Video: Making a Set of Bellows

[Mike Pierceall]

Not an instrumental video, but a silent record of building bellows.  8-fold, 8 sided, gold end papers.  Here:

[pythagoras]

Most instructive and really well presented. Thanks.

[RAc]

Thanks for sharing, Mike! It's great to be able to see and compare different maker's approaches to the same task!

 

The question that comes to mind is why you use butterflied double bellows papers instead of individual ones. Doesn't it compromise the flexibility of the bellows when you double the hinge, and isn't a paper hinge rather subject to wear than a sole leather hinge? Finally, isn't there a greater chance of the lower leather valleys being contaminated with glue which deteriorates its hinging properties?

 

Thanks!

 

[Mike Pierceall]

17 hours ago, RAc said:

Thanks for sharing, Mike! It's great to be able to see and compare different maker's approaches to the same task!

 

The question that comes to mind is why you use butterflied double bellows papers instead of individual ones. Doesn't it compromise the flexibility of the bellows when you double the hinge, and isn't a paper hinge rather subject to wear than a sole leather hinge? Finally, isn't there a greater chance of the lower leather valleys being contaminated with glue which deteriorates its hinging properties?

 

Thanks!

 

Time will tell.  I've never used butterfly end papers before, but the material I used is very thin with cross bonded fibers.  The adhesive is very flexible, and there is very little bulk.  The 8-fold bellows, minus the end frames,  is less than 3 cm thick when compressed.  The butterflies also took about half the time of installing than with conventional end papers.  Thanks for watching and commenting.

Edited January 19, 2019 by Mike Pierceall
clarity