Cameras to fix

[Muggins]

I haven't gotten round to removing the mirror yet, so have no idea whether it's discoloured or not.

In the even that a replacement is possible, where can I get a good mirror for the least money? The camera cost me £30, so i'd rather pay as little as possible, in case I don't get my money back when I eventually sell it on.

I suspect you can get mirror glass of an appropriate thickness online, if it's just a mirror you need - I've done several box camera viewfinders by cutting down mirrored tiles from a hobby shop. Obviously they are a bit smaller, but it's amazing what's out there and can be repurposed.

 

[Bololoco]

I suspect you can get mirror glass of an appropriate thickness online, if it's just a mirror you need - I've done several box camera viewfinders by cutting down mirrored tiles from a hobby shop. Obviously they are a bit smaller, but it's amazing what's out there and can be repurposed.

Well I definitely need a mirror now. I have just looked into it and a "front surface mirror" is the way to go. Apprently, you can even hack one from a regular mirror, so maybe it's time to get the glass cutter out.

 

[johnf04]

Well I definitely need a mirror now. I have just looked into it and a "front surface mirror" is the way to go. Apprently, you can even hack one from a regular mirror, so maybe it's time to get the glass cutter out.

A regular mirror won't be a front surface mirror.

 

[Bololoco]

A regular mirror won't be a front surface mirror.

I got the idea from this video but have yet to try it

 

[Mos6502]

There are several sellers on ebay who can cut front surface mirrors to the necessary dimensions.

 

[Bololoco]

There are several sellers on ebay who can cut front surface mirrors to the necessary dimensions.

Thanks but i've been looking into different types of reflector and a dielectric mirror may be the way to go.

I'm trying to track down somewhere that sells it in small pieces as I only need less than 4cm x 6cm worth, so if anyone knows a good supplier? Apprently small bits like that can be bought in packs of 10 for just a few ££.

Also, Mylar is probably good enough, plus it's very cheap and easy to get hold of

 

[joe bosak]

edmund optics do all kinds of stuff though i don't know about their prices - they have a uk address.

you can get front surface mirrors recoated for reasonable prices from here -

Vacuum Coatings Scientific Mirrors - Our prices

www.scientificmirrors.co.uk

 

[Bololoco]

edmund optics do all kinds of stuff though i don't know about their prices - they have a uk address.

you can get front surface mirrors recoated for reasonable prices from here -

Vacuum Coatings Scientific Mirrors - Our prices

www.scientificmirrors.co.uk

That's much more reasonable than I expected it to be but even so, the cheapest recoating is too large for my needs and also costs more than the camera. Whilst Mylar may not be perfect, I think that's probably the way i'm going to go as I can pick up a sheet for a few £ and there's enough material for many thousands of mirror repairs. Mylar is also 95% reflective, which is probably better than the original, so i'm confident it will work well enough.

I can still more or less use the glass as is and i'm probably going to set everything at infinity anyway and take some landscape shots, so the focusing isn't all so important. I only bought the camera to add to my photographic experience. I am going to sell it on at some point and get some other TLR and eventually work my way through as many as I can

Funnily enough, my parents had a Mamiya C330 that didn't work, it always fascinated me but being broken, I never got to try it. It's long gone now, along with a Voigtlander Vitessa barn door which was also not working. I'm kicking myself for not having grabbed them before they died but I didn't have the photo-bug then as I do now and I may well have gotten round to fixing them!!

 

[BernardL]

Also, Mylar is probably good enough, plus it's very cheap and easy to get hold of

I bet Mylar will not achieve the required flatness. By a wide margin. Rather look there:

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/4000163314279.html

these claim they will cut it to your dimensions

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004853298387.html

And many more on aliexpress. Better re-do the query yourself with "front surface mirror" since the server detects the customer's location.

Be prepared to re-calibrate the focussing is the thickness is different from original.

 

[Bololoco]

I bet Mylar will not achieve the required flatness.

Be prepared to re-calibrate the focussing is the thickness is different from original.

Mylar can be stretched and I believe it tightens up with some applied heat but I'll try it out first and let you know.

 

[Mos6502]

Mylar will not be polished enough to get a sharp image. Seriously? When you can find a perfectly sized replacement (in dimensions and thickness) that works better than the original and costs so little why would you waste your time and money to go with a fix that won't be satisfactory?

 

[fub]

not sure if you still need a mirror but i have cheap and cheerfull alternative to what has already been mentioned:
Get a Polaroid 600-series camera (i.e. 636), crack it open, take out the surface mirror and cut it to size. it is exactly the thickness of the Weltaflex mirror. I have done this myself and the focus is on point. i spent a roll of film to test the focus and there are absolutely no issues even with aperature wide open. it just fits perfectly.
cutting the mirror is not as hard as it sounds and a proper glass cutter will do the trick for rather little money.