Here's a quick jump from beginning to the final product...
Look at the shine on the Model 1!!!
And of course a photo op with the Alpha 1.
2nd Shot is a repair/refurbish service for lovers and users of Polaroid SX70 cameras. This blog will cover customer repairs, some of my personal finds and projects, and just some plain cool pics of SX70 cameras. For custom orders, repair/reskin estimates, questions, etc., you can now visit the sales and repair site at www.2ndshotsx70.com.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Smooth Sailin'
Tonight's repairs include 2 fantastic SX-70s from Wisconsin. These were a lot of fun to work on and a nice break from doing tons of adjustments. I love fixing cameras that have been taken care of in the past. These were in great shape to begin with but both had some severe electronic malfunctions. A few hours with a soldering iron, some spare parts, rigorous cleaning, and some fragrant leather skins and BLAM!... Some of the sexiest SX-70s I've had the pleasure to work on. Shop's closed!
Here's a quick jump from beginning to the final product...
Look at the shine on the Model 1!!!
And of course a photo op with the Alpha 1.
Here's a quick jump from beginning to the final product...
Look at the shine on the Model 1!!!
And of course a photo op with the Alpha 1.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Summertime - Learning New things
Wow... almost 3 weeks without a post? Unacceptable... Now that I've scolded myself, allow me to give a little insight on what's up here at 2nd Shot. Summertime is here finally and the shop has slowed down slightly with repairs. That's OK though as it's allowed me to catch up with seven new "listing" cameras, cameras that will be listed on Ebay. In a previous post there was a picture of a whole table of cameras. Well, I've finally been able to dive in and get some wonderful Deluxe SX-70 packages together. Combine that with Summer activities and Dubbs and I have been a busy pair.
So what will these deluxe packages include? Glad you asked. Currently there are 4 total Alpha 1 packages in the making, one of which is shown below. 3 packages will include a near mint fully refurbished Alpha 1, mint SX70 case, strap, and a flashbar. One Alpha 1 package will be the same but instead of a case it will come with a mint vinyl Ever Ready case in box! Also in the making to list is yet another custom "Alpha Color" Alpha 1. Kermit anyone? Check out the hint below. Next we have an awesome find... an unmolested MINT original in box Model 2 Autofocus. This thing is beautiful and works like the day it came off the assembly line. Finally, something a little different for 2nd Shot, a MINT Automatic 250 packfilm camera. There's a lot to look forward to in the next 2 weeks so keep an eye out for our Ebay listings here.
So here at 2nd Shot we're always looking for new things to improve on our cameras. One thing I noticed with a lot of fixers (almost all are fixers... wow) is that the viewfinders are dirty or even damaged. With us it's all about the detail. If a motor is sluggish, not acceptable. If a viewfinder is heavily spotted, again... no good. So I've been taking the time to learn new ways of cleaning the fresnel lenses found in the SX70 camera. Needless to say it's been quite a challenge but it's one more thing that 2nd Shot can add to the list of fixes. There's still a list of stuff that I'm trying to figure out how to fix. The biggest killer is fungus. Unfortunately parts that are heavily soiled with fungus go to the garbage. Fungus in the inner lens my worst enemy as the inner lens is heat staked to the shutter board. So again, while I'm doing repairs or refurbs, I'm constantly trying new ways of improving quality of details. It's amazingly worth it in the end.
Coming soon is as promised, a pictorial guide to the difference between an Alpha 1 and a Model 1 and a nice set of SX70 repairs for a customer in Wisconsin.
Before gratuitous pics of repairs, I wanted to share a few pics that were taken in the last month. We take a TON of Polaroid pics... integral, packfilm, even Polaroid roll film and not all are simply test shots. Here's a few taken of outside the shop, and of the 2nd Shot family Dubbs, Wes, Allie, and Leela... Life is good.
OK, here's the fist of the Alpha 1 cameras that was completed. I actually swapped out the fresnel lens on this on as it had a big ol splotch of fungus smack dab in the middle. Add a blue button and you've got yourself a Revue clone. This is one of my favorite cameras to date and I really do hate to let it go. You can see the typical process, disassembly, cleaning, and reskin. Gorgeous!
Got Green? This one is gonna be SA-WEET!
So what will these deluxe packages include? Glad you asked. Currently there are 4 total Alpha 1 packages in the making, one of which is shown below. 3 packages will include a near mint fully refurbished Alpha 1, mint SX70 case, strap, and a flashbar. One Alpha 1 package will be the same but instead of a case it will come with a mint vinyl Ever Ready case in box! Also in the making to list is yet another custom "Alpha Color" Alpha 1. Kermit anyone? Check out the hint below. Next we have an awesome find... an unmolested MINT original in box Model 2 Autofocus. This thing is beautiful and works like the day it came off the assembly line. Finally, something a little different for 2nd Shot, a MINT Automatic 250 packfilm camera. There's a lot to look forward to in the next 2 weeks so keep an eye out for our Ebay listings here.
So here at 2nd Shot we're always looking for new things to improve on our cameras. One thing I noticed with a lot of fixers (almost all are fixers... wow) is that the viewfinders are dirty or even damaged. With us it's all about the detail. If a motor is sluggish, not acceptable. If a viewfinder is heavily spotted, again... no good. So I've been taking the time to learn new ways of cleaning the fresnel lenses found in the SX70 camera. Needless to say it's been quite a challenge but it's one more thing that 2nd Shot can add to the list of fixes. There's still a list of stuff that I'm trying to figure out how to fix. The biggest killer is fungus. Unfortunately parts that are heavily soiled with fungus go to the garbage. Fungus in the inner lens my worst enemy as the inner lens is heat staked to the shutter board. So again, while I'm doing repairs or refurbs, I'm constantly trying new ways of improving quality of details. It's amazingly worth it in the end.
Coming soon is as promised, a pictorial guide to the difference between an Alpha 1 and a Model 1 and a nice set of SX70 repairs for a customer in Wisconsin.
Before gratuitous pics of repairs, I wanted to share a few pics that were taken in the last month. We take a TON of Polaroid pics... integral, packfilm, even Polaroid roll film and not all are simply test shots. Here's a few taken of outside the shop, and of the 2nd Shot family Dubbs, Wes, Allie, and Leela... Life is good.
OK, here's the fist of the Alpha 1 cameras that was completed. I actually swapped out the fresnel lens on this on as it had a big ol splotch of fungus smack dab in the middle. Add a blue button and you've got yourself a Revue clone. This is one of my favorite cameras to date and I really do hate to let it go. You can see the typical process, disassembly, cleaning, and reskin. Gorgeous!
Got Green? This one is gonna be SA-WEET!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Some Time Off - 2 New Fixers in the Shop
It's been quite a while since the last post. Dubbs and I took a week off of our daytime work schedule to take our old VW bus on a 1500 mile roadtrip visiting and camping in Ohiopyle, PA, Louisville, KY, and Cleveland, OH (my hometown). Needless to say it was a blast and we had a great week. We also got a lot of repair requests during the week which was nice. It was good to look forward to a few jobs when we got home.
So back to business... I finished up 2 repairs this week, both Model 1s, one easy, the other a bit difficult. Lets start with the trouble maker, an early Model 1 Goodwill purchase from a customer in Indiana. This camera definitely was used and well loved. It was in great shape but needed quite a few adjustments. As I mentioned before, repairs are easy... adjustments aren't. In fact, I was just about to ship this when a few pictures I had taken earlier had me a bit concerned. So I unpacked it and fixed a new electric eye filter on the faceplate... a lot of the pics were coming out very overexposed, even for IP film but the new filter compensated.
Next is a late cost reduced Model 1 from here in New York. I realyreallyreally like this camera. I'm a sucker for the black/silver look and the Model 1 black and silvers are pretty rare. Aside from needing a new faceplate (old one cracked) not much was needed on this guy but a thorough cleaning and a reskin. That's it. Done. :)
So we're looking forward to finishing up more repairs. I'd like to switch gears in the next week or so and put to rest the difference between a Model 1 and an Alpha 1, hopefully give some updates on what's up with 'The King', and even post some of our own Polaroid pics. Thanks to this week's customers and we hope you enjoy your cameras and that they work well for years to come. time for PICS!!!
I have to sneak in a pic of our 1971 VW Westfalia at camp. Much like working on cameras, it's been a blast to work on the bus. The Grand Wagoneer is my buddy's. He's a car nut too. Old stuff is cool.
Here's Goodwill... teardown, cleanup, and the final product. I really like how it turned out in the long run... gotta make it right.
Finally, here's the black/silver Model 1 from teardown to final product. I like to add a little extra so I offered to replace the bottom cover so that the customer could add a strap. Pretty cool little detail if I do say so myself.
So back to business... I finished up 2 repairs this week, both Model 1s, one easy, the other a bit difficult. Lets start with the trouble maker, an early Model 1 Goodwill purchase from a customer in Indiana. This camera definitely was used and well loved. It was in great shape but needed quite a few adjustments. As I mentioned before, repairs are easy... adjustments aren't. In fact, I was just about to ship this when a few pictures I had taken earlier had me a bit concerned. So I unpacked it and fixed a new electric eye filter on the faceplate... a lot of the pics were coming out very overexposed, even for IP film but the new filter compensated.
Next is a late cost reduced Model 1 from here in New York. I realyreallyreally like this camera. I'm a sucker for the black/silver look and the Model 1 black and silvers are pretty rare. Aside from needing a new faceplate (old one cracked) not much was needed on this guy but a thorough cleaning and a reskin. That's it. Done. :)
So we're looking forward to finishing up more repairs. I'd like to switch gears in the next week or so and put to rest the difference between a Model 1 and an Alpha 1, hopefully give some updates on what's up with 'The King', and even post some of our own Polaroid pics. Thanks to this week's customers and we hope you enjoy your cameras and that they work well for years to come. time for PICS!!!
I have to sneak in a pic of our 1971 VW Westfalia at camp. Much like working on cameras, it's been a blast to work on the bus. The Grand Wagoneer is my buddy's. He's a car nut too. Old stuff is cool.
Here's Goodwill... teardown, cleanup, and the final product. I really like how it turned out in the long run... gotta make it right.
Finally, here's the black/silver Model 1 from teardown to final product. I like to add a little extra so I offered to replace the bottom cover so that the customer could add a strap. Pretty cool little detail if I do say so myself.
