Brilliant video! I wish more people would take the time to restore these amazing pieces of photographic history! I have a few older cameras I am working on! Love seeing the images! I think older lens have a quality you don't and will never get with new lens. Thanks so much for sharing! Great channel and great content!
And of course, I found this 48 hours after cleaning up a lovely old Kodak No. 2 Hawkeye Model C. The bellows were in surprisingly good condition, but the paint/glue mixture sounds like a great, noninvasive repair I must remember if I need it in the future. The shutter fires with alacrity and after a bit of a clean and a drop of 3 In 1 oil, the slider was much happier. I used white vinegar and cotton swabs on the glass, made a vinegar-baking soda paste to lift the worst of the surface rust, then touched up with black acrylic paint. As some of the leatherette paper was lifting in places, that was glued with white glue and clamped or weighted until the glue was dry. Black acrylic paint is also great for touching up and minimizing dings and scuffs in the leatherette. I like Murphy's Oil Soap as a gentle cleaner - great on leather if you don't have anything else to hand. Not sure if you have it in the UK, but it's a lot like saddle soap, only in a liquid.
I only put it up yesterday, I like the idea white wine vinegar, I glued the leatherette back with evo stick contact adhesives but forgot to mention that in the video, shoe polish also helps on the leatherette, clad the video was helpful.
Looks like the focus is messed up, when unscrewing the lens it's important to make a mark and/or take pictures, as it need to be screwed back precisely for the focus to align. When I cleaned a Zeiss Ikonta I used a semi-transparent paper in the film holder to check the focus. These old camera can be tack-sharp when close down a bit.
So you didn’t watch the bit about the semi transparent paper in the film holder? Here’s a short with the camera it’s never sharp but it can at least be in focus. ru-vid.comMoNF8wn1iB4?si=y0SxeqZD_uoqT1k8
Loved the use of the oscilloscoope. Clever man. For small holes and bellows repair, you can also use Liquid Insulation Tape, but if there is a tear then the use of cloth tape and adhesive is necessay. I have a length of some special 3M cloth tape that does wonders for patching up bellows.
I can’t figure out how to clean up the viewfinders, I have some sort of 1920s Kodak brownie and the viewfinders all white and fogged up although I can barely see a bit through. Do you or anyone else have advice?
gosh this video is interesting! i restore vintage film cameras myself and seeing the overarching similarities yet slight differences in our technique is so fascinating, like for example i myself use no glue in my bellows sealer, but rather just use roughly 3 parts black acrylic paint to 5 parts fabric medium and gently layer that on until it covers all the holes. i think your method might be better and will definitely give it a go next time! i also don't repaint my cameras as i want to keep the original paint around for future generations to study, in my case i just treat the exposed metal with lanolin as a protectant and leave it at that, if i were to sand and repaint a camera though, i'd probably test the paint for lead first, because lead test swabs are cheap and you can never be too careful with antiques. edit: i'm also so jealous of that oscilloscope technique!! i definitely plan to buy one in the future both for cameras and my retro console repairs
Hiya Oliver, I really like these old camera videos, I'm old myself. A few years ago I bought a folding 1950s Zeiss Ikon camera, very basic guess the distance , Tessar f4.0 lens . I put a roll of HP5 through it one sunny day in the park . I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Two years later I bought a Rolleiflex Automat k4 , Tessar f3.5 lens . Roll of HP5 sunny day, local park . Both films were developed same way. When I compared the two sets of negs. I was quite shocked. The quality of both were identical. The Rolleiflex cost me 450 squid. Same contrast, resolution, sharpness, everything. The Rolleiflex is easier to use but for anyone starting out , the Zeiss Ikon is a winner. Jake E.
That’s an easy of a comment, so much value is speculation. These old cameras being a good example. I need to read your comment again and give it some thought.
Awesome video! I'm working on a R.J. Beck Frena No. 10 myself. It's from 1903, so it's more than 120 years old! Sadly, every mechanism is jammed, and schematics are impossible to find. Any advice on what to do?
Do you have any more videos of the Zeiss Super Ikonta coming up? The images you get from that camera are phenomenal. I would love to see you shooting something like Ektachrome on that camera and seeing how it renders.
Nice Job Ollie, I love folders, I have a few my faves are the Voigtlander Bessa II 6x9 and the Zeiss Ikonta M 6x6, lovely and very capable cameras. I also have an Italian Ferrania Falco II 6x9 and stylish as hell.
Great video. I've been doing this stuff over the winter and am now using the cameras, in my case Voigtlanders, Zeiss and a Dolland?? (rebadged Ensign carbine). I recall you giving the tip about Tesa tape some years ago, and I have used it several times since. It also does a good job around SLR's and compact cameras when the seals have failed. Quick to do, and replace when you remove the film. The shutter speed app is something I'm going to have to research.
I’d not thought of using it on Slr cameras, that’s a good tip, the phone apps seem ok but can be varied in there accuracy much beater on Slrs than the older shutters.
