Well, it's nearly Christmas

bmattock

bmattock

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And the wife had me help her in the kitchen. She feeds me on a daily basis, there is really no way I could get out of it.

We're decorating giant pretzel sticks with chocolate and frostings of many colors. This is both artistic and a loving gift for friends - from the heart, don't ya know, instead of being store-bought.

Ann-Marie gave me the task of applying the candy colors to the chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks. She thought there was no real way to do it wrong. Ha!

I am apparently the Ralph Steadman of confectionary. I tell her "Chicks in New York pay top dollar for this stuff. It's avante garde!" I have decorated the counter, my shirt, and some parts of a nearby cat. I have candy confection in my eye. She is not buying it, and I am getting the hairy eyeball of doom.

I retreat to the Jack Daniels and trying to clean a stubborn Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa Novicar lens. I think I shall put on a Roches CD and daydream about snow.

The kitchen is once again her domain.

And a Merry Christmas to you, too.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I am apparently the Ralph Steadman of confectionary.

a gonzo confectionaire! i love it!!

please tell me you have photos, actually i think i'd pay for a video of this.

merry christmas to you two too!!
 
No photos this time, my friend. I have been banished from the kitchen and have wisely retreated, tail between legs and drink in hand. Now that I have my laughing gear wrapped around a fine Kentucky sippin' bevvy, life is again acceptable.

I have purchased the mortal remains of a Speed Graphic, and it shall be my winter project. $35 and all that implies...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3860626100&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

I shall call it "Bill's Folly" and put a rangefinder on it so that I can post the resulting images here, if it ever makes any...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
"I retreat to the Jack Daniels and trying to clean a stubborn Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa Novicar lens"

An interesting choice for lens cleaning fluid. :)

Very nice "winter project." Can't wait to see some photographs posted from that camera. Wishing for some warm weather (it's -7 degrees Fahrenheit up here right now (although undoubtededly colder in Edmonton)). Not much snow, though. Happy Holidays!
 
Well, the good thing about this Speed is that it has virtually no collector's value - so if I do some serious hacking on it, no one is going to complain that I'm destroying a classic. Like a 57 Chevy that's already been hotrodded to death - I can't make it any worse!

I can't do much until I get it in my hot little hands of course, but from the photos, it looks like the leather covering is a goner - since some previous owner chose to paint it. But I did some Googling, and it appears that the mahogany underneath is not too bad looking - might be worth stripping down and refinishing. Or, I might recover it with black leather, who knows?

I guess I'll need a lens board and a lens, but I can come up with that. I will also need to find out more about these coupled rangefinders that this type of camera used. I'd like to use it as a 'hand-n-stand' camera, but that necessitates a rangefinder (well, not really required, but I want to do it anyway).

I'd love to pick up a Kodak Aero Ektar lens for it, ala David Burnett:

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0402/dis_burnett.html

I think that would be about as cool as possible.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Step one will be to get the camera into my clutches...then we'll see.

I'll be asking for advice, expertise, and sympathy, etc...so be ready!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
l.mar said:
"I retreat to the Jack Daniels and trying to clean a stubborn Zeiss Ikon Contina IIa Novicar lens"

An interesting choice for lens cleaning fluid. :)
Click to expand...

An excellent choice, IMO. The alcohol has a mild solvent effect, and (unlike many cleaning fluids) it generates no harmful fumes and won't hurt you if you accidentally ingest a little.

If you accidentally ingest more than a little, your bokeh will start looking better and better...
 
Gordon Coale said:
It's amazing how many on this forum have Speed Graphics and/or Twin Lens Reflexes. You people are wierd! :)
Click to expand...

Hey, you're talking to a guy with a 1957 Bell & Howell "Electric Eye 127" sitting on his desk at work. I tell the curious that it is a webcam. Actually, I've considered making it into one. Lots of room in there.

Yeah, no doubt about it. I'm 'not quite right'.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
Todd.Hanz said:
Congrats Bill, I have a couple speed graphics and have shot some great portraits with 'em!
Here is a great starting point: http://www.graflex.org/

Todd
Click to expand...

Thanks, Todd! I have that link, and have been Googling like crazy for the past few days on the Graflex data. Looks like I won't have too much trouble finding resources for this mighty champion of the past.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
127! I've got a 127 bakelite Baby Brownie Special in my collection of shelf cameras. I've been toying with the idea of shooting with it. It was in my search for 127 film that I found J and C Photo where I found that they also have 3.25 x 4.25 sheet film for my odd sized Speed Graphic remodel project.
 
Gordon Coale said:
127! I've got a 127 bakelite Baby Brownie Special in my collection of shelf cameras. I've been toying with the idea of shooting with it. It was in my search for 127 film that I found J and C Photo where I found that they also have 3.25 x 4.25 sheet film for my odd sized Speed Graphic remodel project.
Click to expand...

You can also check out:

http://www.frugalphotographer.com/

For 127 and odd-sized film, etc. I haven't dealt with them myself, but I hear they're ok. And Freestyle has a couple of odd-sized films:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz

I have dealt with them, and they're very cool. And cheap, which I like.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
And I thought my having a Yashica 44 made me the member of the most exclusive club of camera loonies there is... :)

Bill, keep your home anecdotes coming, please! I've laughed like a maniac in front of the computer so much my wife must think I'm smoking something...
 
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