pyroceram

[grepper]

Mr. Ken sayeth, "I plan to use epoxy as the adhesive to hold the Pyroceram to the steel platen. Any thoughts on adhesives?"

The best epoxy I have found is Aeropoxy ES6209.  Hands down.  It is incredibly strong and dries rock hard.  It was developed for the small aircraft industry.  Let it cure overnight.  Does not drip.  Bonds to glass and metal. Like any adhesive, rough the surfaces if possible.  I'm not sure if what is on this page is for both the resin and hardener. You would want to verify that.  I remember when I bought it, I thought it was expensive.  This is the stuff:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/wp...es6209.php
 
Now I notice it is available in smaller quantities. A little goes a long way!  You most likely don't need a quart of the stuff like I bought, which for me is a lifetime supply.  On this page, NEW Aeropoxy Structural Adhesive and appears to contain both resin and hardener for $29.99.  They don’t state specifically it is ES6209.  I would give them a call to confirm it's both resin and hardener and that it is ES6209:
https://giantleaprocketry.com/products/c...sites.aspx
 
Here is some technical info:
http://www.ptm-w.com/aeropoxy/aeropoxy-adhesives.html
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pd...95tech.pdf

[Ken S]

Rupert,

Believe it or not, I know how to use a Crown or Speed Graphic, and owned both! I used several Heiland bulb flashes when I took 50th high school reunion photos. (I confess I eventually  switched to three Vivitar 283 flashes for these large groups.) These were not my oldest working cameras. The oldest was a wooden Eastman View 8x10 with a triple convertable lens in pneumatic shutter. Even after the shutter was cleaned, it really had two settings, 1/30th and bulb. I started with Dad's 1932 vintage Leica D, the first model with a built in range finder! F9 at 1/40th with Weston 20 film.

Yes, I will make some photos this weekend. You are quite correct, I need some photos to show the Viel modifications. As Max says, "stay tuned".  

Ken

[Jan]

Mr. Rupert, Mr.Ken, I could offer my legendary Kodak Retina 35 mm camera. Quite modern camera, still fully functional. Do you have by accident some spare Kodachrome II film?

   

P.S.: My pre-war Retina (I) camera was built in Stuttgart, Germany in 1937. During WWII Eastman Kodak Company lost control of Kodak AG. At the end of the war Stuttgart occurred in the American sector of West Germany and so US Military Government took control of the Kodak plant in Stuttgart. Until 1948 majority of Retina cameras were sold to US Military Personnel.

[Jeremy]

I was waiting for the rest of my Frankenstein Viel to come together, but I've decided to go ahead and mount my glass platen tomorrow.
I'll post some pics afterwards..

[Ken S]

Jan,

What a nice camera! The folding Retinas were legendary. Compact, versatile, quiet (with the Compur shutter) and deadly sharp with fine optics. My memory is a little fuzzy. I recall the the lenses being Jos. Schneider, Kreutznach. Schneider lenses have always been world class.

In 1937, 35mm was still very new, having been introduced in Cologne in the spring of 1925. Kodak and Schneider fared better than Zeiss did at the end of the war. Zeiss had facilities in both the West and East zones.

Thanks for sharing your special camera.

Ken

---

Jeremy,

I am curious to see your photos. 

Ken

[Mark Reich]

I'm sorry I don't get more time for computing these days. I'm spending long days in the shop.

I was able to get pyroceram from my local glass shop with no trouble. Most of the time it is used for fireplace doors, which makes it common here.

The price was the same for one 2"x10" platen or three, since that was the smallest piece they could get. I think I gave $10/piece, which included cutting to 2" wide pieces. Seems I've seen 2"x10" pieces for $30, so I feel like I got a couple freebies when locally sourced. I'm sure I can get whatever y'all need if your local shop isn't as forthcoming.

I put a piece on my Wilmont, which has a shorter platen than TW-90s. I cut the glass to length with a diamond blade on an angle grinder. The cut wasn't great, but pyroceram doesn't shatter like normal tempered glass. Silicon carbide and ceramic belts will grind the glass, so rounding the leading edge is easy.

The main advantages of glass are its hardness and its smoothness. It wears much longer than steel, so the platen stays flat. There's less friction, which generates much less heat.

I never have to use the platen on a 1x42 hard enough to make any difference whatsoever, but I'd never use a 2x72 without glass.

The thing that's hardest on platens would be grinding spines, where you have concentrated pressure on a small area. If you don't have to do that on a regular basis, I wouldn't bother with glass.

Many people do use high temp JB Weld, but my platens never come close to getting too warm for Acra-Glass or regular JB.

[Ken S]

I am learning not to be in a hurry with a glass platen. A local glass shop called me yesterday with a quote of $105 for one. I will keep looking carefully.

I am not in a rush; at this point my Viel is fully functional.

Ken

[Jeremy]

Sorry guys, didn't have time to get the new platen on today. I did notice though that in just over a month I've already worn a nice divot in a popular area on the metal platen.