New Bellows Shopping

[mikew148]

I figured it was time to replace my rickety, cheap, get me started, bellows. So I went on my local Craigslist and there it was!. Nice, well built, heavy duty little unit - Nikon F mount with a slide copier attachment. Asking price - $20! It's 100 times better than the cheap bellows I originally purchased and it's half the price!

 

But the real find was the guy who sold it to me and the little piece of heaven he calls home. This gentleman was a fine woodworking craftsman. His trade of choice - 18th and 19th Century clocks. Table top size to magnificent, weight powered, Grandfather clocks. Meticulously restored to their original working condition and put on display for sale. What was supposed to be a 10 minute transaction turned into an afternoon tour of the workshop. It was an amazingly clean and organized shop given all of the tools that were in there. Lathes, presses, sanders, etc... all of the necessary tools to recreate these beautiful pieces of working art. The showcase room looked like an ordinary garage from the outside but when the door went up.....Wow! This mans passion for what he does was very evident and it was a true pleasure to listen to the "tales of the clocks". It was like the clocks were friends of his, it was hard to tell if he was fixing them or getting to know them. Probably both!

 

Everything in there had an old world look to it. Mostly Clocks but he had a handful of Barometers that had a great look and the attention to detail was simply outstanding. (I'll have one soon!) There were also a couple of musical pieces and some old ship artifacts. He took the time to show the place and tell a few stories and I didn't want to leave but it was getting late so......

 

As I was leaving, I noticed a curious piece that he was working on. I assumed it was a clock until we got a little closer to it. It was a medium sized display case that had LP record size discs, with holes in them, sitting next it. He explained that the piece was a old time "jukebox". He said you slide tokens into the slot and the metal disc's would spin and music then played in the same fashion as a musical jewelry box. He said back in the day they were in the old time pubs in Europe. I thought that was cool enough and then I looked down into the the box of tokens and they were not tokens. They were large pennies! Being a coin collector I started looking at the dates - 1898, 1900, 1901 etc..... I told him that some old coins can have substantial value and he replied " I wouldn't sell them separately, they'll go with the jukebox".

 

I'm not very knowledgeable on World coins so I'm not sure what they were but the jukebox with the old Pennies was a very cool item. I will definitely be returning to purchase an Old Fashioned Barometer and who knows.....maybe a cool old jukebox and the 'tokens' that come with it! Of course I'll let him know if he has any rarities.

 

[brg5658]

Very cool story! I'm envious of these kinds of experiences. I have a few in my lifetime, but I hope for many more. I love spending time with wise elderly folks. The stories, the history, and the love and passion for hard work. Amazing stuff!

 

Can't wait to see how the new bellows treats you!

 

Cheers,

-Brandon

[mikew148]

Thanks Brandon, that whole place had a great feel to it.

 

My LED lights have been ordered but they're having a shipping delay. I can't wait to get the whole package together! Hopefully by this weekend I'll be shooting with the new lights.

[rmpsrpms]

Great story. My Dad restored old clocks and my brother took up the trade, so clocks are close to home for me.

 

Post your pics with the new bellows when you can, I'm very interested to see the results.

 

Ray

[jpcienkus]

Cool Story. When you return, can you take some pictures and post them? It's great that craftsman still exist in this country.

[Coindude]

Neat story. Does the guy have a website? I think one of those multi face barometer boxes would be pretty cool.

[mikew148]

Cool Story. When you return, can you take some pictures and post them? It's great that craftsman still exist in this country.

 

If he'll allow me to, I certainly will. I'm hoping to have a purchase to photograph, at the very least!

[mikew148]

Neat story. Does the guy have a website? I think one of those multi face barometer boxes would be pretty cool.

 

I'll ask him next time I visit. Hoping to get over there next week if he's around.

 

If he does I'll send it to you in a PM.