit in the recessed lens board and focus at infinity but the bellows were compressed tight and movements were impossible (which, since and Angulon doesn't have any extra coverage to allow for movements, wasn't that big a deal). |
#6
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Graphic View I
On Apr 18, 8:39 pm, "Richard Knoppow" wrote:
"darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike Look for a lens board from a Burke & Jame (B&J) Orbit view camera or any of the identical cameras sold under the Kodak or Calumet names (they all have a rotating back and round center-rail). They use a lenboard which is the same as the graphic view I & II. A common stock item in the 40's! Jim Simmons |
#7
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Graphic View I
Already tried that! The Kodak/Calumet/Orbit will take
Graphic View boards but the reverse just won't fit without modifying the boards. I also have a lens mounted on a Pacemaker board and could use an adapter. darkroommike Jim wrote: On Apr 18, 8:39 pm, "Richard Knoppow" wrote: "darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike Look for a lens board from a Burke & Jame (B&J) Orbit view camera or any of the identical cameras sold under the Kodak or Calumet names (they all have a rotating back and round center-rail). They use a lenboard which is the same as the graphic view I & II. A common stock item in the 40's! Jim Simmons |
#8
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Graphic View I
"Jim" wrote in message oups.com... On Apr 18, 8:39 pm, "Richard Knoppow" wrote: "darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike Look for a lens board from a Burke & Jame (B&J) Orbit view camera or any of the identical cameras sold under the Kodak or Calumet names (they all have a rotating back and round center-rail). They use a lenboard which is the same as the graphic view I & II. A common stock item in the 40's! Jim Simmons The difference is that the Graphic View lens boards were made of metal and painted to match the camera. The 4x4 inch boards from B&J press and view cameras and from the Anniversary series 4x5 Speed Graphic are the same size but are wood and painted black The Calumet CC-400 series cameras, AKA, Kodak 4x5 Master View and B&J Orbit, will accept the same lens board but the original boards are flat metal with a ridge around the edge. These will not fit into a Speed Graphic because there is no taper at the bottom so it won't clear the fixed bottom strip. I can't remember if the Graphic View has a movable bottom strip, if so it should take the Calumet type board too. In any case, Midwest Camera http://www.mpex.com/ is still in business and may have what Darkroom Mike is looking for. Its worth a phone call because it may not be on their web site. AFAIK, there was no difference in the boards for the Graphic View and Graphic View II. -- --- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA |
#9
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Graphic View I
It doesn't I have a convertible symmar on a Calumet board, I
think it would work if I filed a taper on the front of the bottom edge of the board but it's an original bored for Compur/Copal one so I'll keep looking for now. darkroommike Richard Knoppow wrote: "Jim" wrote in message oups.com... On Apr 18, 8:39 pm, "Richard Knoppow" wrote: "darkroommike" wrote in message ... I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor repairs. So I have a few questions: Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the 40's (you know what I mean)? Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards from plywood but want to stay original). -- darkroommike Look for a lens board from a Burke & Jame (B&J) Orbit view camera or any of the identical cameras sold under the Kodak or Calumet names (they all have a rotating back and round center-rail). They use a lenboard which is the same as the graphic view I & II. A common stock item in the 40's! Jim Simmons The difference is that the Graphic View lens boards were made of metal and painted to match the camera. The 4x4 inch boards from B&J press and view cameras and from the Anniversary series 4x5 Speed Graphic are the same size but are wood and painted black The Calumet CC-400 series cameras, AKA, Kodak 4x5 Master View and B&J Orbit, will accept the same lens board but the original boards are flat metal with a ridge around the edge. These will not fit into a Speed Graphic because there is no taper at the bottom so it won't clear the fixed bottom strip. I can't remember if the Graphic View has a movable bottom strip, if so it should take the Calumet type board too. In any case, Midwest Camera http://www.mpex.com/ is still in business and may have what Darkroom Mike is looking for. Its worth a phone call because it may not be on their web site. AFAIK, there was no difference in the boards for the Graphic View and Graphic View II. |
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