Not a good idea
When I inherited this Sanderson plate camera some 40 years ago I had no idea that what I was about to do would remove a great deal of any future monetary value.
When I acquired it there is no doubt it was scruffy, ingrained dirt in the leather covering of the wooden body, the lacquered brass was pitted and peeling and generally the exposed wooden frontage was shabby. I carefully dismantled the camera and set about cleaning the brass removing all the lacquer and cleaned and polished the mahogany front and base panels. I left the lens and shutter mechanism alone, didn't want to mess with that but gave it a good external clean. I then tackled the leather-covered body and with black shoe polish brought it back to life.
I then did something that is unforgivable, I dyed the the tired-looking red bellows turning them black. Of course, I now know that was not the right thing to do but forty years ago all I was really interested in was something nice to look at in a display cabinet.
opobs.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/the-start-of-a-collection/
opobs.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/heres-the-collection/
This image is the copyright of © Michael John Stokes; Any users, found to replicate, reproduce, circulate, distribute, download, manipulate or otherwise use my images without my written consent will be in breach of copyright laws. Please contact me at mjs@opobs.co.uk for permission to use any of my photographs.
PLEASE NOTE: Before adding any of my photographs to your 'Favorites', please check out my policy on this issue on my profile.
Not a good idea
When I inherited this Sanderson plate camera some 40 years ago I had no idea that what I was about to do would remove a great deal of any future monetary value.
When I acquired it there is no doubt it was scruffy, ingrained dirt in the leather covering of the wooden body, the lacquered brass was pitted and peeling and generally the exposed wooden frontage was shabby. I carefully dismantled the camera and set about cleaning the brass removing all the lacquer and cleaned and polished the mahogany front and base panels. I left the lens and shutter mechanism alone, didn't want to mess with that but gave it a good external clean. I then tackled the leather-covered body and with black shoe polish brought it back to life.
I then did something that is unforgivable, I dyed the the tired-looking red bellows turning them black. Of course, I now know that was not the right thing to do but forty years ago all I was really interested in was something nice to look at in a display cabinet.
opobs.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/the-start-of-a-collection/
opobs.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/heres-the-collection/
This image is the copyright of © Michael John Stokes; Any users, found to replicate, reproduce, circulate, distribute, download, manipulate or otherwise use my images without my written consent will be in breach of copyright laws. Please contact me at mjs@opobs.co.uk for permission to use any of my photographs.
PLEASE NOTE: Before adding any of my photographs to your 'Favorites', please check out my policy on this issue on my profile.