Interesting Purchase

Heidi Rosser · May 19, 2020

So I purchased a group of what I thought were enlarger parts and lenses. It was a terrible photo and hard to see what was there but I took a risk for $90 (NZ)
We went into Lockdown here in New Zealand just after I purchased the lot so only received it today.
Wow was surprised at what I found.
Camera 1 - a Sanderson Regular Model. Bellows are good just needs to be re attached, plus a couple of the brass knobs are missing.
Camera 2 - very interesting, looks like a Tropical Sanderson. Its been painted with a metallic looking blue paint. It was attached to be rigged up as part of an enlarger. Hard to believe someone would do that kind of thing. It's criminal.
Two Hobson Cooke Lenses
Two in names brass lenses and a large Kodak lens.
Just wondering how to identify if the second Sanderson is the tropical model? It's slightly bigger than another Sanderson I have. Will have to strip it down very carefully.
Not sure what New Zealanders do to cameras over here. This is the third one I've had that's been covered in paint!

IanG · May 19, 2020

I'm jealous, I've always wanted a Sanderson like that one on the right

If OK the lenses are worth much more than you pad.

If it was mine I'd disassemble as much of the Tropical Sanderson as possible and strip off the paint then French polish. On teh other camera the missing brass bits are an issue, they are an old alloy with more Copper than modern brass, I met a leading Horologist/Clock restorer (from Cheltenham) at a Flea Market a few years ago and he gets bits cast in the correct alloy. When our lock down is over I plan to get some brass thumb screws etc made as I need some and there's a demand for them.

Ian

gk fotografie · May 19, 2020

Heidi Rosser said:
Camera 2 - very interesting, looks like a Tropical Sanderson. Its been painted with a metallic looking blue paint. It was attached to be rigged up as part of an enlarger. Hard to believe someone would do that kind of thing. It's criminal.

It's less strange than it seems (the technical camera as part of an enlarger) because, for example, Linhof had an enlarger attachment that could be used with the Linhof master technika 4x5" type camera. This was, in fact, a convenient and cheaper solution than buying a complete 4x5" enlarger separately, like a DeVere or Durst Laborator.

webestang64 · May 19, 2020

I'd say that risk paid off handsomely. :048:

compur · May 20, 2020

I've been buying more photo stuff online lately. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and sometimes ... well, not so much. But I can always return items if need be. I recently bought a couple of Canon FD lenses that turned out to be infested with the worst, most persistent fungus I've ever seen.

Heidi Rosser · May 21, 2020

I have some paint/varnish stripper on the small camera as I type this. Watching it so carefully. The test strip revealed some nice wood underneath. Ian like you say a French polish would look fantastic on this camera. It's odd it had a Cooke lens attached. I do have two other Sanderson cameras. One complete and for parts so I could swap the lens out.
Just glad the bellows are good.
Will post some images as it progresses.

IanG · May 23, 2020

Yes the TTH Cooke triplet is odd, these Sanderson cameras usually came with a lens in a shutter, early ones in a Bausch & Lonb shutter, later Compurs. The bellows indicate post 1904.

It's probably been used for Portraits, the Cooke lens would have needed a front mounting TP roller blind shutter, or a LUC/Gitzo type studio shutter for use.

Lens boards for these cameras seem to appear reasonably frequently, I've seen a few over the years,

Ian