"darkroommike" wrote in message
...
I just picked up a Graphic View I (base tilts) and fell in
love with its Art Deco Look. Camera seems to be in fairly
good shape, at least not bad for 60 years old(!), bellows
good but it needs a few parts to complete and a few minor
repairs. So I have a few questions:

Has someone seen the Graphic View repair CD offered on
that auction site, is it worth the money or just a bad
scan of a photocopy of a Mimeographed manual made in the
40's (you know what I mean)?

Can someone suggest a few sources of parts, I need the
front lens board retaining clip, and some parts for the
focus drive on one of the standards. Oh and a couple of
un-drilled metal lens boards (I know I can make the boards
from plywood but want to stay original).
--
darkroommike

You might try John Craig for instruction books,
http://www.craigcamera.com
The Graphic View was the first model of the camera. The
Graphic View II has a different arrangement for swings and
tilts and I think has some other differences. There is some
information on the Graflex site at http://www.graflex.org
Be careful to enter .org because there is also a .com site
which has nothing to do with the Graflex organization.
Graflex View lensboards are similar to those used on 4x5
Anniversary Speed Graphic cameras except they are of metal
rather than wood. If you have access to metal working
equipment they are not hard to make but wood ones will do
quite well. I would not worry about authenticity too much.
Graflex began to make bellows of synthetic materials
sometime around the late 1930s and unless they are serously
abused they are generally light tight. The Graphic View is
recent enough so that all of them should have synthetic
bellows. If the bellows do need replacement its just
possible some originals may be available but there are two
or three companies who can make new bellows.
I have no idea about sources of parts but the Graflex
site has some discussion groups on it and you might find
help there. Also try Fred Lustig, I don't even know if he is
still alive but he has the stock of parts from the Graflex
Western Division and is an expert on the cameras. The
problem is he will want the whole camera and is reluctant to
sell parts. He never had a web site or e-mail. At least
worth a try. Make sure you get parts for the original model,
there are a lot of differences between the first and second
versions.

Fred Lustig
4790 Caughlin Pkwy
#433
Reno, NV
89509
1 775 746 0111
Graflex Parts and Service


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA