Graflex telegraph details and questions

[eethan]

Hey there,
I took the time today to look closer at my recently aquired Graflex telegraph.
there are a few interesting details that I wanted to share and also some that I was hoping to get opinions on from people that own one too.

The Flash was in pretty good condition, with just a spot of rust next to the bunny ears. It was missing both clamp squares and lever, the clamp was held by a screw and nut. I replaced those by vintage parts and cleaned the flash a bit.

I noticed that there was glue around the glass eye, so I removed it and found out that the glass eye was totally different that usual ones:

seems legit, since the flash tube is made differently there but I'm not sure about the exposed brass on the glass eye. There are two small holes that are threaded on each side. I assumed this was previously holding small screws to turn and lock the glass eye in place. I put two small set screws I removed from an Eumig camera a few days ago. It works ok, don't know if this is usually what it looks like. Seems better than superglue in any case!

Now, what I'm unsure about too are the bunny ears, they are held in place by a screw and nut, they are old so are probably here for a long while. I saw telegraph graflexes with the usual rivet, I don't know if this is a variation or just a fix from someone. The bunny ears themselves are very shinny.

Another particular thing I noticed is that the normally very thin ring that holds the bulbs is made of thicker material there:

couple more picture of the details of the bunny ears:

Anyone with experience with those flashes variations that could chime in, I would really appreciate it.
cheers

 

[scottjua]

Glass eye is NOT original to that flash. Looks like someone replaced it with a patent glass eye and had to "fit" it for some reason. The original eye would be a like and early folmer. Sharp angled and not polished.

Bunny ears might be replica and would normally be fastened by the smooth domed rivet.

 

[eethan]

Glass eye is NOT original to that flash. Looks like someone replaced it with a patent glass eye and had to "fit" it for some reason. The original eye would be a like and early folmer. Sharp angled and not polished.

Bunny ears might be replica and would normally be fastened by the smooth domed rivet.

thanks for your answer Scott, I can accept the glass eye is not original. But you think the flash tube was altered too to fit it? it doesn't have any threading and it would seem those square cutouts are original to it.

Bunny ear could be a replica indeed. Anyone has an idea if this is a replica and if one is known to have a thick ring like this for the bulb holder?

 

[scottjua]

yeah weird... mine doesn't have those cutouts in the glass eye port hole.

 

[eethan]

ok that's surprising! thanks Scott for your input, I appreciate it.
Now, I'm surprised but i still feel this can be original, I'm always surprised but the crazy amount of variations you can see on those vintage flashes and items in general. These versions are very early productions of the graflex, they could very well have tested something before using the threading on the glass eye. I don't know.

Anyone else with a Telegraph graflex with strange variations?
thanks again Scott

 

[eethan]

SOmething I forgot to mention and that you are probably going to say is odd or not original. The bottom is Folmer with Patent number. This shouldn't exist? Are they always early folmer flashes?

 

[eethan]

hey, look what I just found on TDH:
same kind of glass eye, same cutouts in the glass eye hole, very shinny bunny ears and thick ring in the bunny ears bulb holder!

Blaster - Vintage Folmer Graflex "Telescope" Flash for Supertrooper Automatic Blaster!

Im new and I hope this is ok to post here, but I created an account pretty much to share this weeks find with you (bc I know y'all would appreciate it most!). Say hello to this beautiful vintage Folmer Graflex "Telescope" flash! It could be cleaned up a bit, but I was too excited about it, so I...

www.thedentedhelmet.com

nice! cannot see how the glass eye is under though and the bottom is a Folmer no patent, which seems logical.

 

[thd9791]

What do you mean by "original"?

1) Original to the factory flash unit

2) Vintage and not something altered by a star wars fan

This was a piece of camera equipment before you got it. That doesn't mean it stayed the way it was purchased. Photographers were known for rigging up solutions for things like sticking plugs in there to use less batteries, screws and nuts to replace lost parts, etc. That glass eye thing looks (to me) to be a solution to losing a glass eye and using a newer replacement. Because it's on two flashes that match, it makes me think it was a photographer's world solution, using the same brand of equipment at a later date. Anytime from the end of telegraph's to the phase-out of these cameras.

This is the same feeling I have about the threaded blocks and 1-2 long levers seen on the Jawa pocket blaster, V2, Obi Wan and rehearsal stunt clamps. Must have been an available off brand replacement part when your lever breaks.

The ears look like replica Graflex ears though

 

[laszlo]

I believe it’s all vintage - with an early variation glass eye. I don’t believe a photographer would mod that at all.

 

[eethan]

Hey Tom,
no sorry, I mean original to the factory flash. I agree with all that you say of course concerning alterations by photographers themselves.

The glass eye, I probably agree with you, if this is really a flat bevel glass eye suposed to be here, and the fact that the brass is exposed, really looks like a mod. This is probably the case.
I have to disagree with you for the bunny ears though, they are exactly similar with the other flash I found on TDH. I'm sure other people with telegraph flashes can chime in an check the thickness of the ring to attach the bulbs.

Concerning that other thing you are mentioning with the V2. I don't know if I understood properly, but I recently had an epiphany with a vintage flash I received with an original rusted threaded block on one side. Those are original to the flash, they are not mods, the long square around it just fell. The threaded block is just the normal piece inside the long side square of the clamp. The long levers I have no idea, but since no one found one yet and we don't know if the jawa and V2 lever are the same, it could just be a one off.

thanks guys, keep it coming!

 

[TheUnchosenOne]

I have a vintage 3-cell with a flat rivet holding the ears in. I'd imagine that there are quite a few like that out in the wild, since if the ears needed to be removed for whatever reason, the original wouldn't be usable, and there's no real reason not to use whatever you have available rather than trying to find something that matched

 

[mugatu]

eethan let me know if you would prefer a domed rivet for the bunny ears as I purchased three from an old Graflex parts dump on ebay about 4 years ago.

 

[eethan]

eethan let me know if you would prefer a domed rivet for the bunny ears as I purchased three from an old Graflex parts dump on ebay about 4 years ago.

thanks so much my friend, but I will take one from one of my other graflexes top laying around, probably the day I finally do my ROTJ Vader saber and remove the bunny ears from one.
thanks again

 

[skoota73]

It's nice to see someone chime in on these. I've always had questions regarding the glass eyes on mine. I have two of the telegraph Graflexes. Both have different variations of the glass eye. One is similar to yours: push in and lock. The other is the standard threaded type. Both of the bunny ears are pretty shiny as well and both are Folmer/New York. Check them out below:

 

[eethan]

Awesome, thank you for chiming in and for posting those pictures, it's very interesting.
So my glass eye, as expected, is d efinitelly an after market mod of a more modern one that they tried to fit to the push and turn old system. But the push and turn system was definitelly original to that flash. And it's nice to see how the glass eye was, that's super cool and the first time I see this kind of glass eye.

I'm not able to see the thickness of the ring from the bunny ears that holds the bulbs in the front in your pics. I'm pretty sure it will be thicker than more recent graflexes.

Always crazy to see all those variations on vintage items!
thanks a lot

 

[skoota73]

Yes. The ring is thicker. Here's a shot with the telegraph Graflex on the right and a later Folmer/Patent on the left.

 

[eethan]

thank you so much!

 

[thd9791]

Now, see that other glass eye has factory cut tabs! Makes me think yours ethan was a repair to fit it to this style of glass eye

 

[thd9791]

It's nice to see someone chime in on these. I've always had questions regarding the glass eyes on mine. I have two of the telegraph Graflexes. Both have different variations of the glass eye. One is similar to yours: push in and lock. The other is the standard threaded type. Both of the bunny ears are pretty shiny as well and both are Folmer/New York. Check them out below:

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I also see a slotted set screw on your socket. THE SAME ONE ON THE KURTZ VADER SABER! SethS are you seeing this?

 

[SethS]

I also see a slotted set screw on your socket. THE SAME ONE ON THE KURTZ VADER SABER! SethS are you seeing this?

Oh my!