Unknown brass items

Ian Grant

Ian Grant

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brassfittings-sm.jpg

These came in a large job lot of Brass LF camera fittings. I think I know their LF use, let's see if anyone else thinks the same.

Ian
 
Some look like Aiglets, and the others look like the plastic bell-shaped things that used to be on anorak strings. Where do LF cameras have strings or laces?
 
With no scale or dimensions, it's hard to even guess from the picture.

Mike
 
The large ones with 3 holes weigh 11.8 gm, the smaller ones 4.2 gm.

Here's a smaller one that is exactly the same size.

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MartyNL said:
Spikes or feet for a tripod, perhaps?
Click to expand...

Well done Marty,

I have 6 sets of tripod legs, 2 use these exact fittings. As the wood grain runs up the tripod legs, they add strength, preventing the grain splitting where the spike are fitted. The other sets are inserted use similar but slightly different sizes, one uses straight tubular collars.

My initial guess had been that the larger, heavier, ones might be weight for the corners of dark cloths. However, the 3 screw holes seem to indicate these are also tripod spikes.

The job lot of brass fittings appear to have come from a camera workshop.

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They came in this box, now wood worm treated, re-glued, painted and a light coat of Danish oil. This is just a small assortment of the parts.
 
I must admit, I thought they looked 'too pretty' to be used as feet, it would be a shame to see them covered in mud!
They wouldn't go amiss on a Christmas tree...
 
The 1903 BJP Almanac contains adverts for brass camera fittings. I'll copy them next time I get chance and post.
 
That would be useful. In the late 1880s and very early 1900s you could buy cameras in kit form. Two suppliers come to mind Vevers, and Lonsdale Brothers, both in Leeds. Neither company were long-lived.

Vevers were wholesalers of cameras, brass fittings and also made camera parts to order, founded around 1887 they went bankrupt in 1903. Lonsdale Brothers founded in 1891 manufactured brass fittings and later also made camera parts, including complete kits, they also traded as the Sun Camera Co. Ltd. They had an office in London from 1900 but were taken over in 1906.

In the early years of the 1900s there was consolidation in the photographic trade here in the UK, Houghton began merging companies and by 1904 Houghton Ltd was an amalgamation of 8 different camera manufacturers. Other companies merged with William Butcher, Adams, Newman, and Sinclair. You had a similar pattern of companies merging in Germany.

Many smaller companies disappeared around this time.

The 1906 Paul N, Hasluck book is quite useful, I have a reprint somewhere.

Ian

https://www.abebooks.com/Photographic-Cameras-Accessories-Comprising-Dark-Slides/31822871698/bd
 
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