Kodak Vest Pocket Bellows - Where to find?

[Miles.]

Hi all,

I have a Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic that I'd like to shoot - it needs new bellows (and a general CLA) and I'm wondering if anyone still services/sells replacement bellows for these?

I contacted certo6, who does bellows replacement for older folders, and he said he can't do the VPs.

Any leads would be appreciated!

 

[Phil_F_NM]

You're going to have to make your own. I had this issue on a 2A Autographic and I resorted to patching it with strips of gaffer tape and black silicone. After that, the camera wouldn't close properly. I used it a little longer, took the lens from it, grafted a 90mm Angulon in and created my first wide angle panorama camera. So long ago. Anyway, the only way to fix those bellows and still retain the ability to close the camera is to make a new bellows.
Phil Forrest

 

[Ambro51]

Problem is cheap construction of these never made provisions for replacement of the bellows.

 

[KoNickon]

There was a guy on this forum named (as I recall) Sandeha Lynch, who made bellows for folders. He's in the UK. Maybe do a search of the threads to see if you can find contact information. Or maybe other folks have that info.

 

[mh2000]

I never used these guys, but they look really good and affordable!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-Mad...5aac214:g:uuAAAOSw4O5dGr7E&LH_ItemCondition=3

 

[mh2000]

PS I love my Kodak VPA! I made a little clip-on wire finder (simple bent piece of coat hanger!) and it made shooting it a lot more fun! The "bright" finder on mine is pretty dim and tiny! The problem of course is that it shoots 127 of course, but good luck!

 

[wjlapier]

Contact Sandeha Lynch. Google his name and his website will give you contact info. As recently as about 6 weeks ago he made bellows for my Kodak Junior 616 II.

 

[css9450]

Don't you have to resort to drilling out rivets, or some such messy task, to replace the bellows on a VPK?

 

[David Hughes]

From memory, and so perhaps wrong, they are glued at the wide end and held by the large thin bit that screws around the back of the lens to hold it on to the lens panel.


The main problem with cameras of that period is that parts are not quite fully interchangeable and parts don't always align properly when swapped. The better makes would repeat the serial numbers on important parts, which is often a useful check.


Regards, David