Show Off Your Bakelite Beauties! Anything Bakelite!!

[raydm6]

I'm enamored by some of the Bakelite cameras, accessories, and other photographic/non-photographic products out there with their cool retro-designs.

Been hunting for a good-quality 120 camera and hoping you would share your experience and photos if you have of (and with) them. 🙂

Argus C3 Brick W/Argus Coated Cintar 50mm 3.5 lens - (hybrid Bakelite and metal):

Argus C3 "Brick: Rangefinder Camera by rdc154, on Flickr

From the "Brick":

Mr. Palmer Detail #3 by rdc154, on Flickr

 

[p.giannakis]

I used to have this one - it is with the Heliar lens.

 

[Muggins]

Ribbed.... for her pleasure!

Ultrafex Himalaya by gray1720, on Flickr

 

[raydm6]

Ribbed.... for her pleasure!

Ultrafex Himalaya by gray1720, on Flickr

Ha! 😛.......

 

[David Hughes]

Leicameters, Leica lens caps and the little round tubs for the lenses were all Bakelite, weren't they?

Ditto for FED and Zorki lens caps and for the 1930's Leicameter, Nebro and AVO meters.

Kodak made a "Baby Brownie" and a few others and so did Coronet, Voigtländer and a lot of others before the war.

Trouble is, I don't know a test for Bakelite; other than it cracks and sometimes the colours are fugitive...

Regards, David

 

[narsuitus]

Kodak Bullet by Narsuitus, on Flickr

My father bought this Bakelite camera from Sears just before he was drafted into the Army. He used it to capture some great images on Iwo Jima during World War II.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Agfa Box 14 "Trolix", made from Trolitan, similar to Bakelite

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Argus A - The "35mm for the Proletariat"

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Kodak 35 "US Army Signal Corps PH-324"

 

[Joao]

A French MOSQUITO I camera



A classic Brownie Hawkeye



Regards
Joao

 

[raydm6]

Agfa Box 14 "Trolix", made from Trolitan, similar to Bakelite

Interesting Rick. Never heard of that material before.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Interesting Rick. Never heard of that material before.

It was developed by the Rheinisch-Westfälischen Sprengstoff-Fabriken (RWS) company in Germany, who produced a number of bakelite-like and other plastics in the interwar years. All their product names started with "Tro"; Trolit F, Trolit W, Trolon, Trolitan, Trolituletc. 🙂

Apparently the "Tro" came from Troisdorf, a town where RWS was located.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Kodak Bullet by Narsuitus, on Flickr

My father bought this Bakelite camera from Sears just before he was drafted into the Army. He used it to capture some great images on Iwo Jima during World War II.

Would love to see some of those photos if that were possible.
At any rate, it’s nice that piece of memorabilia is still in the family.

 

[Greyscale]

Wirgin Edixa 6x6 by Mike Novak, on Flickr

 

[raydm6]

Mike is the Edixa Bakelite on the inside body? Just saw one on the 'bay for $2K! 😱

 

[Muggins]

A French MOSQUITO I camera

I think France is the motherlode of wacky Bakelite cameras!

Here's another of mine:
Photax blinde by gray1720, on Flickr

 

[Ambro51]

Haneel TriVision from 1946

 

[David Hughes]

Coronet Midget in mottled brown Bakelite. Vintage 1930's. Kodak cassette to give an idea of the size of it. TTH made the f/10 lens.

Overexposed to show the detail.


Regards, David

 

[Greyscale]

Mike is the Edixa Bakelite on the inside body? Just saw one on the 'bay for $2K! 😱

It is Bakelite through and through.

 

[wwfloyd]

Sputnik and Century Graphic
Bakelite beauties by wwfloyd, on Flickr