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ambaker
Joined: 26 Mar 2011 Posts: 1 Location: Missouri
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:03 am Post subject: More Newbie Questions... |
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Hi, my name is Alex, and I'm new to the board.
I've got an old Speed Graphic that does not appear to have a serial number, or at least not one I can find.
From what I have been able to Google, it has the pre-graphlock back. The lens is a Kodak Ektar 127mm f/4.7 lens, mounted in a Flash Supermatic shutter.
Outside of years of dust and dirt on the outside, it appears that the biggest issue is peeling leatherette on the from of the camera. Can replacement leatherette be found anywhere. Any idea how old the camera is?
Thanks!
Edited to add the serial number on the lens is EO 2495 |
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1banjo
Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 492 Location: kansas
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1banjo
Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 492 Location: kansas
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45PSS
Joined: 28 Sep 2001 Posts: 4081 Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:51 am Post subject: |
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Graflex.org, the home page>Cameras>Graflex Graphic Model History>lens serial number link:
http://graflex.org/speed-graphic/lenses.html#EktarLenses
EO=1946.
That is most likely XXX Moroccan Leather on the body and that type of leather is no longer made.
Many of Micro Tools materials are over priced IMO.
There are many good leather cleaners and conditioners on the market, Pledge Natural Beauty one of them. Windex and Isopropyl Alcohol clean well but treat with leather conditioner after using. If the leather is just peeling off Elmer's Glue All and similar glues will reattach it.
Open the camera bed and lock it open. Leaving the front standard/bellows inside the body, turn the camera upside down and using a flashlight record the 5 or 6 digit number stamped on the bottom of the camera top. They are sometimes hard to see and a few were put somewhere unknown. _________________ The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU. |
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Henry
Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 1636 Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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45PSS wrote: | There are many good leather cleaners and conditioners on the market, Pledge Natural Beauty one of them. Windex and Isopropyl Alcohol clean well but treat with leather conditioner after using. If the leather is just peeling off Elmer's Glue All and similar glues will reattach it. |
For my money, nothing beats good old-fashioned saddle soap for cleaning leather. I haven't bought any in years---a tin of it lasts a long time!---but you could probably purchase some at a hardware, sporting goods, or shoe repair store. I would avoid Windex and alcohol on leather; the latter, especially, will leach out whatever essential oils remain in the leather. After the cleaning with saddle soap, put some neatsfoot oil on a clean cloth and rub into the surface of the leather; it will absorb what it needs. Any excess can be wiped off. Sometimes two applications of the oil are needed, if the leather is very dry. Use common sense, follow the product directions, and you'll get it right, and the leather will love you for it!
Elmer's Glue is OK, but only the white stuff. It's dairy-based itself and compatible with leather, and it's water-soluble so whatever you do is not permanent (in the bad sense). |
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