Bellows building, one of a kind

My way of bellows building began about 15 years ago, at that time I needed a new bellows to replace my old Linhof Technika IV, and by trying errors, I gradually learned the knowledge of bellows building.
By inspecting tearing down old bellows, I found out that ribs between inner and outer layers, are not fully cover the whole area inside, always one pair sides of the ribs have the point ends, and the other pair of sides shaped in trapezoid, and thus rows of triangle areas are actually two layers formed, what if outer or inner layer cracked? didn't 3 layers of structure make better protection? I wondered why, shouldn't these ribs cover completely for the best light proof?
Seeking for the answer, I searched many resources of bellows building, including one tiny article bought from Xbay as below (I regret to pay for it!)

In page 4 of it (total 11pages) did show the ribs are made in two shapes, one set in tip points, and the other set is not, but it did not tell you why. And by building bellows for more than 10 years, I can insure you, this article did little help.

Instructed by this article, bellows building needs an exact 3D dimension form, so all 3 layers- inner/ ribs/outer layer build around the form, but when paste the ribs, there are problems when meet the corner, so the compromise happens, two sides of ribs keep the shapes needed, that is, tip corners, but other two sides had to be cut into trapezoid, what a pity!

And the article did not reveal the fact that, for fitting these compromise, 3D dimension form actually can not be made in EXACT dimension of bellows! 

I kept search for answers for years, and I do find it! It is a compromise of mass production and the least feasibility. What a joke!
Google the web, there are people hand build their bellows, and generously reveal their way of bellows building, but many of them followed the mass production way, although they are made in hand.

So I built my way of bellows building, NO compromise.
These bellows are for the most recent batch conversion, you can see there are ribs fully cover the bellows, no triangle areas, and this is one of a kind, dared I say, now in the world.

X type Byron

Workshop part list

4/10 added
It's really hard to begin the course without first finishing the bellows, but ALL my participants this time seemed to stuck at this stage.....
I will try to instruct proceeding other steps instead, to get back everybody's confidence, let's see how to solve the bellows obstacle next....


Drag too long to finish the course, I took the pictures of the parts packed for the workshop, main part aside, these tiny little parts bother me the most, I believed that there are something missing in the first parcel participants received, please help me checking your each bag for the parts, if there is something short, mail me.

I will continue add images for these parts, to complete the check chart (or the picture)

Clamp parts

Sliding/Rotating lock parts

RF parts

Lens board/Bellows parts

Standard Lock parts

RF housing parts

GG panel parts

Here is the list for contents of each image, not yet finished.

Move house, off line for 1 week.

I bought a house in a small town near Taipei, called DaXi, a 300 years old little town by the creek, surrounded by farms and gardens, and I have a studio room by  Shihmen Reservoir, where I could rebuild my darkroom.


So I will be not able log online for about one week.


Till then, thank you very much.




3/5


Finally, everything on its way.
Today I am packing those parts for workshop participants, still one did not make it, all cried out at the stage of bellows practice.


Well, you are just practicing single-layer paper bellows, what will it be when going to 3 layer real world bellows?

What a happy working day!

Today is a great day! everything goes smoothly, even my ten fingers are fine, no one turns swollen.
Ha!

Welcome a new system into the family

Fetched Ellen from airport last night, she came from NY city, for a lecture hold in Taipei, and brought bunch load of camera items I bought from eBay these year round. I bidd some items from ebay and asked sellers send them to Jeff's place, who lives in NY, then at the chance that Ellen coming to Taipei, she carries those stuff for me.

Overweight, she cried out as we met in the visiting hall, truly, a big case full of my equipment, and so many items I even don't remember ever bidding. I took her to the famous night market for best local food, to ease her and her stomach.

Late at about 2am, back home, I tore down each package, and found one Mamiya Press 23 Standard body laid still, reminds me that is the one I'm gonna study for my snappy wide 6x9.

I've bought the Sekor 50/6.3mm already, and loads of 6x7/6x9 film back, just wonder the flange distance of it, so plan to find a Mamiya body as parts, to make a research. I would like to follow the idea as a Chinese did in following images, but since Sekor 50/6.3 lens equipped with shutter, focus ring on it, actually all I need is to make a box in proper length to connect the lens with film back, to keep them in perfect flange distance, that's it!

But the camera body I bid, is in GREAT shape! RF focus is right on tack, bellows is almost new to me, and as I mount on the lens and film back, I realized that actually I've built a new camera system already!

Sad day, sad year

One of my craftsman got stroke this summer while he practiced Japanese sword art, and still in coma now. But another craftsman just past away today......
My deepest.......don't know what to say.
Sad.
12/16 This morning is a cold and rainy day, sky looks dull and dark, I will go to see my pal last time, depressed....
12/19 Went to my craftsman's house again, Taipei is still raining, his family wept, including me.
12/20 Found one craftsman, who is old friend of the deceased, talked and he is willing to help, today I will go to his studio, and discuss with him, try to re-connect the job.
12/21 The one I worked with, intended to replace the deceased craftsman, is dis-qualify, I was disappointed with his work hobbit, and carelessly attitude, will find another one to cooperate.....