Strange how many questions we get about what we do, why we do it, and always how do you do certain things. I never mind answering questions. This is how one learns, and I feel that sharing what you know is very important. We have no secrets. . . no secret methods. . . secret places. . . secret formulas. . . or anything that is in any way secret.

Funny how after our last trip, and sending out our Utah Snapshot Album, I received several questions about our camera packs. One that came up several times was how do you hang the pack from your tripod? We are pretty picky about our camera gear. It is imperative when you are a film photographer to keep any and all foreign materials as far from your gear as possible. I just could never set my backpack down in the dirt, let alone the mud, or snow. HERE is another post on this subject.

We tend to photograph in remote locations. We are always climbing over rocks, and are knee deep in mud or snow. One of the first packs I used was a really well-made and versatile Art Wolfe design that was perfect for a 4×5. The pack had a small webbing loop at the top and I soon found myself hooking it to one of the knobs on my Zone VI tripod. Worked great!

Things were fine until we moved up to larger cameras and larger packs from f64. They say necessity is the mother of invention.  So we modified the larger f64 backpacks with a hanging strap similar to the Art Wolfe design, since it was not a standard option from them. Later when we designed and built our own packs the hanging loop was a standard, must have, feature.  As our packs got larger and heavier we eventually changed over to Ries tripods and suddenly there was another problem. . . no good place to hook the pack. This was a challenge. When I need to think about something, I usually take a nap. I do my best thinking when asleep.

I dreamed up a simple modification to the Ries tripod head that allowed me to add a hook to the under side of the crown. I fabricated a small aluminum block and a hook made of 3/16 steel rod. The rod has to be heated and bent into shape, then quenched to harden the metal. The block uses a 6-32 set screw and a press-fit pin to hold the hook firmly in place. The hook assembly is attached using two 8-32 flat head machine screws drilled through the tripod crown.

I have added this modification to both our ‘J’ and ‘A’ model Ries tripods and they have preformed flawlessly for years. Ries tripods are extremely well-made and will support well beyond their factory weight ratings. I have hung a 45 plus-pound pack from my ‘A’ model for years now and never had any issues. . . except sometimes heaving that heavy pack onto the hook when in a difficult position.

Take a look at the photos to get a better idea of how I made this modification. I just did a complete rebuild of my 40 year old Ries ‘A’ model and it now has a new coat of paint and the legs have been refinished. It will not stay this nice looking for long. A tripod takes a beating in the field.

The running story around here is that we don’t own much of anything that hasn’t been taken apart and modified in some way. If you work with LF and ULF, you soon learn that there are very few off-the-shelf options available. If you need something, it is probably not made and you will either have to improvise, modify, or build it yourself.

This is how we solved the problem of keeping our pack off the ground. There are those times you just have to make a few modifications.

JB

 What I had in mind was a complete strip down of every part of the tripod, remove all old paint and finish, repair dings and dents as best as possible, refinish everything, then reassemble.  It’s not that hard to dissemble a Ries tripod.  Take care not to damage anything and maybe take a few quick snapshots before you start, just in case you don’t remember exactly how it all fits back together. 

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 I completely disassembled the legs, removing all of the hardware so I could sand and refinish the wooden legs.  The most difficult things to remove are the drive pins that hold the leg locking rods to the underside of the crown and leg swivel guides.  An appropriate size punch makes short work of the pins and an arbor press takes care of the guides. 

 At this point I have the entire tripod completely disassembled.  With the application of a little elbow grease, I completely sanded down all of the wooden leg parts, smoothed over the dings, scrapes, and dents, and shot three coats of spar varnish on all six upper and three lower legs.  Next I stripped the old paint from the tripod crown.  Took a few tries and some scrubbing with a brush, but soon I had nothing but bare aluminum.   Since the crown top surface was scored, I chucked the head in the lathe and resurfaced the top.  Next came a fresh coat of black self-etching primer and a bake in the sun for a day.   There is nothing like a day or two in the Texas sun to really cure paint. . . even in winter.

 The leg swivel guides did not fare well being removed from the crown, so I machined a new set.  Once I had the new guides pressed into the crown I also made a new set of friction washers. 

 At this point it was just a matter of cleaning up a few odd parts and reassembly of the entire tripod.  I did not need to do any work on the A250 head since it is much newer than the legs so it was only a matter of adjusting the leg tension and my tripod was ready for action.

 That is the entire process in a nutshell.  The tripod, though it will never look factory new, is now ready for another trip.

JB

If you are lucky enough to own a Calumet Shutter Speed Tester, you know it is not exactly ideal for testing large lenses and shutters. I have owned one of these handy little devices for over ten years. I performed a modification/upgrade near ten years ago that makes the tester much more suited to testing large lenses and shutters.

This modification/upgrade is not difficult, but does require a little ingenuity and proficiency with a soldering iron. With a little planning and a good junk box full of odds and ends you can construct a remote trigger for the tester.

Follow the link HERE to our main web site which will take you to the ‘ARTICLES’ area and scroll down the page to download the PDF titled “CALUMET SHUTTER TESTER MODIFICATION: AN UPGRADE FOR THE LF SHOOTER.” This modification/upgrade has served me well over the years. Hopefully you will find this of interest also.

JB

As much as I try to not talk continually about the gear, it seems that I always end up talking shop anyway. So, here I go again talking about another project. Having built two vertical pano cameras for Susan I promised myself no more camera building. Well, I do not seem to listen to myself all that well. I have this thing about big negatives. I have chosen the 8×10 to be my every day format. But there are times that I envision something just a little larger. In reality, my favorite format is 11×14, but the camera I have been using weighing in at about 24 pounds limits its usability. The idea of a more user friendly 11×14 has been rattling around in my head for some time.

The nice thing about building your own, is you can pick and choose the features and design that best suits you. This is exactly what I did, and I ended up with a camera that is a conglomeration of designs.

The end result is what I call the Ultra-Light 11×14. Here are the specs;

FORMAT — 11X14
FILM BACK — Horizontal/Vertical
BELLOWS — Max: 36.0” Min: 5.5”
FRONT SWING — Limited by Bellows
FRONT SHIFT — +/- 2.0”
FRONT RISE — +/- 3.0”
FRONT TILT AXIS — Limited by Bellows
FRONT TILT BASE — Forward: 45º Back: 90º
REAR TILT — Forward: Limited by Bellows Rear: 35º
REAR SWING — +/- 10º
GROUND GLASS — Acrylic
WOOD — Cherry
FRAME — Composite & Aluminum
FOLDED — 18” x 19” x 6”
WEIGHT — 13.5 lbs

The most important thing here is the last item, Weight! Once all of the camera was finalized, Susan had to build a pack to haul everything. Took several weeks, but I now have a complete 11×14 packable camera system. The pack carries the camera, three lenses, accessories, three film holders, and weighs in under 45 pounds!

Now it is time to get out and get back to what is important, making photographs. This, I hope, will be my last camera building project.

JB

P.S. Take a look at my previous post titled, “THE VIEW CAMERA IN THE FIELD” November 25th, for another photo of the Ultra-Light 11×14 with pack on its second outing.

Almost forgot about the other little project we undertook a few months back. Susan found a KB Canham 4×10 and it ended up in our possession. Because we strive to keep our equipment as homogeneous as possible, the new camera required a few modifications just like my 8×10.

Everything around here seems to end up in the shop before it hits the road. So, here is another little story about camera modification. Take a look at the article WHY MODIFY ANOTHER CAMERA? to see what happened this time.

The good news is we took the cameras on a little outing a few weeks ago and the negatives were just fine. No light leaks, nor any other strangeness. Guess this one is ready for the road. Time for fall, then winter, and much cooler weather to get out and haul some equipment around.

JB

I have said this many times and I will repeat it here; I want the hardware involved in the process of making a photograph to be as transparent as possible. By transparent, I mean that the equipment should not be a distraction when out in the field making an image. I want the hardware to fit my way of working so well that I do not have to concentrate on working with it. I do not want to have to fumble with the camera and be distracted by some aspect of its operation that is not fluid in its use.

The way I make my cameras as transparent as possible is to modify them to whatever extent necessary to make them fit me. Yes, this requires I disassemble the camera and make modifications. I would rather do this now, in my shop, where I can work out these things so they do not hamper me later in the field.

What is all of this about? Well, I just acquired a new K.B. Canham 8×10 camera and in order to make it fit me better, I had to make a few modifications. If you are interested in seeing what I did, take a look at “NOTHING HERE REMAINS THE SAME; PERSONALIZING MY K.B. CANHAM 8X10” for a look at what I did.

Have fun reading this account, but remember kids. . . you may not want to try this at home!

JB Harlin

I have had a lot of really positive feedback on my recent text titled Bellows Building. I would like to thank everyone for the kind comments. There have been several inquiries for more information regarding Railroad Board, exactly what it is and where to purchase.

Railroad Board is the best material for bellows ribs. It is a smooth, thin, Bristol-type board, colored on both sides, that is used for signs, posters, mailing cards, tickets, tags, and so forth. Thicknesses are 4 ply (about .017″ or .43 mm) and 6 ply (about .022″ or .56 mm) and is available in 22″ × 28″ sheets. I recommend 4 ply for small bellows smaller than 8×10 and 6 ply for larger bellows.

You can purchase Railroad Board by the sheet or in bulk packages from Dick Blick. I would recommend black material and here are the stock numbers and the direct link to their on line CATALOG ;

13105-2002 Black 22″ × 28″ 4 Ply
13105-2102 Black 22″ × 28″ 6 Ply

Hope this answers any questions and good luck with that camera rework and bellows building project.

JB

So, what to do? I say make your own using plywood. Correct. . . Plywood. It will not warp or crack and is easily obtainable. All you have to do to make it look decent is to veneer the outside with the same wood as your camera and finish it. You will not be able to tell the difference from the solid wood boards.

Take a trip to your local woodworking store, or search on line, for some high-laminate birch plywood in the nearest thickness to the lens board that your camera uses. Hobby shops also sell suitable high-grade plywood. You will also need a few pieces of veneer of the correct type. I cross laminate the veneer and it looks just like the multi-piece hardwood boards. Look on the Internet for tips on wood laminating, it is not that hard to do. Carefully measure an original lens board and using a saw and router duplicate the profile and sand to fit your camera.

The hardest part is drilling the hole for the shutter. Here you will need a Forstner bit that is the closest to the size of the shutter you intend to mount. Remember that most shutters are metric, so choose a drill that is just under the desired size. You can then us a round file and sand paper to adjust the fit.

Once you are satisfied that everything fits, it is time to finish the board. I black the back of my boards along with the light trap offset and edges. I use black India ink which penetrates the wood and dries to a flat, non-reflective finish. Only the veneer front requires a fine finish. I use varnish, you can use spray acrylic if you like. You may have to apply stain to match your camera, experiment on a scrap of veneer first.

It is really easy to make your own high-quality lens boards. The last time I did this I made about six blanks and I still have extra undrilled boards on hand.

JB

Once you become a serious darkroom worker you will eventually want a real darkroom sink with running water. The question is, to buy, or to build? Certainly, if you have deep pockets, you can buy a commercial stainless steel sink. You can even have a stainless sink custom fabricated. Just be forewarned, you are looking at a serious amount of money.

What most do is build their own sink, typically from wood. This is my favorite construction technique and allows me to build a very functional sink to any size required. In the previous post titled “NOT THE KITCHEN SINK” we showed what it took to build a large darkroom sink from wood. Robust construction is essential to make sure the sink does not flex. Flexing can cause the finish to crack and begin to leak.

My philosophy of sink building is to build the thing like a boat. Using construction robust enough to sail the ocean. That way it is strong enough to stand up to most anything. Once complete, I like to climb into the sink and jump up and down. If nothing moves, creaks, or breaks, I am satisfied that I have a good strong sink.

Waterproofing is the next order of business. Caulking all seams is a must to insure no leaks. Next comes some form of durable, waterproof coating. I built one sink years ago and used fiberglass. Never again! Way too messy for me, and I hate working with the stuff.

After much research I found a suitable coating for my darkroom sink. Tile-Clad® HS Epoxy is a two-part, commercial-grade, epoxy-polyamide coating from Sherwin-Williams. This epoxy paint is used in power plants, offshore structures, schools, storage tanks, laboratories, hospitals and marine applications. This stuff dries rock hard and is near impervious to most chemicals.

I have found that two generous coats of Tile-Clad® makes a great smooth waterproof finish for a darkroom sink. You can also have the paint tinted to most any color you desire. Most any Sherwin-Williams store should have Tile-Clad® and be able to tint it for you. Be prepared, this material is not cheap. Seven years ago when we built our last sink it was about $110.00 for a gallon of part ‘A’ and part ‘B’ which, when mixed, makes two gallons of paint.

The main points to keep in mind when building a darkroom sink is make it robust in construction, waterproof, and resistant to chemicals. Whatever finish you choose, whether it be fiberglass or Tile-Clad®, if the sink flexes, the finish will crack. Build your sink like your life depends on its integrity and you will never have leaks nor have to build another. . . unless. . . you decide you need a larger one!

For those interested in why we chose this chocolate brown color, the first sink I built was white. Amidol and Pyro left stain spots all over the sink. We chose the closest color to the stains from the color swatches from Sherwin-Williams and had the paint tinted that color. Developer stains do not show!

JB

Cabinets for storage would be constructed at each end of the sink with slots for trays in between. There would be space in the right hand end for the water chiller and racks for chemical storage at each end. The backsplash would be a copy of the old one, only larger, and would contain the same plumbing, including filters, two mixing faucets and temperature control unit.

Having determined the necessary measurements it was just a matter of gathering the materials and getting to work. It took about three weeks to complete and install the new sink. Construction was my usual battle ship, massive over kill, design, using plenty of nails, screws, lag bolts, caulk and paint.

For those that are interested in seeing what is involved in building a wooden sink, click HERE to visit our snapshot album chronicling that little undertaking. This is not your typical kitchen sink!