Some of these Ianterners may be waiting till a rather mythical "ship. comes home" before venturing to contemplate the purchase of even a quarter-plate camera of the orthodox sort. And to such I would relate how that for a few years my sole apparatus on three lege consisted of.a full-sized lantern lens and a box, and, what may surprise some amateurs, that it turned out some good photos which have been processed " at home, and many negative which is now perpetuated ina set of lantern slides on hiee—will not say where—which have been and are used in most large towns and cities of England.
Itis therefore natural to speak well of the bridge that carried me: over, even if it was only a plank-bridge.
Such friends as those described above, must of necessity turn their hands to many things, from amateur doctoring to amateur carpentering, and so will have little difficulty in turning out such a home-made piece of apparatus as that which I will proceed to describe. The dark-slides will have to be bought in Shanghai from either a native or foreign maker. Avy pair of quatter-plate double dark-slides will do, provided that they are not " book-form," but with solid sides and with grooves down those sides. It would be advisable to borrow one such from a friend who may live.on the spot, and who might forward the two copies to you up-country.
Getting the slides is the first thing, as the box will have to be of such internal width as to fit them. The slides having been procured, there is little further expense to be incurred, as any good local carpenter will be able to copy a simple tripod stand, if such can be borrowed as pattern; a local brass-worker supplying the brass fittings, The best wood for both stand and box is that known as es-mung. It is tough and free from the pungent odour which charac-tenses camphor wood, and from the resinous vapours of pine wood. Which element, though of no consequence for the stand, may have deleterious effects in the box-camera if the plates are subjected to prolonged contract with its vapour. Some Packets ut plates were once forwarded to me from Shanghai, packed in sawdust, and the silver bromide was more or loss decomposed in consequence.
Teak (or mahogany) dock-slides, and ts:-mung, or perhaps peh-mung box-camera, may therefore be recommended.
Unlike the ordinary bellows-extension camera, ours will be rigid, the focussing being done by the screw of the lantern lens, which as you will understand, is to [the box, of which be fixed in circular bale in the front of dark slide when it is in position. My particular box was 4} inches square in front, and its sides and bottom were 4] x 5 inches, while the top was 4} x 41; the lens being of 4% inch focus, As the wood was 4 inch, the pieces of wood for the construction of the box, were, for the front, 4 x 43; for the bottom, 4} x 4}; for the lop, 4] x 32; freach side, 43 x 4f inches.
Each piece was carefully cut with a fret saw, and for planing, was itself rubbed up and down plane-wise upon a sheet of fine glass paper fixed toa flat board. The parts were secured together by means of 3 show brads, each brad hole being first made by means of a fine awl. Such a method of joinery is better than dovetailing in the resent instance, as the joints are less liable to gape in hot weather.
Your lens may not be exactly 4} inch focus, and so the top of your box may have to be'a little more or less than 4} inches. The back end of the top board must fit accurately to the outside of the dark-slide (though not so tightly as to prevent its being drawn up and down).and the dark-slide must be placed at such a distance from the lens that either of its plates when exposed shall coincide with the.nedium focus of the lens. To keep it in position, cut two narrow slips of thin wood to.fit in the side grooves, and attach them to the inner sides of the box; say by pins cut or filed short.
The focussing glass consists of a quarter plate (if the beginner has managed to spoil one before he has begun to take photos): or a good piece of window glass x 3} which may be ground by the amateur.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.