The Cirkut is Alive! ALIVE!!

[jimgalli]

Jim, I'm not familiar with this camera although I've heard of it. If you get a chance I'd sure like to see an image of the camera.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

old . .

[Ken Nadvornick]

Did you climb higher and slightly to the left? Yep. A LOT higher. Shale. Impossible to get a foothold. It'll be interesting with a 30 pound load. Sheelor must have had animals. Young?? I'm 60! Good thing Sheelor didn't do it in 1927. I won't be re-doing the 100 year version of that.

Ha! You were all the way up this hill behind those houses, weren't you?

Looks like an easy climb.



Ken

(who should be in bed asleep right now, but no...)

[jimgalli]

Ha! You were all the way up this hill behind those houses, weren't you?

Looks like an easy climb.



Ken

(who should be in bed asleep right now, but no...)

Yep, right next to those sheer cliffs, there's a few 100 year old RR ties. Gotta wait for an overcast day.

Oh, I'm so going to bed :rolleyes:

[Len Robertson]

Jim - Thanks so much for posting on your Cirkut success. Very inspirational for the aspiring Cirkut shooters out here scattered around the world. I had hope of being retired by this year and having lots of time to devote to my Cirkuts, but it looks like I'll continue working another year, so maybe next year.

There is a 1922 Cirkut shot of our small E Washington farming town hanging in City Hall that I'd love to do a re-shoot of. Unfortunately it was taken from the roof of a building that is no longer there. It would probably take a really tall bucket truck to get the elevation needed. It is surprising how many of the 1922 buildings are still standing.

Did you tape a leader and trailer to your aerial film, or just darkroom load the film onto the take-up drum and sacrifice a few inches? What developing method did you use? How old is your aerial film? Any noticeable fog? I don't see any in your scan, but it is sometimes hard to tell such things on screen.

Len

[jimgalli]

Jim - Thanks so much for posting on your Cirkut success. Very inspirational for the aspiring Cirkut shooters out here scattered around the world. I had hope of being retired by this year and having lots of time to devote to my Cirkuts, but it looks like I'll continue working another year, so maybe next year.

There is a 1922 Cirkut shot of our small E Washington farming town hanging in City Hall that I'd love to do a re-shoot of. Unfortunately it was taken from the roof of a building that is no longer there. It would probably take a really tall bucket truck to get the elevation needed. It is surprising how many of the 1922 buildings are still standing.

Did you tape a leader and trailer to your aerial film, or just darkroom load the film onto the take-up drum and sacrifice a few inches? What developing method did you use? How old is your aerial film? Any noticeable fog? I don't see any in your scan, but it is sometimes hard to tell such things on screen.

Len

Hi Len. Great to hear from another Cirkut guy.

No leader on my 1998 Tri-X aerial Recon film. I just load in the dark and tape it direct to the take up drum. It only costs you 4 inches or so. I have 2 partial 125 foot cans of the Tri-X and one is definitely foggier than the other, so I'm using the better stuff first. I have quite a lot of newer Plus X that is in great shape, and that's what I've loaded for the re-take (this Saturday we hope)

I've hired a couple of sherpa's to help me tote the stuff up up up. My brother and my nephew ;~'))

I had a 7++ foot long stainless steel tray built that fits in my 8' sink for doing these negs. It has 6 inch sides and is 12" wide. I take the film out of the camera in the dark and tape it emulsion side up to the bottom of the tray with ordinary masking tape. Then I do my thing. As soon as the 2nd water stop bath goes in, I turn the lights on. I never could get negs without banding doing it the bucket and bathtub way you hear about old timers doing. I'm getting good negs now with the big tray. $285 bucks. Only mistake I made was putting a 3/4" pipe bung on the end. Doesn't drain fast enough. A 2" would have been more like it. So I simply grab the sides and invert. Whoosh. Out the developer goes. Saving the fixer is slow.

I mixed up Calgon and Photoflo for a final rinse on the neg you see, and still got white water spots. Need to work on that some more. Maybe buy a couple gallons of distilled H2O for my final 2 washes, with a bit of Sodium Hexametaphosphate in the final.

[Len Robertson]

Jim - Thanks for great information. I was using 9 1/2" aerial (maybe Plus-X) in my #10 until the mainspring broke. The film had some fog, although years ago a Seattle area Cirkut guy told me sometimes the outer several feet of these rolls are foggier and it gets better farther into the roll. Fixing the broken spring probably won't be too bad, as I've been told they usually break right at the end and a new hole can be drilled for attaching to the spring case. The other problem with the #10 is the rear focusing bellows is so petrified it won't extend all the way out, and I'm afraid of bending the struts. It just occurred to me I could remove it entirely so the focusing screen can be extended and throw a darkcloth over to focus. I also have an #8 Outfit which does run, but was banding like mad the last time I used it with #8 film. In order to use 9 1/2" film in the #8 I'll need to devise a film slitting hack. All of this leads back to "Wish I were retired" and had lots of time!

The 8" film I developed in Rubbermaid plastic wash pans, rolling and re-rolling from one hand to the other. The development looked even to me. The banding I got I'm sure was the camera not running smooth. I did the old trick of using one finger to "help" the camera on its journey around the gearhead. On one shot I forgot to do this and had much more banding. As Ron Klein has said, using a Cirkut is like playing the violin. Practice, practice!

Len

[jimgalli]

Jim - Thanks for great information. I was using 9 1/2" aerial (maybe Plus-X) in my #10 until the mainspring broke. The film had some fog, although years ago a Seattle area Cirkut guy told me sometimes the outer several feet of these rolls are foggier and it gets better farther into the roll. Fixing the broken spring probably won't be too bad, as I've been told they usually break right at the end and a new hole can be drilled for attaching to the spring case. The other problem with the #10 is the rear focusing bellows is so petrified it won't extend all the way out, and I'm afraid of bending the struts. It just occurred to me I could remove it entirely so the focusing screen can be extended and throw a darkcloth over to focus. I also have an #8 Outfit which does run, but was banding like mad the last time I used it with #8 film. In order to use 9 1/2" film in the #8 I'll need to devise a film slitting hack. All of this leads back to "Wish I were retired" and had lots of time!

The 8" film I developed in Rubbermaid plastic wash pans, rolling and re-rolling from one hand to the other. The development looked even to me. The banding I got I'm sure was the camera not running smooth. I did the old trick of using one finger to "help" the camera on its journey around the gearhead. On one shot I forgot to do this and had much more banding. As Ron Klein has said, using a Cirkut is like playing the violin. Practice, practice!

Len

Years ago I repaired a broken spring in an Edison phonograph. Spring steel is impossible to work with, but I was able to make holes through it with a chain saw grinder, like a dremel. I literally ground through the steel with a stone, got some suitable steel for pins, and peened both ends as flat as possible. It went back to work fine.

Go for it.

[c.d.ewen]

Jim & Len:

You guys are getting me exited! Maybe in a couple of months, when the snows finally melt, I'll get my No 10 out again. I haven't had good luck with a Cirkut in the cold.

RE: drilling spring steel - as you know, that don't happen with a drill bit. Using a small dremel stone works. You can also heat the end couple of inches to take the temper out, then use a drill bit.

Charley

Years ago I repaired a broken spring in an Edison phonograph. Spring steel is impossible to work with, but I was able to make holes through it with a chain saw grinder, like a dremel. I literally ground through the steel with a stone, got some suitable steel for pins, and peened both ends as flat as possible. It went back to work fine.

Go for it.

[Sirius Glass]

Thanks Jim

[jamie young]

Hi Jim Glad to see others out shooting with cirkuts. I shot a group shot last year but plan on doing a lot more this year as spring approaches. Is your camera a governor model or fan camera? they started selling governor model 10's around 1915
Look forward to seeing more pics
Jamie