Graflex.org

Anth2146 · Joined: 27 Aug 2021 Posts: 2 Location: Adrian, MI

Hello! I'm very excited to own a 3x4 Auto Graflex. It is my first SLR Graflex and I look forward to shooting with it. When I first purchased the camera, the curtain had come off of the rollers and was essentially just sitting in the back of the camera. From this forum, I have already undergone the restoring of the cloth, and am currently waiting for the recoat to dry. However, without having seen where the curtain was previously sitting, I am pretty stumped on how and where to reattach the curtain to the rollers. I will most likely be using Pliobond or some sort of cement to reglue, but the part that escapes me is how much do I glue and what are the steps to reinstalling the curtain. Thanks a ton in advance!

45PSS · Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:16 pm Post subject:

There is no standard, just a rule of thumb.
The curtain must be square to the rollers. Scribe a center line along the length of the roller to aid in alignment.
Top roller glue the curtain 1 turn of the roller.
Lower (tension) roller I have seen from 5/8 turn to 1 full turn.
When attached to the rollers the curtain must run straight the full length of the curtain on wind up and run down.
Some cameras have 3 to 6 turns of the curtain on the top roller with the curtain glued to itself 1/4 to 3/8 inch width at the top roller with the curtain at closed after open.

See https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1sPJkp-MdghRkRId1EwT0dpNkk/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-JlLEG0Yi_nEVpc73579Mpw

Pliobond LV25 is excellent glue to use on the curtain.
_________________
The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

Anth2146 · Joined: 27 Aug 2021 Posts: 2 Location: Adrian, MI

Thank you for the response! Essentially it sounds as if I should glue the curtain a full rotation around the rollers. Is the gluing procedure something that needs to be exact? For example, does the glueing position determine where the aperture openings are or effect any functionality? Or will this be determined when the curtain is installed and “packed”?

45PSS · Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:27 pm Post subject:

The curtain attach to the lower roller will affect the curtain winding to the 1/8 aperture.
The curtain attach to the top roller will not affect aperture positions as that is set by the meshing of the wind plate to the top roller.
The attaching to both rollers must be square as 1/64 off on either will result in the curtain rubbing against the sides of the image frame for part of the full run wearing the curtain or causing a tear.

With Pliobond the curtain can be detached within a few hours and the excess glue removed with 90% isopropyl alcohol if it does not rub off.
_________________
The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.