So how did I end up with three identical Kodaks?
Sept 2, 2024 20:03:29 GMT
Kath, zx9, and 3 more like this
Post by gray1720 on Sept 2, 2024 20:03:29 GMT
Well, what happen waas...
The first one was in the box of cameras I was given while on holiday. The shutter didn't release, I thought "Can't be that difficult", and dived in. I was wrong... The shutter itself is fairly simple, just three blades and no escapement, but to remove the mechanism you have to remove a rivet from the little haybaler* link beneath the shutter so you can slide the release lever out. On top of that the diaphragm is made of pressed metal and fixed to a ring attached to the adjustment level. That's OK, what isn't is that the blades each have a punched hole in the other end with a very shallow rim that should engage in slots in the back plate of the shutter. Fine, except that there is nothing to hold the bugger in place! You have to slide the next level of the mech on top to get the release arm through its' slot in the shutter housing, then wiggle it into place and tighten up the screws to fix it in place. Meanwhile the diaphragm has popped out of its location...
So I decided to get another camera, unbuggered about with, to use as a spare/pattern. You can see this coming, I'm sure. I put a bid in, then 24 hours later discovered a cheaper one (that didn't unfold properly) and the seller accepted my offer... hoped I'd get outbid on the other, no, I won that as well!
Number two arrives. I consider just swapping shutters, but realise with a little judicious metal bending I can get the thing to open as it should. I opened the shutter up and used it as a pattern to tell me where all the bits I'd forgotten should go (the weird little metal pin turned out to be from the middle of the flash connector). Eventually after what felt like a thousand tries I got the diaphragm in and fixed (counter-intuitively it seemed to work better with it closed rather than open), and the rest was simple with a pattern to check against. I even managed to re-use the rivet.
So I had two identical working cameras. Today the third arrived. Apart from a missing tripod bush cover you guessed, it's identical! And of course it works too, so I have three identical cameras, all working.
I'm going to have to shoot a roll and see what the pics are like as I'd assumed they were cheap shite. In fact, they are the "upmarket" version of the post-WW2 Six-20 Folding 'Brownie', and despite the four speeds (including B & T) shutter the lens is in fact a coated three-element Anastigmat lens. So they could well give quite good results, though I've found the pre-WW2 uncoated versions to be a bit of a contrast-free zone. Info here:https://www.brownie-camera.com/94.shtml
Number two arrives. I consider just swapping shutters, but realise with a little judicious metal bending I can get the thing to open as it should. I opened the shutter up and used it as a pattern to tell me where all the bits I'd forgotten should go (the weird little metal pin turned out to be from the middle of the flash connector). Eventually after what felt like a thousand tries I got the diaphragm in and fixed (counter-intuitively it seemed to work better with it closed rather than open), and the rest was simple with a pattern to check against. I even managed to re-use the rivet.
So I had two identical working cameras. Today the third arrived. Apart from a missing tripod bush cover you guessed, it's identical! And of course it works too, so I have three identical cameras, all working.
I'm going to have to shoot a roll and see what the pics are like as I'd assumed they were cheap shite. In fact, they are the "upmarket" version of the post-WW2 Six-20 Folding 'Brownie', and despite the four speeds (including B & T) shutter the lens is in fact a coated three-element Anastigmat lens. So they could well give quite good results, though I've found the pre-WW2 uncoated versions to be a bit of a contrast-free zone. Info here:https://www.brownie-camera.com/94.shtml
*Martin will know what I mean, there was a model of haybaler back when oi were a lad which had a drive link to the ram just like this, sticking out of the top, and you could see it moving back and forth as it baled. I think it was red, so MF or IH.
