Dear all,
Although the OP is now happy I thought I would chip in as I have just seen the thread; I have probably now changed about 20 Isolette bellows now. Sandeha's bellows are indeed excellent and wonderful value. Custom Bellows in Birmingham UK are also great but more expensive; they can take time to reply and it is better to try and phone, though they are only open in the morning. This is the the same company (via a staff buyout) who made the original bellows for most of the classic folders in days gone by.
The one thing never to do is to buy another Isolette to get the bellows from; almost all Isolette bellows were made the same way and the failure points will be the same, the sharp folds down the four corners. As one poster already said the Kodak 66 is a good source of high quality bellows which do not have the Agfa problem; another lesser known one is the Kershaw 110. Nether of these cameras are as good as an Isolette but they have much better bellows.
Occasionally "new old stock" can also turn up at fairs and on e-bay and most 6x6 Ensign, Balda etc. bellows can be used though some were made for 75mm lenses so appear quite tight on an 85mm Isolette when open; this isn't usually a problem however.
There is much discussion on line about repairing Agfa bellows and the general consensus is that you can't, as new holes spring up. The truth is that good repair is impractical unless you are willing to take the bellows out; and if you are doing that then you may as well replace them. This is indeed the best logic if you have an Isolette III with a Solinar but it is probably not cost effective if you have and Isolette I with an Agnar; in that case please read on.
If you do have the bellows out, then the job can be made easier by removing the brass lens plate, this makes the bellows easier to manipulate. Start by applying some sort of black gloop on the inside of the bellows along the length of the corners (front to back), I tend to use opaque acrlyic paint, work it in well and "play" the bellows a little to even the paint out then let it dry. I then do similar on the outside using black "liquid tape", for economy's sake you could probably use the black acrylic paint again. Once this is dry I run a piece of bookbinding repair tape (such as Filmoplast P) down the four edges and into the folds such that all four corners are reinforced and the tape bends with the bellows. Once this is done I paint the tape and bellows with the black acrylic..
You could stop there, it should work but may not be pretty, but if you have some very very thin fabric (or even paper) and spray adhesive you can apply a decorative layer on top of the bellows. This will not only make them look good but it will help hold the tape in place. However it must be very thin, otherwise the final bellows will be too thick. This part is much easier if you have removed the brass lens plate though just remember to put it back after.
Hang on, you say! All those bits cost money, as much as new bellows perhaps! Yes, but improvise, you have nothing to lose; maybe masking tape will do (I have never tried) or some other paper tape as long as it is thin; electrical tape is possible but it is thick and makes the bellows stiffer. Maybe you have some other sort of black flexible paint; the only trick is to fill the holes as much as possible and then reinforce everything and then add another layer of black. I economised on buying book binding tape by marrying a librarian but the same benefits could probably be obtained more easily.
Give it a go, what have you got to lose and Sandeha is always there with new bellows if it doesn't work! Just remember to keep it thin or live with an always open camera.
