After an accident that left an in any other case well-built Linhof tripod in a nasty form, watch as photographer Markus Hofstätter introduced it again to life with full performance.
Hofstätter is not any stranger to Linhof tripods, as only in the near past PetaPixel shared his project the place he befriended and photographed a household of swans with a large-format digicam supported by one. As somebody who shoots wet-plate images, Hofstätter frequently works with a wide range of photographic tools with an extended historical past behind it. This time, nonetheless, the 50 to 60-year previous Linhof tripod got here in his possession following a motorcycle accident that had left the tripod in a tough form.
Not intimidated by the problem of the restore job, Hofstätter took it upon himself to repair it up utilizing his personal DIY abilities. It might have been a disgrace to not strive, contemplating how effectively constructed these tripods are and the way effectively they match along with his personal cameras, says Hofstätter in his blog post.
Hofstätter tells PetaPixel that he tries to restore most issues by himself whether it is doable. Not solely is it a satisfying course of, however most elderly issues are constructed to final and customarily solely require a straightforward restore that may preserve them going for years.
The damaged tripod had a lacking stabilizer and a damaged ball head, with the latter proving to be a much bigger headache to Hofstätter as he had no thought the way it labored. He discovered an identical ball head in a neighborhood store and requested if they might have the ability to ship him some footage and video footage to point out intimately the way it works, and, fortunately, they did.
Hofstätter began with the best half to repair — the stabilizer. Though a easy process for Hofstätter, the job requires endurance with a contact of precision — in a mixture with the fitting metalwork instruments, after all — to make sure that all elements are reduce to slot in the corresponding placements.
The ball head with its lacking bolt, however, wasn’t practically as straightfoward. The bolt needed to be filed down to suit after which secured, however with the shop-provided footage, Hofstätter was capable of end his venture with no main points alongside the way in which.
The result’s a completely useful and durable classic tripod, a great addition to Hofstätter’s images equipment. Much more so, its rejuvenation was adopted by Hofstätter’s announcement that he’ll shortly start his “Will it Shoot Moist-Plate?” video collection, the place the newly-repaired tripod will certainly turn out to be useful.
Extra of Hofstätter’s work, together with moist plate portraits, will be discovered on his website, blog, and Instagram page, whereas his movies will be seen on his YouTube channel.
Picture credit: All pictures by Markus Hofstätter and used with permission.
