An Interesting Find

[Heidi Rosser]

Just picked up this battered looking Speed Graflex. I think it's the Anniversary model.
Some sad soul has gone at this with a batch of grey paint with red trim. It currently looks very sad and I have no idea yet how to remove the paint yet.

But there is more to this camera than meets the eye. This camera has history at least in New Zealand. It was owned by E.A.Phillps who was quite a prominent New Zealand Photographer. He has works displayed at many museums across New Zealand. Just in the process of contacting the museum archives to find out more information.

 

[Designer]

A museum might be interested in owning the camera.

Then the paint removal will be their problem.

 

[IanG]

It is an Anniversary Speed Graphic. Getting the grey paint off will mean stripping teh camera down, and it's really going to depend on what type of paint was used. The major issue is the leatherette Graflex used isn't very robust. The metal parts you can use paint-stripper.

Ian

 

[compur]

During WWII Graflex made some Anniversary "Combat Graphics" that were painted gray for the US Navy and green for the USMC. The 4x5 version was called the Combat 45.

However, the Combat 45s had a shroud around the bellows area which your camera doesn't have. After the war the Combat Graphics were sold to the general public. Perhaps yours is one that has been "customized" for civilian use by removing the shroud and adding new (red) bellows.

If that's what it is, it is fairly rare and I wouldn't try to remove the gray paint as that may lessen its value as an historical piece.

 

[IanG]

Note the Combat Graphics don't fold, have no door/focus track-bed, are about an inch slimmer 9depth of body) to which a panel with the shroud etc is attached,. The front viewing frame is non standard, while the rear site is from an Anniversary. It's a fixed lens with limited focussing range (if any).

So the Combat Graphics are a completely different camera and couldn't be converted back to s Speed Graphic. Heidi's camera is a standard Anniversary Speed Graphic painted Grey by a previous owner, It's now missing its Albada finder it looks like the screw holes for the fitting are there.

Ian

 

[Derrel]

I would not want to see the camera "restored". I think it has a beautiful, worn look to it

 

[compur]

Note the Combat Graphics don't fold, have no door/focus track-bed, are about an inch slimmer 9depth of body) to which a panel with the shroud etc is attached,. The front viewing frame is non standard, while the rear site is from an Anniversary. It's a fixed lens with limited focussing range (if any).

So the Combat Graphics are a completely different camera and couldn't be converted back to s Speed Graphic. Heidi's camera is a standard Anniversary Speed Graphic painted Grey by a previous owner, It's now missing its Albada finder it looks like the screw holes for the fitting are there.

Ian

There were many military Graflex cameras and most of them did fold. The OP's camera may not be the one in the picture I posted but I suspect it is one of the military models such as those shown here:
Military Graflex, Speed and Crown Graphic cameras

I can't think of any other reason that one would paint a Graphic camera gray.

 

[IanG]

The British military also used Graflex Speed Graphic cameras, however only the Combat Graflex was painted Grey or Green non of the Military Speed Graphics were. The other 5x4 Military Graflex cameras are essentially standard models just badged for the services..

Kodak (New Zealand) and Kodak (Australia) themselves subsidiaries of Kodak Ltd (UK) were the importers and distributors of many photographic products outside their own Kodak range, they had quite large wholesale outlets.
In 1940 Kodak were the agents for Ross lenses in Austarlia & New Zealand but they didn't sell them in the UK, they were most likely still the Graflex agents there as well although Graflex by then had their own subsidiary in the UK.

Kodak (New Zealand) had four Professional branches in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, E.A. Phillips home town, at 420 Moray Place.

The camera has obviously been painted to mimic the colour of a Navy Combat 45 but we don't know when E.A. Phillips bought the camera.

Ian

 

[compur]

... only the Combat Graflex was painted Grey or Green non of the Military Speed Graphics were.

Sorry, but that's not true. What do you call this?

More photos here:
* beautiful goods!GRAFLEX combat camera set -li Barton: Real Yahoo auction salling

Or, this?

http://cameraheritagemuseum.com/images/Agfa to Grubb 3/pages/graflexsgke121a_jpg.htm

And, there are many other examples. There was also a military Speed Graphic that was all black including the metal work.

 

[IanG]

OK, good points, those Pacemaker Graphics are introduced by the Korean War era when the US army was using a variety of camouflaged cameras. Most of the camouflaged cameras like the Signet 35 and KE-4 (1) were only introduced in 1952 & 4. I notice that one site lists a Kodak 35 military camera as being a wartime camera implying WWII when in fact the model wasn't introduced in any form until after post WWII camera.

None of this explains why this Anniversary Speed Graphic was painted grey and also why paint part of the range-finder cover. and then paint the bellows red. There's no Grey military Graflex Speed Graphics so an enigma.

Of course there were Grey US view cameras with red bellows. My Agfa Ansco 1939 catalogue lists the Deluxe Universal View 10x8 & 7x5 models as Gray woodwork and red leather bellows, also Nickel fittings. I've never come across any images of a Grey (Gray) one, after US Government confiscation in 1941 LF production moved from Bingham and all Ansco LF cameras were grey painted but these are cheaper made cameras and initially mostly for military use. Later B&J's were similar.

I think these cameras may have been the inspiration for the Grey paint and Red bellows here. I'm puzzled why Agfa Ansco would think Grey wood work and red bellows and Nickel plated parts is Deluxe, I guess it was a Modernist styling

Ian

 

[webestang64]

This camera has history at least in New Zealand. It was owned by E.A.Phillps who was quite a prominent New Zealand Photographer.

Interesting piece. And the quote above says to me leave the looks alone. If anything just get it to take photos again but leave the looks alone.

 

[Heidi Rosser]

Well I contacted the relevant people and painting it grey would not of been something this photograph did. This is definitely a student graffiti job sadly.
The archivist has confirmed it was owned by E.A.Phillips, but I have not been asked to donate it to the museum so it will stay in my collect. I think the grey paint job looked a bit of a nightmare job for them.
On that note I am going to attempt to remove it. I have already managed to strip it off part of the metal. It’s a delicate job and I’ll possibly go through several boxes of cue tips. I also tried a tiny test spot on the leatherette and think I can do it, but I will have to sit with it right the way through the process. Tiny steps.
It will be quite exciting to see it back to how he would have had it.

 

[Heidi Rosser]

After several days of hard work I’ve finally managed to strip the last bits horrible grey paint of this wee camera. I tried a variety of products but by far the best was Selleys Graffiti Remover, although even that was painstakingly slow.
Unfortunately the bellows did not survive. They were glued together with what seemed like red nail polish......terrible stuff to put on a camera. Just waiting for my second hand set of bellows to arrive and it’s almost complete. Even managed to preserve some well worn patches which I felt was correct in this restoration.
If anyone has a viewer they would link to sell I could be interest if the price was right.

 

[Heidi Rosser]

 

[IanG]

Well done

About 18 months ago I restored a Pacemaker Speed Graphic for a friend, he wanted new bellows fitted and had bought a set from China. Later I installed a new set on my own pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic, not sure who'd made them they had come with the box of Graflex parts from Paris.

Good luck fitting your second hand set.

Ian