Asanuma project camera – bellows installed, FINISHED!

After what seemed like forever, the tracking info updated on the bellows coming from Wales this morning. I rushed the kids to school and rushed home, knowing that they’d require a signature for delivery. I met the mail lady as she reached our driveway. And, she dropped off the new bellows.

They came out of the package in perfect shape. I let them warm up to room temperature before stretching them out and trying them for a dry fit. The back fit the standard perfectly; the front needed a little trimming to fit the standard. Easily done with a sharp pair of scissors. I applied a coat of Pliobond contact cement to the wood in the front and rear standards, and the mating fabric in the bellows. This first coat is allowed to dry. Then, a second coat goes on the wood, and the bellows are pressed into place. Some alignment is possible before the glue tacks up; I hold everything together with spring clamps. The bottle states that the glue sets completely after 15 minutes; I leave things clamped for about an hour, but won’t stress the glue joints for 24 hours.

That doesn’t mean I can’t gaze approvingly at it, though:

I really think it’s beautiful. Sandeha did a superlative job on the bellows, again. They’re the perfect shine to finish this project off.

Now, I will shoot a couple sheets with this today. I have the Sironar-N 210/5.6 mounted, and will shoot the kids wide open in order to gauge the accuracy of the positioning of the ground glass relative to the plane of the film. I’ll play with it more tomorrow, too. But for now, all the work is finished!