Deardorff bellows arthritis
John R. Williams
Hi out there! I have a vintage Standardized V-8, whose leather bellows
are drying out. I keep the camera open, so as to now fold it up often.
Can anyone suggest a safe leather softner/conditioner? Would baseball
glove conditioner work properly? No pin holes yet, and trying to keep
it that way. BTW, on my 11x14 Commercial View, the bellows leather
sems different. Should I treat it with the same conditioner? Thank
you in advance! John
Jamie H Y
I asked the camera curator at the eastman house about bellows conditoner and
was told not to do anything as most products have silicone which will
eventually loosen the glue bonds in the laminations. I have a 1900-1910 camera
which had a great red leather bellows except for the fact that the interior
ling was completely separating from the exterior. the leather was really soft
and I guess that someone "conditioned " it. Be careful what you do and avoid
silicone. Jamie Young
k-...@msn.com
In article <354A242F...@mail.ptway.com>,
Leather bellows can be a tough thing to recondition. First DO NOT use
Neatsfoot oil. It can soften the glue binding the outer cover , Ribs and
inner lining. Go to a leather shop or shoe repair shop and get a product
called LEXSOL. Remove the bellows carefully and drench the outer covering
only. Let it sit 2-4 hr and do it again. Then wrap it in Saran wrap. Let it
sit over night. Wipe the excess off. You should then do it every 6mo. or so.
Hope this helps.
Ken Hough Photographic Repair
Specializing in the refinishing of Deardorff Cameras.
Contributing editor McKeowns Price Guide, (Deardorff Section)
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k-...@msn.com
In article <354A242F...@mail.ptway.com>,
"John R. Williams" <jrw...@mail.ptway.com> wrote:
>
> Hi out there! I have a vintage Standardized V-8, whose leather bellows
> are drying out. I keep the camera open, so as to now fold it up often.
> Can anyone suggest a safe leather softner/conditioner? Would baseball
> glove conditioner work properly? No pin holes yet, and trying to keep
> it that way. BTW, on my 11x14 Commercial View, the bellows leather
> sems different. Should I treat it with the same conditioner? Thank
> you in advance! John
>
Deardorff used ( at last count ) atleast 15 Different materials ( I have seen
that many ) The leathers (3 different skins )may be treated with Lexsol as
stated before. The Rubber ( 4 kinds), Vinyl (3kinds) , Naugahyde ( at least 4
kinds ), Nylon (2kinds), should be replaced. Part of this is due to the
breakdown of the materials from UV light, Smoke, even air. This seems
strange but if you visit the National Air and Space Museum they are having a
tought time preserving space suits made of " Space age fabrics ". Again,
Hope this Helps,
Ken Hough Photographic Repair
Deardorff Specialist
Richard Knoppow
k-...@msn.com wrote:
>In article <354A242F...@mail.ptway.com>,
> "John R. Williams" <jrw...@mail.ptway.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi out there! I have a vintage Standardized V-8, whose leather bellows
>> are drying out. I keep the camera open, so as to now fold it up often.
>> Can anyone suggest a safe leather softner/conditioner? Would baseball
>> glove conditioner work properly? No pin holes yet, and trying to keep
>> it that way. BTW, on my 11x14 Commercial View, the bellows leather
>> sems different. Should I treat it with the same conditioner? Thank
>> you in advance! John
>>
>>
>Hello John
>Leather bellows can be a tough thing to recondition. First DO NOT use
>Neatsfoot oil. It can soften the glue binding the outer cover , Ribs and
>inner lining. Go to a leather shop or shoe repair shop and get a product
>called LEXSOL. Remove the bellows carefully and drench the outer covering
>only. Let it sit 2-4 hr and do it again. Then wrap it in Saran wrap. Let it
>sit over night. Wipe the excess off. You should then do it every 6mo. or so.
>Hope this helps.
>Ken Hough Photographic Repair
>Specializing in the refinishing of Deardorff Cameras.
>Contributing editor McKeowns Price Guide, (Deardorff Section)
>
>-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
>http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
I must partly (but only partly) disagree with this. The MSDS for
Lexol indicates it is all or mostly Neatsfoot oil. (see
http://hazard.com or http://siri.org for MSDS, both URL's poin to the
same site).
What I've found is that Neatsfoot oil will penetrate the leather and
get the stiffeners wet which may turn them into mush. Most old
bellows have stiffeners made of heavy Manilla card stock. Neatsfoot
oil can be used but it should be applied sparingly and allowed to soak
in for a week or more before adding more.
At some point leather which has gotten stiff and crispy isn't going
to soften up any more, especially if it has started to rot. At this
point it will start to crack, especially at the corners, and the
bellows must be replaced.
A good dressing for bellows which are still in fair shape is Kiwi
Leather Balm. It is also worth trying a gentle cleaning with saddle
soap followed by a leather dressing. If little flakes of leather come
off when its cleaned it is a sign that it has started to rot and is
probably beyond salvage.
I really learned about Neatsfoot oil when I tried to salvage the
bellows on a 1940's vintage 8x10 Agfa/Ansco camera. I put on too much
and too fast. The corners, which were originally light tight soon
developed pin holes. When I did an autopsy on these bellows after
replacing them I found the paper stiffeners had become soggy at the
tips.
The way in which the camera is stored will have a lot to do with the
life of the bellows. The Agfa camera had been kept in poor conditions
and, in fact, I had to re-glue most of the woodwork. I have a 5x7
version of this camera which is older but has perfect bellows even
though they must be around sixty years old now. Try to avoid damp
condtions and air out the camera at frequent intervals if it isn't
being used often.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dick...@ix.netcom.com