Graflex Variations: Facts and vs. Replica

I have a question for everyone here. Has anyone ever encountered a Graflex 3-Cell with these little wires around the pins before? I just got this Graflex days ago and that was the first time I've seen any with them. Each side, with one pin.
IMG_0455a.jpgIMG_0456a.jpgIMG_0457a.jpgIMG_0458a.jpg
 
Hey CHalcyon82 ! I wonder which came first, the crack, or the wire-mod? Have you looked under the Red Button to see if the wires come through into that chamber? If you ever take the innards apart, please post up pics of your findings. I'm curious as to what they were wiring it that way for.
 
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Hey @CHalcyon82 ! I wonder which came first, the crack, or the wire-mod? Have you looked under the Red Button to see if the wires come through into that chamber? If you ever take the innards apart, please post up pics of your findings. I'm curious as to what they were wiring it that way for.

Granted, even after delving into this hobby two years ago, I still consider myself a newbie but I'll take a guess and say the crack came about from the mods. I have no idea the purpose behind the mods in the first place. If any of you guys got any thoughts, I'd be happy to hear.

With that said, I come once again bearing gifts! I ended up unscrewing the button, Ridire, and discovered the same mod underneath as well! Here's the pics! As for removing the guts, on that I'll have to pass. XD I've done that a few times over the past few months with other Graflex tops and every time putting it back together has been a pair in my rear! I'd like to avoid that headache in this situation. :lol

IMG_0520a.JPGIMG_0526a.jpgIMG_0527a.jpgIMG_0528a.jpg
 
Granted, even after delving into this hobby two years ago, I still consider myself a newbie but I'll take a guess and say the crack came about from the mods. I have no idea the purpose behind the mods in the first place. If any of you guys got any thoughts, I'd be happy to hear.

With that said, I come once again bearing gifts! I ended up unscrewing the button, Ridire, and discovered the same mod underneath as well! Here's the pics! As for removing the guts, on that I'll have to pass. XD I've done that a few times over the past few months with other Graflex tops and every time putting it back together has been a pair in my rear! I'd like to avoid that headache in this situation. :lol

View attachment 777693View attachment 777694View attachment 777695View attachment 777696


Photog could have been hacking the flash to work with non-standard cables / triggers or something like that. That’s what those contacts are for.
 
From your research it appears mine is the earliest version. Unfortunately it was missing the red button and came to me as a 2 cell. I bought a replacement button and 3 cell bottom from roman. I will keep an eye out for replacements however, if mine is the earliest version, it looks like the button will be harder to find without breaking the bank. Also, the original owner tapped the screws in that holds the band in place. I haven't seen any other version with the holes so I'm guessing it was modified.

My question is about the clamp. From your pictures I don' see the set screw in all of them but I do see one that does. Is this a feature found only on replicas or is this screw commoly lost.

Here's mine. It is uncleaned so you can still see where the band was. It's not pitted and should clean up well. My plan is to find a real exactra to finish it. Also looking for the original D ring
20171203_000942.jpg20171203_000928.jpg20171203_000910.jpg20171203_000858.jpg20171203_000852.jpg
 
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Hey kevin926 ! Bummer about the two extra holes in the forward section, that was definitely a mod to hold the GRAFLEX onto a different style camera mount, or some other accoutrement.

The little screw in the clamp screws into a little flat nut that slips into the tab slot on the upper half of the flash. Once you unlock the clamp lever, unscrew the screw, twist and pull on the upper half of the flash, the little flat nut falls out of the tab slot (and often into oblivion if you're not aware you're about to lose it).

As far as cleaning goes, I assume you're trying to make it look more uniform and less like a Wooly Bear Caterpillar, so...

Pick up 3 products (if you don't have them anyway)
1. A tin can of NeverDull (available at most autosupply stores)
2. A can of Original Bike Spirits Spray Cleaner Polish or Honda Spray Cleaner Polish (available at motorcycle dealerships and Honda dealerships (car and bike).
3. A microfiber cloth and/or a diaper cloth (autosupply again).

NeverDull is a cotton wadding soaked in chemical solvent that will kill and remove rust and tarnish. You can apply it directly to the metal, or wrap it in the diaper cloth (or T-Shirt material) and squeeze it a bit in your fingers to let the chemical leach into the cloth before wiping the cloth (instead of the wadding) onto the metal.

NEVER-DULL-500x500.jpg


Spray Cleaner Polish (O.B.S. or Honda - used to be the exact same stuff, O.B.S. is the Original and now the better of the two, long story) where was I? oh, yeah... is a product that you can spray directly onto whatever you want cleaned and simply wipe off. It will break down and remove rust (to a degree), grease, adhesive, asphalt, dirt, bird poo, dust, bug guts, etc. and leave behind a protective film that will help prevent further corrosion and will repell (to a degree) everything that tries to land on your object after you've cleaned it with Spray Cleaner Polish. I'd spray a microfiber cloth or diaper/T-shirt cloth very lightly (1-2 seconds, or just long enough to spray from one edge of the cloth to the other and then back again as if you were Zorro doing half a Z), rub the cloth against itself to help the cloth absorb the spray, then wipe your flash where it needs it.

HONDA SPRAY - Original - Original under makers label - Current but different - 01.jpg

HONDA SPRAY - Original - Original under makers label - Current but different - 02.jpg

Now, for a great as these products are, and considering you have a sort of pristine stripe flanked by corroded areas, they might not get you 100% where you want to get to with the appearance of your flash. If that's the case, you might try a product called Simichrome Polish...

Simichrome Polish - 01.jpeg
...just be forewarned that Semichrome polish, often used to remove 'bluing' from chrome exhaust pipes, does infact remove a micron or so of chrome (maybe nickel in this case) and should be used sparingly and infrequently! Put on nitrile gloves. Take a dab of Simichrome 1/2" or less, onto a diaper/T-Shirt cloth and rub it across the surface to be cleaned. Using your finger, with the cloth beneath it, gently rub small cirlce swirls round and round through the rough surfaced areas. Wipe off the Simichrome with a clean cloth to see what progress your making. Repeat as necessary until you have cleaned/removed the rough areas.

If all of that STILL doesn't get your flash where you want it cosmetically, I'd stop trying. But that's just me, you could try polishing rouge and a buffing wheel, just be super carefull not to put too much pressure on the flash so as to not scour right through the nickel and down to the brass beneath it.

Good Luck in your endeavor to get'er clean! Post up your post cleaning picks once you're finished!
 
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Hey @kevin926 ! Bummer about the two extra holes in the forward section, that was definitely a mod to hold the GRAFLEX onto a different style camera mount, or some other accoutrement.

The little screw in the clamp screws into a little flat nut that slips into the tab slot on the upper half of the flash. Once you unlock the clamp lever, unscrew the screw, twist and pull on the upper half of the flash, the little flat nut falls out of the tab slot (and often into oblivion if you're not aware you're about to lose it).

As far as cleaning goes, I assume you're trying to make it look more uniform and less like a Wooly Bear Caterpillar, so...

Pick up 3 products (if you don't have them anyway)
1. A tin can of NeverDull (available at most autosupply stores)
2. A can of Original Bike Spirits Spray Cleaner Polish or Honda Spray Cleaner Polish (available at motorcycle dealerships and Honda dealerships (car and bike).
3. A microfiber cloth and/or a diaper cloth (autosupply again).

NeverDull is a cotton wadding soaked in chemical solvent that will kill and remove rust and tarnish. You can apply it directly to the metal, or wrap it in the diaper cloth (or T-Shirt material) and squeeze it a bit in your fingers to let the chemical leach into the cloth before wiping the cloth (instead of the wadding) onto the metal.

View attachment 777763


Spray Cleaner Polish (O.B.S. or Honda - used to be the exact same stuff, O.B.S. is the Original and now the better of the two, long story) where was I? oh, yeah... is a product that you can spray directly onto whatever you want cleaned and simply wipe off. It will break down and remove rust (to a degree), grease, adhesive, asphalt, dirt, bird poo, dust, bug guts, etc. and leave behind a protective film that will help prevent further corrosion and will repell (to a degree) everything that tries to land on your object after you've cleaned it with Spray Cleaner Polish. I'd spray a microfiber cloth or diaper/T-shirt cloth very lightly (1-2 seconds, or just long enough to spray from one edge of the cloth to the other and then back again as if you were Zorro doing half a Z), rub the cloth against itself to help the cloth absorb the spray, then wipe your flash where it needs it.

View attachment 777761

View attachment 777762

Now, for a great as these products are, and considering you have a sort of pristine stripe flanked by corroded areas, they might not get you 100% where you want to get to with the appearance of your flash. If that's the case, you might try a product called Simichrome Polish...

View attachment 777764
...just be forewarned that Semichrome polish, often used to remove 'bluing' from chrome exhaust pipes, does infact remove a micron or so of chrome (maybe nickel in this case) and should be used sparingly and infrequently! Put on nitrile gloves. Take a dab of Simichrome 1/2" or less, onto a diaper/T-Shirt cloth and rub it across the surface to be cleaned. Using your finger, with the cloth beneath it, gently rub small cirlce swirls round and round through the rough surfaced areas. Wipe off the Simichrome with a clean cloth to see what progress your making. Repeat as necessary until you have cleaned/removed the rough areas.

If all of that STILL doesn't get your flash where you want it cosmetically, I'd stop trying. But that's just me, you could try polishing rouge and a buffing wheel, just be super carefull not to put too much pressure on the flash so as to not scour right through the nickel and down to the brass beneath it.

Good Luck in your endeavor to get'er clean! Post up your post cleaning picks once you're finished!

thanks. yeah, I figured it was a mod with the holes. that's ok.

so the clamp screw is original. I am missing mine. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just on the replicas.
 
The clamp screw (and rectangular internal nut) is(are) indeed an original part of the flash. Seems to get lost in regular (non-Star Wars) use something on the order of half the time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Hey @kevin926 ! Bummer about the two extra holes in the forward section, that was definitely a mod to hold the GRAFLEX onto a different style camera mount, or some other accoutrement.

The little screw in the clamp screws into a little flat nut that slips into the tab slot on the upper half of the flash. Once you unlock the clamp lever, unscrew the screw, twist and pull on the upper half of the flash, the little flat nut falls out of the tab slot (and often into oblivion if you're not aware you're about to lose it).

As far as cleaning goes, I assume you're trying to make it look more uniform and less like a Wooly Bear Caterpillar, so...

Pick up 3 products (if you don't have them anyway)
1. A tin can of NeverDull (available at most autosupply stores)
2. A can of Original Bike Spirits Spray Cleaner Polish or Honda Spray Cleaner Polish (available at motorcycle dealerships and Honda dealerships (car and bike).
3. A microfiber cloth and/or a diaper cloth (autosupply again).

NeverDull is a cotton wadding soaked in chemical solvent that will kill and remove rust and tarnish. You can apply it directly to the metal, or wrap it in the diaper cloth (or T-Shirt material) and squeeze it a bit in your fingers to let the chemical leach into the cloth before wiping the cloth (instead of the wadding) onto the metal.

View attachment 777763


Spray Cleaner Polish (O.B.S. or Honda - used to be the exact same stuff, O.B.S. is the Original and now the better of the two, long story) where was I? oh, yeah... is a product that you can spray directly onto whatever you want cleaned and simply wipe off. It will break down and remove rust (to a degree), grease, adhesive, asphalt, dirt, bird poo, dust, bug guts, etc. and leave behind a protective film that will help prevent further corrosion and will repell (to a degree) everything that tries to land on your object after you've cleaned it with Spray Cleaner Polish. I'd spray a microfiber cloth or diaper/T-shirt cloth very lightly (1-2 seconds, or just long enough to spray from one edge of the cloth to the other and then back again as if you were Zorro doing half a Z), rub the cloth against itself to help the cloth absorb the spray, then wipe your flash where it needs it.

View attachment 777761

View attachment 777762

Now, for a great as these products are, and considering you have a sort of pristine stripe flanked by corroded areas, they might not get you 100% where you want to get to with the appearance of your flash. If that's the case, you might try a product called Simichrome Polish...

View attachment 777764
...just be forewarned that Semichrome polish, often used to remove 'bluing' from chrome exhaust pipes, does infact remove a micron or so of chrome (maybe nickel in this case) and should be used sparingly and infrequently! Put on nitrile gloves. Take a dab of Simichrome 1/2" or less, onto a diaper/T-Shirt cloth and rub it across the surface to be cleaned. Using your finger, with the cloth beneath it, gently rub small cirlce swirls round and round through the rough surfaced areas. Wipe off the Simichrome with a clean cloth to see what progress your making. Repeat as necessary until you have cleaned/removed the rough areas.

If all of that STILL doesn't get your flash where you want it cosmetically, I'd stop trying. But that's just me, you could try polishing rouge and a buffing wheel, just be super carefull not to put too much pressure on the flash so as to not scour right through the nickel and down to the brass beneath it.

Good Luck in your endeavor to get'er clean! Post up your post cleaning picks once you're finished!

This is some great info right here!!
 
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While combing through eBay for vintage clamps I stumbled upon this funny 3 cell bottom...

7d06a4a728b209fdf33b826ff92729b9.jpg


Anyone ever see this oval stamping before?


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But the brass is not exposed through the nickel plating.

I don’t know if denting this oval in would expose the brass? I totally understand what you mean though

It’s very intriguing isn’t it!?

Maybe you are on to something! ;)


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