Need new bellows for Zeiss Super Ikonta 531/2

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Does anyone know where I can buy and have a new set of bellows installed for a Zeiss Super Ikonta 531/2
I have two corner pin holes that are very hard to get at and thought it might be better to get a new set installed.
 
Well I got a seven year waiting list offer, I might even be dead myself by then.
So what would a professional use to seal a light leak on a folding camera ??
I may well do the job myself.
 
Check with Sandeha Lynch--google his name and you'll find his website. He did some bellows for a camera I once owned. Thinking of sending another one to him.
 
Thank you Steve, was thinking of this stuff 3M Windo Weld 08609 it is a Urethane. I used it to reattach the rear window of my wife’s convertible car to the cloth top. It is brilliant stuff, dries fast and very flexible. And holding those two items together outside in the Georgia sunshine and rain, says a lot about the product.
Now a chap up north said he cuts a rectangle from a $ bill, he says it is a fabric and is designed to be folded many many times without tearing, a very clever idea !!!!
Now my issue is two corner tiny holes. I am going to add some of this 3M stuff on a corner that has no problem and see how it holds. If the results are good, I will go on both the outside and inside.
 
This is part of the reply I got when asking them if they could help me.....


Thank you for writing to me about your very desirable Super Ikonta 6x9. The only source of replacement bellows for your camera is in the UK and the bellows must be custom manufactured there. The original bellows from your camera must be shipped there in order to obtain an exact duplicate. The cost of the bellows, including back and forth shipping, will probably be in the vicinity of about $350.00 to $400.00. Installation cost is another $100.00. These costs are in addition to the cost of a complete overhaul for your camera which is currently $399.00. My best guess is the total cost to restore your camera to like new operating condition, and with a new bellows, would be about $850.00 to $950.00, plus return shipping.

You may want to consider repairing your bellows. The cost of covering a couple of light leaks is very small and this can be easily done. The other thing to consider is that replacement leather bellows of original Zeiss quality will not be available forever. The old craftsmen are retiring and closing their shops very rapidly now. I don’t know if replacement bellows can be obtained but can make an inquiry for you if you would like me to do this.
 
And this is his reply the second time, I had told him I was originally English but have been in the United States for thirty years and have relatives back in England that could help me procure a bellows if I went that route........



Hello James,

I have not had a replacement bellows made in many years. If I needed one I'd do an Internet search and select the one found that is located in the UK. The reason I'd use the UK shop is the UK has the best leather in the world. This is an outcome of your libraries having so many ancient leather bound books that need to be recovered on a regular basis.

When I repair a bellows I used a little snippet off of a U.S. one dollar bill. It's not paper but is actually made of a very special form of cloth designed to last through years of being folded and unfolded. Your idea of using 3M window weld to attach the repair patch sounds good to me. I use a little rectangle folded in the middle to fit into or over a fold in the bellows.
 
This company on Ebay says that they can make bellows- search this name and contact them-
ecbuyonline2008

Is your camera 6x9 or 6x4.5? I have a 6x4.5 and Sandeha Lynch said that he can't make bellows for such a small camera. So I made a set myself. Not much fun, to tell the truth, and although I am 'proud' whenever I open the camera, not something I'd make a habit of doing.

The front attachment is trapped by the board and mount. Pay attention to the plates and washers on disassembly. For the back, I couldn't see how to get inside the body to undo the pressed metal sections that hold the bellows in place. And I wasn't up for stripping off the leather, prying and uncrimping, etc. for what for me was not a valuable camera. Desirable, yes, so I trimmed the old bellows back leaving two folds still attached to the body. I then contact cemented the new bellows onto to these tabs.

Permatex or other black gasket material can work well. I have some thin black masking tape. My initial pinhole work involved Elmers glue with black acrylic paint. Applied inside and out. Then a layer of black masking tape on the outside area, with another light layer of glue mix. This worked for a couple of holes but then as I used the camera more and more the bellows basically started disintegrating, forming more and more pin holes, then slices, etc. So just be ready- I've had bellows where a few patches was all it took, and I've had some like this one that were basically falling apart in every way.
 
It’s a 6X9 and my Father bought it in Stuttgart 1953, I have the receipt and and the first image it took of the store owner with my mother.
I have every film it has taken, Father was meticulous with his stuff. The camera is now at about 260 rolls of film. I had it serviced back in 2011 because the focusing had become stiff, it’s as sweet as new now.
The bellows are also in incredible condition except for the two corner pin holes. I conditioned the leather to supple it up again back in 2007 but the corners will obviously start going now.
It is a beautiful camera, that was beautifuly designed and manufactured in its day. I just want to keep using it, Father would be proud. I celebrated his would have been 100th birthday in 2014, my Mothers 100th will be next year, so another bottle of Chambers will be opened then.
 
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