Graflex.org

[Stephen Furley]

I've just been given one of these by the college where I work. It seems to have been one which originally had a rangefinder, but this is no longer there. It had been dismantled, and was very dirty, the rails were almost completely buried in dust. One of us (IT technicians) used to be the college photographer, he has been there for almost twenty years, and he doesn't remember it being in use. The ground glass is broken, the shutter is sticking, and a few minor parts are missing, but nothing serious. The lens is a 150mm Xenar. It's a pity I didn't get it a bit earlier; I'm going up to North Yorkshire for a few days the weekend after next, but I won't have time to get it usable by then.

It's an interesting camera, very long bellows extension for something which folds up so small, and unusual to see rear movements on a camera which folds up into a box. I believe this was a Linhof feature.

Has anybody had any experience of these? I've got a few small parts left over when I assembled the thing which I haven't been able to identify yet.
_________________
Stephen Furley

[Dan Fromm]

Stephen, there's an MPP Users Club. In the UK, where there are clubs for everything, of course.

I don't know what's going on with their site, whose URL is http://www.mppusers.freeuk.com/ . At the moment it is advertising a camera fair. The membership page seems correct, see http://www.mppusers.freeuk.com/membership.htm So is the company history page, http://www.mppusers.freeuk.com/company.htm

Anyway, I think you'll get better advice and help there than here.

Good luck, have fun,

Dan

Thinking of clubs for everything, perhaps 30 years ago I read a letter to Motorsport's editor. An owner of a Monica car, of which three examples had been built before the company failed, was seeking the owners of the other two so they could form a club.

[Stephen Furley]

Dan,

I found that site yesterday; the fact that the front page is still advertising a camera fair from last year, and has no links to other pages, is a bit worrying.

The page which I found, via Google, is this one:

http://www.mppusers.freeuk.com/microtec.htm

There is some technical information, but it's a bit limited. I don't know if the club is still active; I might e-mail them and see if I get a reply.

I see that you joined just three days after me, and on my birthday!

Whereabouts in New Jersey are you? I've been over there several times, mainly to visit the Loew's Jersey Theatre. I stay at the Ramada hotel in Jersey City, just a couple of minutes walk from the Theatre, and the Journal Square PATH station. I've also been to Hoboken, and down to Rahway and Trenton, and then on the River Line to Camden, and also to the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, ok I know that's not in New Jersey, but it's only a few hundred metres over the border on the NJ Transit Main Line. I also know Newark of course; I couldn't really not know it, since that's where the airport is.

I was last over there in May 1996; since then poor health, lack of money and being too busy at work have prevented me from coming back; maybe later this year.

Stephen.
_________________
Stephen Furley

[Dan Fromm]

Stephen, I just tried the MPP Users' Club site and it seems back to normal. I have no idea what hit them yesterday.

I'm in Cherry Hill, a suburb of Camden.

Cheers,

Dan

[Henry]