Home  1: Introduction and research  2: Basic parts and materials 
3: Initial test box  4: Framework mockup  5: Designing lens and aperture mount 
6: Designing camera back and film holder  7: Design tweaks  8: Film holder construction 
9: Camera back construction  10: Camera aperture failure  11: Camera aperture success 
12: Camera back framework  13: Camera shutter  14: Ground glass 
15: Camera front framework  16: Bellow test  17: Remade bellow 

CHAPTER 17: REMADE BELLOW

A few things has happened since I wrote the last chapter of this project (today is May 8th 2011). To make a long story short: The company I had worked for for nine years suddenly went bankrupt in August 2009 and I was unemployed. I tried getting a new job in one of the other game studios here in Stockholm but was unlucky at the time. I started my own company, learned all the neccessary accounting bullshit and went freelance. I did a few jobs but realized that it was not what I was supposed to do at the time. Shortly thereafter I was lucky, although I think my skills played a part as well :) and I landed a job at the company where I´ve been working since. After getting comfortable at the new job I broke up with my girlfriend i´d been togehter with for five years, we sold our apartment and I moved to another part of town. All I have left to do now is to find myself another apartment to live in as my current one has a time limit.

Anyway that´s that with touchy feely crap and i´m more or less back in buisness with this project!

I´ve made a second bellow using different materials for the folding part, and this time i´m quite satified with the end result as it both look and folds better that my first one. The construction is exactly the same and I only used a different type of cloth and a thinner type of cardboard/paper for the supports. A while back I purchased some fabric for customizing a pair of my pants and I realized that fabric could work perfectly for the bellow as it´s waterproof with a slightly rubbery surface on one side. It´s almost completly lightproof and the tiny amount of light that still comes through don´t bother me as the supports will also help to block most of it out. I only made one small mistake on this thing which I realized too late when looking at other (professionally made) ones. As I tried to make a little upgrade on it adding angled ends to the supports the corners of the folds ended up looking not exactly like they should. But I´ll let if be as it works just as good anyway. Now that I think of it I´ll probably rebuild the thing again once I´m done with all the other remaining stuff. I just cant stand to not correct a misstake if I know how.

Camera bellow.

Now the only major part that still remains to build are the base mount. I´ve started making some plans and sketches for it. Well, only one sketch to be honest but that´s all I need anyway :)

Base plan/sketch.

The most challenging part will be to make some kind of locking mechanism for the front unit which will slide back and forth when focusing, but I don´t expect that to give me any major headace, I´m not yet sure if I need one at all. Anyway I just need to think about making sure the lock won´t wear down too quickly when used as it will be made out of cardboard as everything else. Then I have to make it possible to screw this whole thing onto a tripod. For that part to become durable and stable I will most probably use a nut glued into a small peice of wood board on which I´ll glue the whole of the base mount. This particular point in the construction have to be able to withstand some force to not break when tightening the bolt into it, and the camera as a whole are also gaining some weight which i´ll have to consider. Below is the top of the front mount which will slide back and forth to allow focusing.

Camera front mount.

Camera front_mount.

Stay tuned for the next part!

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