My First Attempt at a Conversion
When taking on a project whose parts can cost a pretty penny, like the 110A/B, I find it is always best to do a test run. I wanted to convert a 110A to packfilm, but decided I would start with a 150.
The 150 and 110A/B bodies are exactly the same, including all parts except for the lens/shutter. This makes working on a 150 the same as working on a 110A/B only without the heartache that can happen when you have no idea what you are doing and break stuff.
I didn't care how it looked in the end, so long as it worked. So while this is certainly not the prettiest conversion, it is functional.
I used the back from an Automatic 104 spraypainted black to test how the plastic would take paint.
I took a spring from the 104 and used it to hold the door closed.
I wanted to try and make the back fit to the camera, instead of simply hacking off the side of the camera and hoping for the best. I used a Dremel tool for the whole cutting process, which I do not recommend. It made the process slow going and required alot more fittings.
In order to achieve a somewhat seamless look between the back and the camera body, I used some Bondo and a metal piece of the original camera back to make the right side a little more rounded.
In hindsight, I should have also filled in the gap this created between the back and the newly Bondo-ed piece. Tabs can get stuck here and need a poking device to get it back. Not a big deal, but it made me realize that although its a nice idea to make it rounded and nice looking, its not fully functional.
I also Bondo-ed the bottom and tried to round it as well. Again, this was a nice idea, but functionally, it doesn't help.
After I completed this project with few problems I knew it was time to try again. The second time around would be another test-run before finally trying to convert a 110A. Unlike this first attempt I documented my progress and used what I learned from this project to help keep the second one as clean and simple as possible.
If you get lost at anytime, you can always click the link at the bottom of the page to come back here.
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