Needing help with Luke Macro transition box

[rmschneider104]

I'm working on my Luke Macrobinocular build. If there is anyone that is willing to help me with constructing the "transition box," I would WELCOME the help. The transition box is the part that connects the Eumig body to the Kalimar viewer.

I see Killdozer has a nice picture of the metal cut box he did in an old thread, but it doesn't have measurements. And he's not responding to my PM.

So, I'm open to hearing suggestions. Anyone have a blue print I could work off of? Or someone fabricate these? Or some other suggestion???

I have all the other accurate parts (Eumig, Kalimar Six Sixty, Seagul, etc), so I really want to do this right. Thanks in advance for any help, especially if there is anyone who has completed this project.

 

[OdiWan72]

Have you tried to contact Gary aka GW2tulsa (sp?)?

He made nice resin boxes for the macros.

Markus

 

[rmschneider104]

Yes, I did reach out to Gary, but no response to my PM there either.

 

[temponaut]

Good timing on this thread. I've got a bunch of accurate Luke Macro parts around me as I write this, and I will be very interested to read any advice that anyone posts here about the transition box.

In the meantime, I've got an elementary question for you, rm, or for anyone else who can answer. How do you get the threaded lens ring out of the Six Sixty? I thought it would just drop out when I unscrewed the four mounting screws, but all that accomplished was to free the ring up so that it spins around in its housing. I can't get it out of the camera body.

There must be a simple trick, no? :confused

 

[rmschneider104]

Great question. I haven't figured that one out yet either. Anyone with any insight? How do you get the threaded lense rings out of the Kalimar Six Sixty?

This prop build is a little more hands on than I anticipated. So far, its fairly fun.

 

[damon5973]

HA..the dreaded lens ring...I had to bust open my 2 kalimars to do this...let me see fi I can remember, I think I popped off teh aluminim(?) part after I tool off the lens and then took a flathead screwdriver and bent and lifted the other piece. then I had to get some small screwdrivers and do the 4 smaller screws. the hardest part was removing the metal over the rings withthe screw driver, I used metal snips to break it off and tear at it.

as for GW2Tulsa, I am basically flat out gonna say he is a dingbat(hopefully this grabs hisattention) He never responds to Pms, I sent atleast 4 or 5 over the past year and no responses....I wanted to buy stuff off him..you woudl think he woudl want to sell some stuff or be used as a reference....I actually got my first pair of resin macros from him...

but alas, us lower pleebs do not meet his standards for contact...

 

[rmschneider104]

Thanks for the tips Brad. Looks like the inner rings need to be cut out.

 

[temponaut]

So the threaded rings do need to be liberated by prying apart -- busting -- the shell of the camera?

After I removed the four screws holding the ring in place last night, I tried slipping a screwdriver between the front plate and the camera body. I saw that it would be possible to pry off the plate, but probably not without destroying it. I had hoped there might be a way to get at the ring from inside the camera, but after unscrewing virtually every screw I could find, I gave up on that.

 

[Howard]

I have a template for Killdozer's transition box around here somewhere.
I'm sure he won't mind my sharing it. Give me a few hours to find it and scan it, it's early here and I have the school run to contend with...

 

[temponaut]

Standing by, Howard.

Thanks! :thumbsup

 

[Howard]

 

[temponaut]

System glitch -- double post.

Sorry!

 

[temponaut]

:eek Cool!

Thanks, Howard -- and thanks, Killdozer, for the great design! :thumbsup

I've just printed the file and it looks as if it's correctly scaled without any size adjustment. Is that right? (I'll be able to confirm this when I get home and compare the size to the Six Sixty viewfinder, but thought I'd ask anyway.)

What gauge aluminum do you recommend?

Thanks again, guys!

 

[lonepigeon]

Isn't the transition box somewhat similar to the top of the Kalimar?
I recall someone actually making theirs from the Kalimar 660 body.

That was what I was planning to do. IIRC there is ledge inside the Kalimar body that turns out to be about the height of the transition box. It would make sense if they just cut the camera body just below that ledge/lip.

I know Gary sold off his molds for the ANH Macro parts if that's what anyone was looking to get from him. He's busy working on his Delorean, I think that's why he hasn't been around much. I saw him a few weeks ago in Dallas/Plano TX at the Star Wars Fan Days convention.

 

[Howard]

KD's drawing is 1:1.
I too intend to cut the top section off the 660 as Chris mentioned above, when I get around to my build...

I guess you could use thick guage styrene instead of Aluminum?

 

[kurtyboy]

I think I'll look into this two since I kept my old Kalimars after I butchered them :angel

KD's drawing is 1:1.
I too intend to cut the top section off the 660 as Chris mentioned above, when I get around to my build...

I guess you could use thick guage styrene instead of Aluminum?

 

[OdiWan72]

Isn't the transition box somewhat similar to the top of the Kalimar?
I recall someone actually making theirs from the Kalimar 660 body.

That was what I was planning to do. IIRC there is ledge inside the Kalimar body that turns out to be about the height of the transition box. It would make sense if they just cut the camera body just below that ledge/lip.

That´s what I did, when I built my macros

Markus

 

[rmschneider104]

I, too, had considered trying to figure out just cutting off the Kalimar 660 body, but that gonna be tough. While I see what lonepigeon means about cutting below the inner ledge (where the glass sits on top of), it is going to be a lot of work.

Markus, can you share pics of how yours looks with the cut Kalimar on top? Also, if you have any tips, it looks like it would help a few of us.

Glad to see this thread pick up. Looks like there are several of us currently working on the macros project.

Thanks, too, for sharing the 1:1 Killdozer template. Good stuff.

 

[temponaut]

Thanks for all the information about the transition box, guys! Yes, I can see where the cut should be made, but agree with rm that it looks like a difficult surgery. I'd be very interested in seeing detailed shots of any transition boxes made from the Six Sixty, and especially any WIP shots. :love

As for the threaded rings: after a number of members advised that there's no way to get them out without prying up the faceplate of the camera, I did so. It was quite easy and there was minimum damage.

More here:

Prying up the faceplate of the Kalimar Six Sixty

Thanks again, everybody. :thumbsup

 

[OdiWan72]

Here is a pic of the marcos I built, along with two shots of the cut/ modified Kalimar body.

You can see where I cut it off and had to file it down.
Then I clad the whole box in styrene and voila...instant viewer box

Thanks WC!

Markus