Part 2- The Back Plate

Next was to start designing and building the back of the camera.
Everything was removed that was not absolutely needed for the 4X5 part of the build. This entailed drilling out the rivets that hold most of it together.
Next I cut and fitted two pieces of wood into the body. These will be used to strengthen and attach the plate for the film holder. I epoxied these into the body, being sure they were perfectly even with the outer edge of the camera.
Next I cut a piece of 1/8 inck hard masonite as a back plate. Once I had determined the proper centering of the 4X5 opening, I epoxied it to the wood blocks, sealing the edges with black RTV silicone to prevent any light leaks.
I next built the rest of the film holder. It is jst like the film holder I built for my Econo LF camera in an early post. Just the parts are scaled down to reduce size and weight. I also used the tines from a metal leaf rake for the springs. Less weight and were very easy to bend to the proper shape.