Brandt & Wilde Dropping Plate Camera c 1898
Page Index
- Identifying the Camera
- How it Works
- Dismantling the Camera
- The Repairs Begin
- The Gear Dilemma
- The Shutter Mechanism
- Replacing the Missing Foot
- Leather Strap
- Antique Camera View Finder Repair
- Final Images
The Brandt and Wilde Falling Plate Camera
In this project, I’ll take you through the meticulous process of restoring a 120-year-old antique camera to its former glory. From cleaning the antique wooden body to repairing the delicate mechanisms, this restoration combines precision and respect for the craftsmanship of the past. Join me as I bring this historical piece back to life, preserving its original charm while making it fully functional once again. Follow along for insights into the tools, techniques, and patience required to restore such a treasured artifact.
I found the camera at a local flea market over the summer (2024). At first, I didn’t know what it was exactly. It was certainly some type of camera but why the odd mechanism and shape. The gear work on the front struck my “Steampunk” nerve. I also appreciated the mahogany wood construction. Beyond that, I did not know its age. I was unsure why it needed the gear works and had this odd shape. It was time to search for some clues. The back of the camera did have some information stamped into it.
I could make out the Brandt in the beginning of the logo, then and obstructed word that ended in ****DE. Finally there is the word or name “Naghf”. Underneath it looks like it says “Berlins”. There was also a patent mark below this that.
Identifying the Antique Camera
The patent number was surprisingly unhelpful. The DE made it a German pre-world war I patent that meant the patent was applied for. After some digging, I did find a website that had some information about the camera. They didn’t have a image of the actual camera. However, they had what appeared to be an advertisement print from the time it was made.
This was clearly my camera with the name printed on the top of the view finder: Brandt & Wilde Nachf. “Nachf.” is an abbreviation for the German word Nachfolgerin, which translates to ” successor” in English.. With the information provided I was able to find that the camera was made somewhere around 1890. So this camera is over 120 years old! The camera was indeed made in Berlin. I found a logo from this same company for sale online and it is pictured here.
The State of the Antique Camera
Considering its age this camera was in very good shape.
There were several problem areas however. The main mechanical problem was that the gears on the front were misaligned and did not mesh. The bottom of the camera was missing one it its spherical feet. In that same corner a hinge and L bracket were severely corroded, possibly due to some water damage during storage. The leather strap on the top of the camera was basically bonded to the wood.
How it Works
So that brings us to the mechanicals. What are all these gears on the front of the box for? Why is there a cover that opens on both the top and the bottom? Finally , what is the purpose for the rack inside the top cover.
With a little more research I came across the camera type known as a falling plate camera. Back in the 1890’s cameras didn’t use film but rather glass or tin plates that would be coated with a photo emulsion. These plates were held one at a time in a light sealed case until inserted into the camera when used. That was why the photographer would be under the blanket behind the camera. In this way the plate could be inserted into the camera without exposure to light. The camera only held one plate at a time.
With the falling plate camera, multiple plates could be placed inside the camera in a dark space. Then a picture could be taken with the plate that rested in front of the lens. When the first plate was used a device inside the camera would release the plate allowing it to fall forward. A spring inside the camera would push the set of plates forward. The next plate could be advanced into focus and another photo could be taken. This process could continue until all the plates in the camera were used. Then the camera would be taken to the dark room where the plates could be removed and developed.
Dropping Plate Antique Camera
This antique camera works a little differently. Rather than falling forward after exposure, these plates drop into the area in the bottom of the camera. Inside this camera there is a rack that can hold 12 emulsion plates. The rack rests on two screws on either side of the camera and is basically floating inside. There is a shelf half way down the rack attached to the back of the camera. This shelf holds the unexposed plates in the top section of the camera.
After a plate has been exposed a small knob on the back of the camera is pulled. The knob moves a catch on the front of the shelf which releases the exposed plate. This allows plate to drop to the bottom of the rack. When the large gear on the front of the camera is rotated it advances the rack forward via the screws. This brings the next plate in front of the lens to be exposed. This can be repeated 12 times. When all the plates are exposed they are removed from the bottom of the camera and developed. So the door on the top is for placing new plates into the rack and the door on the bottom for removing exposed plates. Both these operations would be done in a dark room.
My antique camera also has a clever mechanism. It advances a number on the front of the camera every time a plate is used. That allows the photographer to see which number plate is ready for exposure. While I haven’t seen the term I have dubbed this device a “Dropping Plate Camera”.
Dismantling the Camera
Before I could do any repairs I needed to dismantle the camera. I started by removing the top and bottom covers and the deteriorated leather strap.
The small view finder lens came off next.
Next I removed the cover and shutter mechanism from the front of the antique camera.
I then removed the unexposed plate shelf and knob from the camera box.
The gears and hardware were then removed from the front of the camera.
With these hardware removed I focused on getting the corroded bracket and hinge removed. I was then able to remove the back of the camera and access the damage.
Inside the camera there was a light box between the lens and plate rack. I removed this to get at the interior of the antique camera. The final piece removed was the view finder. This just slid out after the lens was removed. At this point I found that a support piece had come loose from the rack.
After removing the view finder, I broke it down into three pieces. These pieces just slide together. They are the metal housing, the frosted glass surface, and the reflecting mirror. The silvering on the mirror had severely deteriorated over time.
The Repairs Begin
This was my first repair, using epoxy adhesive to re-bond the support piece to the rack.
The top of the camera had pieces of the leather strap bonded to the wood surface. I used a razor blade to first remove the excess from the surface. Then I lightly sanded the surface to arrive at a clean surface.
After I removed the hardware from the damaged bottom corner I found several areas of severe wood deterioration.
I used wood putty to fill these areas which were then sanded smooth.
There was also a small gap/crack in the front of the camera caused by wood shrinkage over time. I also filled this and lightly sanded the surface.
Re-coating the Wood and Chrome Polishing
With these repairs done I gave all of the wood surfaces a coat of boiled linseed oil. This coating was readily available 120 years ago. It may actually have been the original coating.
Now I waited for the linseed oil to dry. During that time, I spent some time cleaning all of the chrome plated hardware and screws with rubbing compound.
Before I can put the camera box back together I need to repair two pieces of hardware. These are the corroded hinge for the bottom door and the damaged L bracket that holds the back in place.
The L bracket was cleaned with a wire wheel on a Dremel. It was then sanded and cleaned with steel wool.
The hinge was also cleaned with the wire wheel, but then was soaked overnight is penetrating oil first. After soaking the hinge was again able to open and close. Both the L bracket and repaired hinge have lost there chrome plating. I intend to leave them brass with a coat of wax on the surface as protection. This will keep things as original as possible while regaining function.
The Gear Dilemma
This leads us to the first challenge. The gears that turn the screw shafts on either side of the camera stick out too far. When we attach the main and two idler gears to the camera, they do not mesh with the screw gears.
I’m not sure how this happened to the camera. Some could be attributed to wood shrinkage especially if the wood was not properly dried before it was used. This cannot be the whole story as the amount of shrinkage would have been huge. This would have created other problems with things not lining up properly in other ways. I think the original installation was a bit off. I also think that over cranking of the main gear may have deformed some metal pieces. However this happened it leaves me to find a solution.
If we look at the other ends and inside of the box, there isn’t much room. It’s difficult to move the screw shaft back as the brackets holding them are very close to the edge. This would also have required drilling new holes in the wood and patching the old ones. I felt this would be too invasive.
I was afraid of removing the screw shafts from the gears to shorten them. They were soldered together when made and then chrome plated. I felt trying to get them free of the box would do more damage than I was willing to risk. Indeed because of this concern I never removed the rack, screws or small gears from the camera.
Gear Height Solutions
This left me with putting brass washers as spacers behind the main and idler gears. I felt this was minimally invasive and could easily be reversed if need be.
This works well so far, but it did cause a couple of issues. First the screws for the idler gears were too short to accommodate the washers. The second was that the main gear threaded shaft was also too short.
You would think, at least for the idler gears this would be a simple fix. Just use some longer screws of the same size. This antique camera was a made in the 1890’s in Germany. Thread sizes were not as standardized back then. The threads on these screws and the main gear shaft are neither metric nor English standards. The chrome plated nuts used to mount these gears won’t fit on any standard screw.
The solution of course is to drill and tap them to a new thread size. In this case, I used a standard 8-32 tap. I replaced the idler gear screws with longer ones of this size.
Now that the threads on the nuts have been changed, washers are added. New longer screws are used to mount the idler gears. Everything now lines up well.
The Main Gear
The threaded shaft for the main gear is mounted to a rectangular base that is held in place by small screws. In order to lengthen this shaft I first removed the old one by drilling.
Next I soldered a longer 8-32 brass screw to the rectangular base. I used a non-brass nut to hold the screw in place so I could remove it when I was done soldering.
I now put the new piece in place and set all the gears into place.
The main gear has a cam on the end of one spoke. This cam impinges on a small lever that activates the number wheel in the shutter mechanism. I re-installed the lever and tested the action. I found that when I raised the gears I caused a mismatch in the alignment between the cam and lever.
With a little bit of grinding I was able to get the cam and lever to line up properly
The Shutter Mechanism
The shutter mechanism is in pretty good shape given its age. The main thing I needed to do is clean all of the pieces and then add a bit of oil.
With these parts cleaned I was able to put the shutter back onto the camera.
Antique Camera – Plate Number Wheel
The number wheel mounts the the rachet disk on the right side of the mechanism.
The glue that held this wheel in place has long since let loose. I used double sided thin tape to reattach the wheel to the rachet disk.
We’ll next go through how the shutter mechanism works in some detail. The first step is opening the shutter to expose the emulsion plate. This is done but pulling on the knob on the right side of the box.
When this knob is pulled three things occur. First, the shutter is opened exposing the plate. Second, the mechanism locks in place. It remains locked until the main gear turns far enough to activate the lever with the cam. This is one revolution. Finally, the number wheel is advanced to the next number. This is done by the hook impinging on the ratchet wheel .
Once open, the shutter will remain that way until the release button is pressed. Presumably the time the shutter remains open would depend on the available light and type of emulsion. The photographer would time this based on their knowledge and experience,
Now that the shutter has been closed, the knob on the back of the camera is pulled. This action drops the exposed plate to the bottom of the camera. The main gear is then rotated one revolution. This releases the shutter knob. It also advances the next plate into place in front of the shutter.
With this part completed the shutter cover and main lens is reattached. The small knob is also threaded back onto the shutter release.
Putting More Some Antique Camera pieces Back Together
I removed black light box earlier to gain access to the interior . With that completed I now re-install this internal piece.
With the linseed oil dry and the wood damage repaired the next step is to put the box back together. I added the wood back piece next. This slides into slots on the two sides and held in place by the four L brackets. The L bracket I repaired earlier was left off for now pending drilling new holes for it. The wood underneath is currently filled with wood putty.
The plate shelf attaches to the inside of the back of the box. I inserted this and held it place with the four screws I cleaned up earlier. The release rod has a knob that I now can reattach.
With the back in place, my next step is to install the bottom door. The latch that holds it closed is also attached. Here again I’ve held off on attaching the repaired hinge pending drilling holes into the filled wood damage.
Now I move on to the top door, latch and leveling bubble. The latch is the same type as the one for the bottom door.
For the wood damage repair I first pre-drill the holes. Then I added a wood glue plus saw dust mixture to the holes. This helps the screws to find a better purchase.
Now that the holes are drilled and reinforced with glue/sawdust the repaired hinge is put in place. This completes the repair of the damaged corner. All I have left to do here is come up with a plan for the missing foot.
Replacing the Missing Foot
As you may remember I only had three of the four feet for the bottom. I first attach two of these these to the existing holes, holding out the other for modeling a replacement foot.
The existing ball is measured for diameter and height. I chose a small brass piece to fabricate another foot. I use the lathe to first turn it to the correct diameter. Then, I pre-drill a hole for attaching it to the antique camera. Before shaping the foot, I drilled the hole for mounting the foot with a wood screw. I used a larger drill, going part way through, to provided a counter sink for the screw head.
The net step was turning the brass piece to the right diameter. I used a file to round the new foot into shape. After that looked right the ball was cut from the shaft.
I used a file to clean of excess brass left from the cutting process. Then I use a brass screw through the hole in the foot to put it in place. Standing it up right you can see that the camera sits level on the new foot.
A final test to make sure the camera stays level. Then a closeup of the new foot.
Leather Strap
The leather strap that was mounted to the top of the antique camera was in pretty rough shape. Over the years it had bonded itself to the wood. When I tried to take it off it came away in pieces.
I purchased some black leather and carefully measured what was left of the old strap. Then I cut strips of leather of the proper width and length. Two smaller squares of leather were cut for each end. These act as anchors that hold the strap in place under the metal brackets.
I decided to make the strap from two layers of leather. They were first bonded together with double sided tape. Then, along with the anchor squares, I sowed all the layers together with nylon thread.
With the new strap completed I attached it with the metal brackets to the top of the camera.
Antique Camera View Finder Repair
The view finder actually consists of five pieces. These include: the housing, the mirror, frosted glass, the lens, and a piece of fabric that acts as a curtain.
After cleaning the other pieces I needed to reproduce the curtain. This first required me to make a pattern from the remains of the old one.
I experimented a lot with different materials and techniques. I arrived at the following process. First, I used the pattern to cut out a piece of black silk to the correct shape. Then I ironed creases into the silk at the proper locations. Using an eye dropper I applied fabric starch to the silk. . Finally, the curtain was ironed while still wet with the starch solution setting the creases into place.
This resulted in a curtain piece that had the correct folds and proper springiness. I cut a piece of black card stock to the rectangular shape of the center of the curtain as a support. This I then glued to the curtain with wood glue. This construct was clamped between steel plates and allowed to dry forcing the folds into place. After the glue was dry the finished curtain looked really good. Getting to this final piece only took 7 or 8 attempts.
I used the double sided tape to attach the curtain to the view finder housing lid and edges. After I cleaned up the housing I did find the number 136 scribed into it. So I guess at least 136 of these antique cameras were made.
Below you can see how the curtain piece works.
Replacing the Mirror
Before I can reassemble the view finder I need to replace the mirror that had lost it’s silver coating. I decided to replace it with a front silvered mirror of the same thickness as the old one. The front silvering will be better for the image quality than the original back silvered one. The modern mirror is actually coated with aluminum not silver, This is less prone to oxidation and will last longer. The mirror just lays in the bottom of the 45 degree angle piece. The frosted glass then slides into slots on the horizontal part of the housing. This holds the mirror in place.
After the view finder was assembled I reinserted it into the camera. The screws that hold in the lens screw into the housing holding both in place.
Here are a couple of views of the view finder in action. You can see the image projected through the lens, bounced off the angled mirror and projected onto the frosted glass.
Some Parting Shots of the Antique Camera
Here are some shots of what is now the completed restoration of the Brandt and Wilde antique camera. The You Tube video above gives a complete demonstration of how the camera works.
So, I’ve just completed the restoration of the antique camera, and it’s now fully functional! The only thing missing is a proper tripod—and I have just the thing in mind. Stay tuned for the next step, where I’ll be adding a tripod to complete this vintage masterpiece.