Identification and advice needed

[woland]

Bought a camera (picture attached below) year ago from flea market, but I haven't been able to identify it as it has no company name. I have gone through lot of image search for "drop-bed" and "red bellows" cameras, but haven't found a match. The lens (I think lens itself is missing) is Bauch and Lomb which allows me to suspect that it might be Kodak or some German company as it looks like Zeiss had some co-op with B&L. Most similar camera was suspected in web to be Ernemann camera, but doesn't look like they had a camera with B&L lens. So, any idea the company and model it could be?

Second question is about restoring. Not familiar with good practice. Usually I prefer to clean and leave things as they are, but some parts have rust. Some screws and metal pieces that help box to be open. Not sure how to name them. Also box leather is in bad shape. I feel that if I would try to restore something, restored things would look like out of place. Or is full restoration - leather replacing, new chrome etc. acceptable if done by professional? 

[philbirch]

I'm afraid I cant help with identifying the camera but regards restoration, its your decision.

The camera isn't particularly valuable so I wouldn't spend too much money on it.

I saw, yesterday a restoration of a camera which was basically a rebuild with around 40% original parts. It looked great but not original, wood veneer rather than leatherette.

For me old cameras like this should be repaired, cleaned and new parts fitted only to make it functional. The bellows are a problem, if they are basically intact but a little holey then use some of that liquid rubber paint on the inside. This is often used to repair shutter curtains. The finder is likely to need a new mirror. Buy a plastic mirror, cut it to size and glue it over the original with a low tack adhesive. I did it with a glue stick. so it wont damage the original.

I use a nail polisher/buffer (one of those square ones with 4 sides, each getting finer) for removing corrosion and smoothing down the metal.

Leather restorer will brighten up the bellows and covering of the box. If the covering on the box is lifting or torn, use some PVA adhesive mixed with water, applied with a fine art paintbrush to stick it down and to prevent any further damage.

Its not like restoring a car which is often done to showroom standard, Old cameras and other antiques look good with that patina of age.

So, in my opinion, give it a clean and polish. Without the lens you are never going to get it fully functional.


I don't know if you can get the BBC programme 'The Repair Shop' where you are but take a look at how the team repairs and restores items to fully functional condition yet leaving all the chips, dings etc on it that are part of its history.