Misfold bellows and film door blackening

[btgc]

So I decided to try medium format and folder were my leap into unknown. I know, I know...I could have cheaper folder with triplet lens and have virtually same results. Long story short, Zeiss Ikonta 524/16 isn't tinkered, shutter works, aperture has no oil on blades (don't know if this were problem with 120 folders).

Just some folds of bellows were folded opposite way, one next to lens (would it make impact on light distribution? haven't checked with ground glass) and one closer to body. For now I carefully poked them from inside to get back into proper folds and retracted lens. What would you recommend me to do with this? Any means to take care of bellows in general, and I don't mean shoe cream 🙂

Also blackening is flaking off internal side of back door (as well from exterior which doesn't bother me) so I have to figure out how to paint it matte black. Once I tried matte paint for lens hood but it didn't look like original, still had some minor glossiness. Probably adding something to paint can mate it more deep and lessen gloss?

Opton Tessar has a couple of circular cleaning marks but this is my least concern. Would love not to have them but there they are. I'm used to use hands as a lens hood so I'll just keep on.

Hope to put film through it after sorting out some age related issues.

 

[Highway 61]

I think that having some sectors of the bellows folded the wrong way is what happened to our friend Robert's Super Ikonta during his recent trip to NYC :

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141789

So, yes, this affects the light distribution in an unfortunate manner !

The interior of the bellows are made of fabric so to fix the possible light leaks due to this bad folding way (happened to me with my Ikonta 522/16) you must use some black paint designed to be applied on fabric (the same which is used to make old shutter curtains light tight again).

I highly recommend this one :

http://en.pebeo.com/Creative-leisure/Painting-on-Fabric/Setasilk

In black color, of course ! 🙂

Reason for taking care of this problem : when they get folded the wrong way, the bellows interior (fabric) and the bellows exterior (leather) very often get apart and some small pieces of leather may leave the bellows on the folds areas. And the fabric isn't light tight enough by itself.

Check this out with a maglite in the total dark. Simple and easy.

Once done (give some time to the fabric paint to get dry), you can slightly wet the bellows from the outside using a small brush dipped into a glass of water several times then carefully close the camera making sure all the bellows are folding the proper way. Don't close the camera front cover in full and open the camera back so that there is no condensation getting into the lens/shutter and let the bellows dry overnight at ambiant temp. Then they will keep their good folding way onwards.

As for the inner side of the back door, I recommend this black paint :

http://en.pebeo.com/Creative-leisure/Painting-on-Fabric/Setacolor-Opaque

The same re. the color : black ! 😉

Very deep black, very matte with no reflections at all. Will stick to any surface (even bare metal) if the latter has been properly degreased before painting.

 

[btgc]

Thanks! Paint for fabrics is brilliant idea. I had a thought about moistening line of fold and seems it weren't bad idea as you confirm it. I'll check hobby shop for paints and probably will find appropriate also for film door. Thanks again for advices!

 

[btgc]

First fold went back properly already yesterday after couple of hours (dry), then slightly moistened other fold which has lost shape at one end and kept it folded overnignt. Today it seems to keep proper shape, but I will keep it folded more and mix with keeping open to allow traces of moisture (if any) to evaporate.

 

[btgc]

btw how about treatment for bellows to keep them flexible?

can anyone comment on post-war Zeiss Ikonta 524/16, specifically, if this is real leather or synthetic material? To me this looks leather but I'm rather synthetic generation so I can be wrong.

I read in LF field there's whole movement of care treatments, something like ca-ni-fu-pus in small format gear battles - natural oils, beeswax products, synthetic treatments. I wonder if folder geeks here have some opinion on 120 folder bellow care.

 

[kuzano]

Can't answer about the Zeiss.

Can't answer about the Zeiss.

But I will tell you that when I was addicted to folders, my best luck with supple bellows was with Voigtlander. Almost every BESSA and Perkeo folder I purchased had excellent bellows. The used some of the best bellows material.

Unlike many with a bad history on bellows, ie Agfa, similar. Always been happy with Voigtlander.

I am Folder Free now for 7 years, 8 months, 22 days and .........6 hours. There is a great program in many big cities call FA,,,, Folderholics Anonymous. The biggest time consuming step of the 12 steps (yes it's a program), is contacting every person you ever photographed with a folder and getting a signed model release before selling any MORE images, online, or otherwise.

 

[GaryLH]

Lol .. Kusano... Perkeo II and Bessa II are calling their addictive song of sweet medium format 😛

Gary