Bob Werre

My first view camera was a metal Burke and James 'Orbit'--gray with a red bellows. Having started out with a 4X5 in photo school, I sort of hated to sell all mine--the 8 X 10 Cambo the last to go and the end of an era. For years I held on to a fairly thick catalog of all the models they sold--they had one called a street snapper that was seemed like a basic box camera where a guy would shoot groups of people at random then give you a flier so you order prints from the drug store next door. I imagine a tough way to make a living especially on a nasty day!

I once bought a real junker 8 X 10 wooden body camera. I was going to hang if from the ceiling and let it rotate with the wind currents--I probably paid $30. A good photo friend saw it and offered $50 for it, so my winter project was done really early.

I used to be in contact with a gentlemen who specialized in restoring Deardorfs. He always seemed busy.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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The B&J "Orbit" 4X5 I have is this......

It is currently on loan to a friend with holders to make experiments of Paper Negatives. I am heavily involved in these experiments as well.


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Tim Stapp Loc: Mid Mitten

Mine is similar, but black with red bellows. Purchased from a retired portrait/commercial photographer. The first time it had been out of his studio was when I got it from him.

Tim Stapp Loc: Mid Mitten

Wow, nice restoration. You should post this on the Photrio or Large Format Photography Forum. Those guys (me) would appreciate seeing this.

You may even receive offers to purchase!

Bob Werre

This is very interesting--the version I owned had knobs on both sides of the monorail on both standards. I bought mine in about 67' from (get this--Eastman Kodak stores in Minneapolis, Minn). Most of my class had the Calumet which was more like the one you are showing. I understand that both companies used the original Kodak view camera as a starting point. In my class, there were probably 40 all gray Calumets, maybe 3 B&J's with red bellows, a Linhof, perhaps, and couple of Cambo's, and one each Sinar and Paubel (the rich guys). Kodak also sold a 8 x 10 version that I almost bought.

In about 72' Burke & James sold another view camera they called a Saturn, that had some wooden parts if I remember correctly--it was all gray.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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I am a member as well...

Thank You for this suggestion =

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?150100-Rebuilding-a-Burke-amp-James-4X7-View-Camera&p=1478784#post1478784

;-)

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Bipod

I'm not familiar with Eythol. Doesn't sound like a Kodak product. The Merck Index lists it as a trade name
for the cancer drug Amifostine, an organic thiophosphate used as a protective agent during chemotherapy.
It's a free radical scavenger and oxygen scavenger. I'm wondering if this is the same compound?

That's first image sets a new record for paper fogging. Wow!

Scans of prints are "though a glass, darkly" but that second one is lovely. You seem to have caught some
leaves dropping from the tree in mid-air. They must have been yellow, as they are very light.

A portable darkroom is something I've always wanted. Unfortunately, I'm a dunker:
lots of rinsing between baths, so lots of trays. I finally figure out that I could do all
the rinsing in on tray, provided I left the water running though it, like a print washer.

What I look for in a developer is rather pedestrian: low toxicity and a stock solution
with a really long shelf life. That way, if I have to work on another project for a month
--or even six months--it's still usable when I get back to it.

So I use PC-TEA for film. It's a concentrated syrump like HC110, but lasts even longer.
It's a bit of a hassle to make, since it involves heating the TEA, a concentrated base and
you have to measure it wity a syringe, just like HC110. It's also economical to use, since
the normal dilution is 1:50.

If I dilute it by 1:25 and add a little BTA, it can develop paper, with the blue-black color
you'd expect from phenidone. I was interested in having only one developer. But I still
prefer Dektol for paper.

So I'm very interested in your Dektol - Ethyol combination: what you like about it
compared to plain Dektol.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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CORRECTION..... Correction.........

Not Eythol...

But rather Ethol - LPD

Sorry about that.

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James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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I have taken D-76 and for one-gallon stock, I put in Two Tablespoons of common Baking Soda. This makes a good paper developer for some papers. I have used this solution when developing a paper used in metallography. (Kodak "Industrex"). This paper is Very 'Fast' .. and I have made paper negatives at the unthinkable ISO (ASA) of 100. The camera was a Crown Graphic 4X5 and I used Industrex Paper as the film in holders - f-11 @ 1/50th. I was completely surprised.

About the Dektol with Ethol (LPD)......

I took Dektol at 1:4 - 24 ounces | and 18 ounces of Ethol at 1:9 = and put them together as a trial in the field. The abundant temp. was from 48 to 55 F. That second photo was made in the field - Also it was digitally printed on a Canon Selphy Printer in my camper.
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This is my Crank-Up - and It does have Solar Power (120V.A.C.) from three Marine Batteries.


The RED Vinyl cover that is attached to the roof - keeps the Moonlight from entering. I only develop at night and the moonlight has a blue cast to it. Blue light as you know is very recordable with Paper.

Bipod

No problem. They're all made-up names. At least "LPD" is easy to remember!

Are you usuing the dry powder form or the liquid? The product description hints
that the look may not be quite the same.

It says the developing agents in both forms are phenidone and hydraquinone.
Not containing metol (an known allergyn) is a selling point.

Looks like it has a very large capacity--always a good thing. Phenidone is very potent.
The PQ combination is superadditive, with the hydraquoinone regenerating the phenidone.

Quote: "Tones may be varied from the very cold to very warm, just by selection of the
paper and the dilution of the 'stock' developer."
https://www.digitaltruth.com/products/product.php?brand=ethol&link=lpd-liquid

Ethol LPD sounds a lot like Ilford ID-78 (c. 1960), a warm-tone developer on
most papers:
Water @125F/52C 750 ml
Sodium sulfite 50.0 g
Hydraquinone 12.0 g
Phenidone 0.5 g
Sodium carbonate 62.0 g
Potassium bromide 4.5 g
Water to make 1.0 liter

Steve Anschell, Darkroom Cookbook, Third Edition, p. 259.

I can believe ID-78 would fog, since potassium bromide isn't very
effective at restraining phenidone. I wonder if Ethol LPD uses
potassium bromide, BTA or both? If it can give warm tones, I'll
bet it does contain bromide.

A big problem with phenidone is it's tendency to oxidize, especially
in dry powder form (that's why the small packets of Kodak XTOL are no
longer avaialble, only the large size). Phenidone lasts longer in water
with a lot of sodium sulphite, and a really long time in TEA.

PQ for paper is starting to sound like a good idea. Somehow LPD in a can
lasts even after it is opened--XTOL wouldn't! And the liquid form also has a
good shelf life. I wonder if it uses glycol instead of water, like HC110?

I wish there were an authority on paper developers, but I've never found one.
Mostly it's "have you tried eye of newt?"

What these deverlopers can do is just like magic! And just about any set
of properties you want you can get --for very little money and bit of time.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

Well ...

I really like talking about Chemistry... However - I am not a Chemist (Perhaps a "bathtub chemist"), but no formal schooling in Chemistry. And like almost everything that I have learned has been at the Public Library and books. I read, then I do, and READ MORE. Yes! I am an Autodidact.

This post was about the refurbishing of the B&J 5X7 camera. And I have strayed off topic. Very easily done with me, as I have many - MANY Interests.

I Do Thank Everyone who has given me information and compliments here about my endeavors. And I count almost Everyone here, the members of "UHH" = my friends and colleagues.

Till I post again....

Fair The Well......

James..

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Bipod

Lots of good information there about D-76 for paper and Dektol + Ethol LPD. Thanks!

How do you develop film in the field? Can you control the temperature? Or are you doing it
by inspection (like Edward Weston)?

For roll film, I put the daylight tank in a water bath that is maintained at 25C/68F by an acquarium
heater with at thermostat. I had to try several heaters before I found one that was accurate enough.

That's what I like about darkroom work: there's always more than one way to skin a cat, and there
are ways to control just about everything. All I can do with my computer printers is curse at them.
(Ever notice that the most popular name for a hunting dog is S.O.B.?)

One thing I've found helpful is a pH meter. Somewhat expensive and the glass electrode on
the probe has to be kept damp with a buffer solution during storage, but measuring the pH
on a developer working solution has saved my film several times when I mis-measured.

D-76 is a great example of a film developer that changes pH as it sits (or at least it used to, back
when I used it). 24 hrs after the workings solution was mixed, the pH got higher and the
developer got more active.

Your portable darkroom is the bee's knees! Nicer than my converted upstairs bathroom any day.

The solar power is a wonderful idea. I use five marine batteries and an inverter to power my house.
The batteries are charged by a fixed array of solar panels and a wind generator (the latter is more trouble
than it's worth). For backup, we have an old Diesel generator made in England. Operating this set-up
makes me sympathetic to U-boat commanders. One always have to be aware of state-of-charge.

A bought a gadget from Amazon that made that a lot easier: a Hall-effect Ammeter. It's like a clamp-on
ammeter but it works with DC! You just run the lead thought the center of a coil, and you get a digital
readout of the current (granular to about 0.3A). Now I have two of them: one on the load and one on
the charger. Bayite DC 5-120V 100A Mini Digital Current Voltage & Amp Meter
https://www.amazon.com/bayite-Digital-Current-Voltage-Transducer/dp/B01DDQM6Z4/

Bad photo shows our rats' nest of wires. The batteries are connected by two 5/8" copper bus bars.
A 100A cartridge fuse connects the positive termanl of each battery to the bus bar. A knife swtich
at the near end allows the batteries to be disconnected from the load (except refrigerator and burglar
alarm). A similar switch at the far end allows the batteries to be disconnected from the chargers.
On the wall is the 75A auxillary AC charger. Large cables in the foreground are from the wind generator.
Solar charger has a temperaure sensor and voltage sense input. I have a separate temperature probe
with a digital readout, and a separate voltage meter.

The Hall-effect ammeter is connected in a very simple way: I slipped the sensor coil of each over the
blade of the knife switch. I hadn't installed the second sensor when this photo was taken.
When I crawl back there to work, I try very hard not to drop a wrench across the bus bars...

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James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

I do not use "film". I am making use of over 3500 sheets of photo print paper from 1965 to 1990 - Yeah! I know! It IS out of date - however, as it was all kept in a good and safe area for years it works very well.
The temps that I use at home was 20 C. (68 F.) --- But as I was in the field with the Crank-Up camper I develop at 48 to 55 F. AND It Seems that the negatives of the paper were better and did not chemically fog with the almost depleted developer, as it did at home. (Funny Thing is you Never really know.) What someone states as an "impossibility" - to me - means give it a try anyway. ((Just because that person has some sort of "expensive wallpaper" does not truly indicate that - that - person is smart.)) In today's schools and higher educational facilities - "they" teach how to pass tests, NOT really gain information. "They" should teach the student how to study and leave it to them to gain knowledge. << that is my take on the education systems in our country (U.S.A.)

Your home system looks great - And do not worry about the Looks of it... Hey! IT WORKS. It is safe. And you built it = Be proud. :-)

Of course, Mine is Smaller. But too, it works for my needs.

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