Loupe Magnifier and ground glass protector Back for Morten Kolve's WillTravel 90mm 4x5 Camera

thingiverse

Here is a hopefully useful add on to Morten Kolve's ( https://www.thingiverse.com/mortenkolve/designs ) amazing WillTravel 4x5 camera. A loupe attachment for the ground glass. This works great in tandem with a viewfinder (Morten's 3d printed viewfinder is really excellent) and allows you to zoom into the center of the ground glass to manually focus; then you can simply close the lens, insert your film holder (which can be done without removing the loupe attachment) , and use a viewfinder to compose and shoot the perfectly in focus shot. No need to use a zone focusing scale and distance meter. Just focus and shoot through the viewfinder! I also found that the loupe can be stored inside the body of the camera for travel, and the loupe attachment plate is great at protecting the ground glass. I included some little rubber band hooks that can be glued into the body of the camera (make sure to install where they do not interfere with the image coming to the film frame) Hope some will find it useful! Here are the instructions: The design is based on this $9 Canson 10x Lumiloupe LL-10 https://www.amazon.com/Carson-LumiLoupe-Power-Magnifier-LL-10/dp/B000CAHCQS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=carson+loupe+10x&qid=1645068087&sprefix=Canson+loupe+%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-5 You will need to use some black tape or black spray paint to block outside light from the ground glass. After printing the back cover, (I printed with 3 wall layers and 18% infill) you'll need to slowly and carefully heat up the plastic on the bottom only around the circular opening in the middle. When the PLA becomes slightly glossy and soft, being careful of the hot plastic, press it down over the loupe on a flat surface to create a perfectly fitted dome around the loupe. Make sure to keep the frame and loupe flat as it cools. Next, Print out four of the bungee Arms and use superglue to attach the arms onto the back cover using the edges of the existing bungee arms as guides for placement. In use, attach the bungee around the new back cover arms. This will keep the loupe back attached as well as retaining the pressure on the ground glass for holding the film holders onto the back. If you'd like to store the loupe inside the camera body when not in use, carefully glue the little rubber band arms inside the body where they will not interfere with the image from the lens. IMPORTANT!!!! CA glues or superglues can off gas a kind of powdery white coating when in a closed space. Make sure to remove or cover your lens inside the camera body and make sure to keep the back open and well ventilated for at least an hour before replacing the ground glass and uncovering the lens.