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Brace for Century Universal - need parts

 
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albertz



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 3
Location: Los Angeles

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and usually hang out at photo.net. I posted the following message there and was told to try here as well. Thanks for your help, Markus

(...) I am trying to assemble a wind stabilizer brace for my Century Universal 8x10 field camera. I came across this version while browsing the internet:

http://slalom.20megsfree.com/catalog.html

I like this set-up and want to use it as a template for mine. It was easy to find aluminum bars that slide into each other at a local OSH, but I have no clue where to get the other parts, in particular the knobs/screws and the rear and front attachments, including the hinge-like contraption on the rear attachment. I have received so many helpful tips and hints in this forum that I thought this is the right place to ask for help again. Many thanks in advance, Markus

PS: I am in Los Angeles, BTW... PSS: If I manage to successfully assemble a brace, I will certainly share my experience with others and post all information needed to build one yourself
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glennfromwy



Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 903
Location: S.W. Wyoming

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't know if it will help but have you tried smallparts.com?

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Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"
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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Geees... DO NOT go drilling holes into a Century Universal!!!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to fix all those little holes people go drilling into these fine old cameras? How many holes do you think can be drilled into a wood camera before it becomes worthless junk??? How many Century Universals do you think are left in the world???

If you want a more stable camera, buy one! If you want to destroy a camera, do it to one that's worthless to begin with! If you want a stable Century Universal, invest in refurbishing what you have and you won't need any grotesque atrocities mounted on it!



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albertz



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 3
Location: Los Angeles

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RichS: I take donations for a new camera...

-> a self-made brace will cost me $30-40
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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

On 2004-10-16 22:18, albertz wrote:
RichS: I take donations for a new camera...

-> a self-made brace will cost me $30-40


And take 2 to $400 off the selling/worth price of the camera when you're done!


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Les



Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 2682
Location: Detroit, MI

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well a brace like the one shown will set you back a lot more than $30-$40 unless you have a milling machine at home.

The brace is designed well, and made well but it still relies on a single point of contact between the tripod and the camera.

I have an 8x10 Deardorf and with a nice brass (heavy) 24" Artar. I have to extend both the front and the back, which makes for a very wobbly camera. Rather than make up rods and poles on the camera that would restrict camera movements I bought a used Bogen 2001 tripod, removed the legs and with some inexpensive ball joints and a couple of smaller Mathews clamps I now have three (well two, I never finished the third) extra supports.

The work flow is simple. Set the camera on the tripod. Tilt, swing and focus until my heart's content. Then the braces go from a leg of the tripod (via mathews clamp) up to the front standard. The brace has a piece of wood with a rabbett to catch the edge of the front standard and is held in place with velcro with a couple of velcro straps. A ball joint in there keeps things aligned.

The rear is a bit more difficult since there isnt a tripod leg directly below, but the idea is the same.

In this manner I've supported the camera by a minimum of two places and as many as 4.... a much more stable situation, than braces and holes on the camera....and it keeps RichS's blood pressure down.



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albertz



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 3
Location: Los Angeles

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

RichS: I am not planning on ever selling this camera...

Les: Hmm- I will think about the tripod support. Though I would have to carry another tripot on me then... As far as I can tell from looking at the pictures of the brace, the movements/focus are adjusted before the brace is locked into place, so in that sense, it does not really restrict the movements.

At any rate, thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts... Markus

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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Les: Now that's a great idea! And it makes me think of creating something out of sliding sticks to more match the Berlebach tripods I use? I will deffinitely have to put some thought into this and see if I can come up with something that not only works, but matches the tripod, and is portable...

Yep, I do tend to get a bit excited when I hear about people doing nasty things to fine old cameras. My wife has mentioned "obsessed" a few times when I talk about the CU's

On the other side, I'm sitting here with what would be a pristine CU, except for a dozen small holes some idiot drilled into the cover /base for some unknown reason. What a pain to fill and try to match the finish, without doing more damage... Thank goodness they're small holes...

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t.r.sanford



Joined: 10 Nov 2003
Posts: 812
Location: East Coast (Long Island)

PostPosted: Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Andreas Feininger authored a column in "Modern Photography" four decades back, and he described a support system for a large-format camera equipped with a long lens. It involved two tripods, one attached in the usual way. The other had one leg removed, and the two remaining legs were joined to the two rear legs of the primary tripod at their bottom tips. The tripod head of the secondary tripod was attached to the rear of the camera bed. You can imagine a clamp that would serve this purpose, without much difficulty.

The difficulty with this support is that it would seem to require a good deal of horsing around to get the thing pointed in the right direction. I have thought that some kind of slide atop the secondary tripod, with the necessary clamp traveling on the slider, would simplify the aiming process.
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Les



Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 2682
Location: Detroit, MI

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The only reason I used the Bogen tripod was that it was cheaper and lighter to buy and disassemble than to try to make my own telescoping aluminum tubes.

And for 80% of what that modified camera will be doing, the rods won't interfere, but put the front or back into a deep swing......

Re: Feiniger. Why isn't all of those old farts keep stealing my ideas 50 years (okay 30) before I was born???

Actually it wasn't completely my idea. A friend of mine had an 11x14 Deardorf and we found out that it was easier to shoot with when using 2 Star D tripods and a platform rather than a 45 pound derick of a single tripod. I just sort of blended that idea into an 8x10 version.
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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've found that many times when I come up with a great idea, someone has stollen it from me years before

This whole idea does have me thinking now...

Although when a CU is tightened up, it's a very tight camera and I haven't found any need for external support.

But... Now I'm also thinking along the lines of a smaller apperatus that would use a spring clamp at each end, extension tube (or wood sticks) between. Clamp one end on the back, one on the front. The only thing it would need that might be difficult is a ball joint of some sort. For the little stress encountered in this situation, it could easily be made out of the same wood. Metal would be easier to buy. But wood would be very easy to make. Could use the same design for the tripod leg to camera on a slightly larger scale. I think the biggest problem would be the clamp to hold the sliding inner stick. That's usually done with a metal band, but it shouldn't be too hard to fabricate one. Maybe out of brass for the looks?

Just what I needed, another project... But I do love to fire up the router table
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