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.
