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Miniature lens boards
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AuthorMessage
miket-nyc
Joined: 18 Apr 2018
Posts: 39
PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:51 am   Post subject: Miniature lens boards

My Miniature Speed Graphic came with one lens board, and I don't see this size on eBay (there's tons of them for 4x5s).

So where do people get them for other lenses, or do you make them? It doesn't look particularly hard, but my present one is made of 1/4" black Bakelite, and I don't know what modern plastic is equivalent to that. You could also make them out of wood, but hard plastic would probably be more stable.
William Hallett
Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 103
PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 12:47 pm

If you want a plastic lensboard I would recommend Delrin, ABS or nylon. I believe you said in another post that you have machining facilities, and Delrin or ABS machine quite nicely. And they are both black in colour. But I make my lensboards from 1/8" basswood or 1/8" birch ply (both available at hobby shops or at craft stores such as Michael's), laminating the two layers crossways to each other to avoid warping and boring the hole out on the lathe.
45PSS
Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 7:07 pm

1/4 inch thick black Acrylic is better than ABS for lens boards.
I use Baltic Birch plywood 1/4 inch thick. It's dimensionally stable.
William Hallett
Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 103
PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:16 pm

Good point. The birch ply that I use is indeed the Baltic variety - it's what you find in Michael's. It has much thinner plies than ordinary plywood, which is what makes it so stable.
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