I'm still not ready for a full reply yet (damn the weather and AOL!), but I'll give a few things a stab.
First of all, I can't believe you "let the cat outta the bag," Steve!
I've been tempted to contact my close friends who know the origins of where to buy the door latch from, but my stubborn nature kept me from doing it. I always wanted to kinda stumble upon it in a search...
Chris: I so badly wanted to answer you tonight with another pic, but I simply don't have it to back my thoughts up. Nevertheless, I'll try and explain.
As DS pointed out, that's exactly what I think (even though he said he was "partially agreeing with both of us.")
The pic I was planning on using to help my case showed a CLEAR difference between the top and bottom finishes. Like I said above, the end - not
just the endcap - is very dull, and doesn't even look metallic! I'm not saying it ISN'T metal, I'm just saying that it looks strange...and since the Graflex stamp is obviously not there, I don't believe that part is original.
Now, you say that:
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It could be (and likely is) a washer since the center hole would be covered by the bracket.
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I just can't see where you are getting that from. But, back to my fundamental question - WHY would the prop makers bother to use this different part, whether it's putty, Bondo, resin filler, or a washer - in the first place?
I'll insert the pertinent pic in this post once I can get it uploaded.
Also, I have a VERY compelling picture that shows support for threads in the activation box,
not [EDIT] SPRINGS.
Believe it or not, the shot is from one of the two small rectangles at the bottom...again pointing towards the front cylinder.
I'd love to contribute more, but without pics, that's all I can give for now!