Sunday, June 10, 2012

Blogging Rewards

People often come to my web site and blog looking for resources to restore their old cameras. I dispense whatever crumbs of wisdom I can dredge up. As a rule, I seldom hear back about how the restoration efforts have gone. A very nice exception to the rule was a recent inquiry about a leaky bellows on a rangefinder-model Super Sport Dolly.

Leon Neal, an exceptionally talented UK press photographer, had enjoyed shooting the Dolly which had been handed down to him by his father. However, the light leaks from the damaged bellows had progressed to the point where they were no longer possible to overlook. Leon was told by a camera repairman that there was no way to repair the bellows on the old German camera. Of course, I took exception to that judgment.

I was able to steer Leon to the workshop in Wales of Sandeha Lynch, an exceptionally talented artist and craftsman who makes custom bellows for medium and large-format cameras. Sandeha performed his usual magic in crafting a bellows for the Dolly, and he also fully serviced the shutter and restored the camera's leather covering and metal fittings. You can read all about the camera, the photographer and the restoration process on Leon's blog.

6 comments:

Jim said...

What a great story! And he did some really nice work with his Dolly.

Mike said...

The work-in-progress restoration shots are all by Sandeha Lynch. You can see those and more of his stuff as well at his wed site or in his Flickr stream. In addition to making bellows, Sandeha also hand makes large format view cameras with hardwood and brass components.

robert said...

I agree with Jim. Is it the photographer's talent or are those great photo's subject matter and circumstance that make them so appealing?

Mike said...

Definitely a case of many things coming together in just the right way. Pretty neat also that the camera has been used by three generations of the same family.

Julio F said...

Well done, Mike. I can attest Sandeha's craftmanship. Those 6x6 folders are very capable in the right hands.

Leon Neal said...

Thanks Mike! As an update, Dolly is still going strong and providing many hours of old-school fun. Major thanks to Sandeha for his incredible work and to you for your kind words!