Unknown Petzval

[Ian Grant]

One for Pete

Bought this at a Flea market with it's infestations

Ian

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting. Hopefully it will clean up too. Does the rack work?

 

[Ian Grant]

Remarkably despite all the muck and grime it's optically perfect, I made a set of Waterhouse stops.

Many Petzvals were sold off by manufacturers & stockists who had surplus unwanted lenses after the introduction of the Rapid Rectilinear lenses in 1865. This one ended up as a projection lens.

I managed to find a flange to fit it at a camera fair.

Ian

 

[Chris Dodkin]

That's an amazing transformation @Ian Grant - so the muck was all surface with no 'etching' of the lens by fungus?

Interested to hear what you use for cleaning/polishing the optics - I have some less than clean lenses I'd like to have a go at.

 

[Pete Askew]

Nice. I have an unnamed Petzval that I need to find a pinion for as someone has removed it at some time in the past. Otherwise it is nice condition.

 

[Ian Grant]

I have another smaller projection Petzval wil no slot for Waterhouse stops and like yours it's missing the pinion. It's off a lantern slide projector so would be ok on a Medium format camera or 35mm/digital SLR. I'll test it soon with front mounted stops.

Ian

 

[Pete Askew]

I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

 

[Brian Moore]

What year or decade do you suppose that lens comes from @Ian Grant?

Also, it cleaned up spectacularly. Well done!

 

[Ian Grant]

It's probably 1860's. Petzval lenses were made for many years after that as projector lenses but they have no provision for Waterhouse stops.

Ian

 

[Paul Lange]

Looking good but I cant help wondering what images you could have got with all the grime left on the lens. Fuzzy wonderfulness I would have hoped. It will be great to see what you get from it though, post something soon?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I wish I brushed up so well! Well done, Ian.

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Wow, that is NOT the same lens really?!?! Incredible!

 

[Ian Grant]

Wow, that is NOT the same lens really?!?! Incredible!

It looked awful and was basically junk, I was offered it at a flea market and said no way, but later thought it's worth a cheap punt and went back. I had tried a quick wet wipe and knew that the glass was actually OK.

I see the seller quite frequently, I get good deals/prices, but I do help him out in return.

Ian

 

[Hamish Gill]

Is it cheeky to ask what you paid ... just interested really!

 

[Dan Cattermole]

Was this the malvern flea market?

 

[Ian Grant]

It was the Malvern Flea market, however I have a rapport with certain sellers and some have items not on display. It's the same other places I buy, there's a few people who take items because they know I'll probably be there.

Is it cheeky to ask what you paid ... just interested really!

£20 and it's now worth considerably more, I turned it down initially because of the condition then decided to have a gamble.

Ian

 

[Hamish Gill]

Thats brilliant!
Do you have any shots taken with it?

 

[Ian Grant]

Not yet, because of moving my darkrroom I'm not yet setup, I've nowhere light-tight enough to unload film. I bought a very large changing bag but it needs repairing. Hopefully soon though.

Ian

 

[Dan Cattermole]

I LOVE THE MALVERN FLEA MARKET!!!!!!!
I could get lost for HOURS in that place. Is that the last one for this year for the winter closure?

 

[Ian Grant]

I LOVE THE MALVERN FLEA MARKET!!!!!!!
I could get lost for HOURS in that place. Is that the last one for this year for the winter closure?

There's two more, one next weekend and another in December

Ian