It's been a long time since I last posted here but I think it's time to start over.
First of all I have to apologize for my stubbornness for the fact that now I know very well that I was wrong. And I want to especially thank my friend Drew for this quote which is the one that started what I believe to be an important discovery.
If your collection was curated using the belief that Folmers have dull rivets, which lead to only gathering dull-riveted Folmers, your photos are just repeating your bias. That would prove little more than "dull-riveted Folmers exist."
I admit that in fact at the time I had no idea that there was a Folmer model with beer tab pin head in shiny finish but as often happens the truth is there under our eyes, you just need to know how to see it.
So I decided to question everything and started from the beginning, or rather from the only certainty I had at that moment: Ian's RAF-Flex.
Misfortune wanted this come to him without the original ears (and this is something I beg you to consider for later). Beyond this there are some characteristics to be observed of fundamental importance:
- SHINY finish beer tab pin head
- CHROME finish slotted screw
- DULL finish and very wide aperture glass eye
- STRAIGHT and ROUND head brass pins
- SHORT knurling red button
- Folmer NO PAT bottom
The thing that struck me most was the chrome slotted screw.. I only knew 2 types of Graflex that fitted that type of screw: Telegraph and 1928, the first 2 Graflex models, in chronological order. From here I started to think that the model I was looking for must have a correlation with these. My guess is that it was immediately after 1928 (but at the same time before what we usually call "Early Folmer"). From here I also began to think that the RAF-Flex could have, by default, chrome ears, as well as the Telegraph and the 1928.
And indeed…
I found the second Flex that I was able to check in the well-known Scott’s topic (Graflex Variations: Facts and vs. Replica) and it was also previously posted here. Scott himself intervened to reassure that they were "untouched" models, that is, with components not replaced or modified. I went to comb through his old topic and found these pics:
As you can see the characteristics are completely identical to those of the RAF-Flex seen previously with the exception of the ears which (even if rusty) sports clearly a chrome ring. From here I thought I was on the right path.
After a few months this appears in the JY here on RPF:
I remember the seller proposed it as a "good base" for ESB conversion. This in my opinion justifies the absence of the original glass eye and above all the presence of 2x long knurled red button that matches the typical ESB configuration. Beyond that, the other key features are all there (chrome ears included).
Not so long ago, my friend Nick Cline posted some pics of a fantastic purchase: another RAF-Flex! To tell the truth, the first time I saw the pics I was at the same time happy for him but disheartened by my research since I had immediately noticed that the ears mounted on his RAF-Flex were not chromed as I expected but simply brushed finish. So I asked Nick to send me some other pics and he was kind enough to send an avalanche!
After seeing them I felt more relieved, it is clear that the ears have been replaced with newer ones from an INC model (to notice the 4 holes inside the ring and the ring pin head).
Now, for those who might consider ears replacement unlikely, do you remember before, when I told you to remember that Ian's RAF-Flex comes WITHOUT the mounted ears..? I have spoken.
I also add a consideration matured over the years: I have often found Flex chromed components particularly damaged and plagued by rust problems (not only ears but also levers). it is possible that this really depends on the chrome finish and it is also possible that’s the reason why at some point they decided to change the finish from chromed to brushed.
All these are obviously just personal theories.
A couple more…
These two are from eBay, both quite recent. The first one comes from a SW collector so I’m not surprised by the glass eye changed with a LATE Folmer model which obviously clashes with all the other components which instead fully reflect my theory.
Now let's move on to comparisons with the actual prop. In this summary pic I highlight the key features:
- SHINY finish beer tab pin head
- DULL finish and very wide aperture glass eye
- STRAIGHT and ROUND head brass pins
- THIN lip bottom
I don't want to bore you by going to recomment things that have already been taken into consideration on this same thread.
These two remain:
- CHROME finish slotted screw
- CHROME finish bunny ears ring
About the ears, I believe there are no words can supplant what is already quite clear to the eye: I am referring to the lower left corner of the photo above.. The difference in finish between ears and top half is evident. Below I put another one where I compare the original with the others I told you about before in this post.
Regarding the slotted screw, this is the most important reference, in my opinion:
I don't know how many of you actually own (or at least have ever held) a genuine chrome slotted screw. the finish is particularly different from the more common brushed ones but even more evident is the reflection they emit when they are hit by the light. the contrast on the chromed screw is so evident that it creates particular "black spots" that cannot be found in the brushed, which instead reflects the light in a uniform way. To better understand what I'm talking about here is a comparison photo between the ones I own..
Now, if we look closely at the image of the actual prop we can see how these spots are present on it.
That’s it! Everything in one way or another makes sense or seems to make sense.
What do you think guys?