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Kodak No.4 Bulls-Eye, Special, Model of 1899 - needs refurbish

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    Posted 8 years ago

    dareporter
    (1 item)

    I have a Kodak No. 4 Bulls-Eye, Special, Model of 1899. The exterior leather has heavy mold. I love the wood construction and would like to strip away the leather and clean the camera box of all mold/dust. Can anyone give me directions on how to safely do this or tell me where to look?

    I'm thinking of including the camera in an art project and would like to refinish the exterior wood like the interior. Info on what to use and how to apply would be appreciated.

    I'd also like to find someone who might check over and repair the camera mechanism and replace the jury-rigged spindal turner. I'd ultimately like to take photos with this camera and then display them with the camera.

    Then, of course, there's the film and the needed spin dal that used to come with each roll. Any help?

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    Comments

    1. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 8 years ago
      It just needs a wax job !
    2. dareporter, 8 years ago
      Need more info than that. Note that the leather is already partially gone.
    3. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 8 years ago
      Patience. The cavalry is on the way. We have some real experts on old cameras on CW.
    4. rniederman rniederman, 8 years ago
      Given my 30+ years of collecting early cameras, I wish I could be more optimistic but what you have here is barely a parts camera. In looking at the pictures, unfortunately I do not have good news about the camera. It was probably sitting in a very damp environment for a long time. You could strip the leather and refinish the wood to make it somewhat presentable, but the mechanics are another story.

      Well ... let's start off with what you have. It's definitely a No.4 Bulls-Eye Special Kodak. FWIW, about 10,000 were made during its run from 1898 to 1904 and it sold for $20 in 1898. The body was covered in black morocco leather fitted with nickel plated brass hardware. It made 12 exposures on #103 ‘cartridge’ roll film. Picture size is 4" x 5". This means it was large film and the chance of finding something similar to #103 is very slim ... it probably needs to be custom spooled by someone and could get expensive. I haven’t checked if this is possible but there’s always someone out there making custom roll film.

      As far as removing the body leather, nearly all cameras of this vintage had oil-based dyed leather that was usually affixed to the body using hide-glue; which means it could probably be steamed off or dissolved using solvents. But given that you want to refinish the wood, make it easy and sand the surfaces down to bare wood instead of using solvents, etc. Just be careful to keep the surfaces flat and corners crisp. Leather rot along with the glue probably ate into the wood surface, which would lead to a lot of sanding before finishing. The wood body itself is normally mismatched pieces of cherry. Yet I’ve seen some of these box cameras finish up nicely.

      In regards to other areas of the outer body, the reflex finders are missing their small rectangular pieces of ground glass. These can be made but it takes effort. Or you can find a larger piece of ground glass and cut to size. The winding key is a problem because parts do not show up. Most collectors would look for other cameras to get parts. The two screws on top of the body would hold a leather strap. This is easy to make since you are not interested in being historically accurate.

      The Eastman Triple Action shutter is a dilemma unto itself. The good news is that although the brass is completely tarnished, it can be refinished. Regrettably it is missing major (important) mechanical parts such as the pneumatic retarding cylinder, speed adjustment levers and so forth. In other words it would be easier to replace the entire lens/shutter if one could be found.

      You didn’t mention if the focusing works, but if frozen (wood rails swelled up and cold-bounded) it could be another challenge. It would need to be taken apart carefully, cleaned (etc.) in some manner.

      In summary and given what is here to work with, I suggest making it displayable as an exposed wooden box camera because making it operable is another level of work altogether.
    5. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 8 years ago
      Good job of cleanup in isle 2, Rniederman. You can take the rest of the day off.
    6. dareporter, 8 years ago
      rniederman, thank you for your in-depth answer. I found this camera in a old barn when I was a kid and have carried it with me as I've moved about, always meaning to do something with it. I'm an assemblage artist and finally came up with an idea that it might work with. I'm primarily interested in refinishing the outer surface. I love boxes and its cherrywood interior has made me want to expose the outer box wood. After removing the leather (which solvent would you suggest, I don't want to sand it), what varnish or finishing liquid would work best? I love the cherry wood color and want it to shine. A Side Note: I went eBay looking for its value and was amazed to find all the Kodak wooden box cameras selling for $10 to $15. Why? Because the mechanisms are probably roached?
    7. rniederman rniederman, 8 years ago
      It should be nice looking with exposed wood. Most cameras of this era had lacquer or varnish finishes. Either is fine. Outside finish would not be shiny, but you can pretty much do whatever you want. As an art project you can use a synthetic finish mixed with a color ... there's nothing wrong with artist license. I'm unsure what kind of solvent would remove the leather because it's something I have not done.

      Kodak box cameras have low values because they are very, very common and the majority are not historically important or interesting. An exception would be the very first Kodak roll film camera (1888-89 model with cylindrical shutter made for the Eastman Dry Plate & Film Company) which would fetch about $4,000+ in fine condition because of its historic importance. Your camera in execellent, original condition gets about $50 these days. Otherwise, it's a fun barn find.

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