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GVI focusing locks?

 
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RichS



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

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2003 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am now the maybe-not-quite-but-almost-proud owner of a Graphic View I. And it's quite a bit more ragged than I had thought, but I did expect that. There are two odd points that I thought I'd bring up here...

First, the bellows. Almost red, closer to marroon. Deffinitely not the same covering as my GVII's. At first I actually though it was leather. Closer inspection revealed a coating similar to the GVII (vinyl but deffinitely a different product. It's obviously cloth with some kind of coating sprayed on. If it was black (and not on a camera), I would say it was the old tar/pitch coating used from the mid 1800's for water-proofing. Anyone know what it might be?

Second, and more odd. The focusing knobs for the front and rear standards. All the Views I have seen have the same black knobs with a large metal knurled locking ring above it. This View does not have the large knurled ring at all. And it's got a lever, behind the knob and connected under the inverted V rail that locks the standards. It looks factory. But I've never seen a View with these types of focusing knob locks? Looking closer, this is deffinitely from the factory...

I just looked at the front plate hoping to see a patent number or other identifying mark. All it says is "Graphic View (next line) registered US patent office". No patent numbers!

This all seems odd. Any ides?

And if these bellows aren't leather or vinyl coated, any ideas on what to use for patching the ouside (inside would of course be standard).

Rich...
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Nick



Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 494

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No patent numbers on mine either. But I've got black knobs. The bostick stuff is supposed to be okay. A little over $12. Supposedly enough to cover a blimp.

http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/main/index.htm
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RichS



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the info. Since the GVII has patent numbers, I thought it was odd. I have black knobs too, just not the metal locks behind them.
The bostick-sullivan patch kit looks good, but they don't mention a color, so I suppose it's black. That would be fine for the inside and maybe even better than what I use, but I need something to cover the outside to match the almost-but-not-quite-vinyl covering there now.
Although, after cleaning up the compendium lens shade that came with it, I now think it is the stock vinyl covering but severely aged and worn (and discolored). The shade was in-between my GVII's and the GVI in color and looks. After cleaning, it looks much more like the GVII now. So maybe a standard vinly patch and some color mixing will do the trick. I don't think this camera is worth the expense of a new bellows. A lot of rust... But servicable and will takle a picture again!
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Nick



Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 494

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh those wheels are locks?-))) To be honest when you consider the cost of a new bellows I doubt if any common 4x5 is worth getting them replaced. When I got my View I it came with eight film holders. The price I paid for the whole set would just have covered the film holders. So free camera.
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RichS



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, here's a test... I've never tried attaching a pic into one of these messages, but it's worth a try. If you read this before it works, please understand and I'll figure it out

A pic of the focus lock in the unlocked position:



Hey, it worked! :wink:

[ This Message was edited by: RichS on 2003-04-15 10:20 ]
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Les



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've run into the same situation with my GV. It seems there is an early and late version. In looking through by Graphic Graflex Photo books, the photos of the early version--lever locks, and no prodtruding boss for the handle on the tripod mount--- is carried through about '47 I think, but don't count on that as a conversion date, since many times, publishers will not update a photo for years.

I've found two of these 'early' cameras, both from 1940 according to Gandolf, both of them have a crack in the the tripod head at the top of the pivot. One of them has blued steel 'hoops" to hold the pivot to the pan part of the mount.

It seems to be caused by the slot in the assembly being too wide, allowing too much stress on this thin area.

Bert says that later versions had a metal block in the slot as a limiter. He says these earlier cameras had the block too , but I'm still wondering.

Is yours cracked too?



[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2003-04-15 12:12 ]
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RichS



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

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2003 7:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought it might be the early version. My eariest book is from 1947... It seems cheaper to build with the lever locks. But it also looks like it's missing the feature of pulling the focus knob out to slide the standard along the rail. Or mine is just stuck?

As far as the mount goes, looks like I might be lucky. This is what mine looks like:



Looks just like the newer ones on my GVII's as I remember. I opened because it is a little rough and I though it might also be broken. Just grungy I suppose, like the rest of the camera...
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bertsaunders



Joined: 20 May 2001
Posts: 577
Location: Bakersfield California

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2003 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Boy, sum peoples kids is sure hard to convince! If you were an engineer, and you decided to put a keyslot this big, in this clamp, then put a screw shaft thru it for the purpose of clamping, >that could exert probably 50 to 100 ft/lbs torque against a piece of cast metal<......would you try to limit the flexing at that weak point with a clamp plate.....or would you have made the slot smaller, and in two pieces???
Look at that slot in Les'es second photo....without that clamping piece, this was designed..>>to break!!!!!! Bert
>>>>>>>>>In response to Rich----if you will notice in the photos-----this action does not clamp inward, it is forced outwards--the center plate has a skid mark where, as the screw is tightened it slips a bit, so it wont put a twisting motion in the action as well...the entire clamping action takes place in less than .0001 of an inch (as close as I can measure)with a broken piece of feeler guage!<<<<<<<<<<

[ This Message was edited by: bertsaunders on 2003-05-04 21:45 ]
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RichS



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

PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll admit that I never paid much attention to tripod heads and how they work. I understand the simple split 'pipe' that clamps over another pipe and they work pretty well, and do break now and then.
But this Graflex design is something else. With or without the plate in the middle, I don't understand why they haven't all broken. Just a bit of dirt or scored metal would easily increase the pressure on the top part of the split. Sure, it doesn't flex far, but it's also being pulled down when first clamped, or dirty or scored. Maybe they knew something I don't (obviously) because they do last so long. But no, I wouldn't have designed it that way...
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