Re: [Largeformat] Wollensak Portrait lens

[Les Newcomer <lnphoto@ismi.net>]

First let me say this lens looks like it was last used in the Hogwart's Owlry and
left there when something.. or one.. disturbed the photogrpapher.  Once cleaned,
the glass still has scratches, spots and one tiny pit on the rear element. But heck
it IS a soft focus lens after all.  I've got enough Dagors, WF ektars, Aero Ektars
if I wan't brutal contrast and sharpness.

For those of you in the audience that are buddist when it comes to lens surgery  I
will state that  The lens is made up of  three groups of lenses, the rear cell
being the only one that that has cemented elements, and then only a pair.

The rear cell unthreads at the back and should be obvious.  Once the cell is out of
the barrel, a threaded retainer holds the glass in the mount.  All very strait
forward.

The front half of the lens unthreads at the front of the shutter.  Once that is
opened the central or second element can be removed by untreading  its retaining
ring.  You will probably need a small sheet of neoprene rubber to get enough
traction to remove the ring, and like wise this was ( or in my case will be) the
most difficult part of the re-assembly is getting this retaining ring on properly
and completely.  If it isn't threaded on completely, it intereferes with the barrel
tightening up against the studio shutter, so it rattles.  I know this will be
difficult becuase the last inside this thing, gave up and TAPED it in with black
photo tape. He was kind enough to put the retaining ring in the back barrel in
front of the rear element.  Of course when I removed the tape, most of the black
laquer on the edge of the element came off with it. Yum.

Once this center element is removed, you have access to all sides of all elements.
It seems as though the front element comes out through the front, removing the
engraved retaining ring.  This needs special tools or you'll scrape up the front of
the lens, so I cleaned carefully  and am in the process of reassembly at this time.

There are some interesting comparasons  and contrasts between this an the
B&L-Zeiss Portrait Unar I have.  If memory hasn't failed me, the elements and the
groupings are the same.  The difference is the Unar moves the center element quite
a bit, while the Wolly rotates the front.  Now I've looked at the front and the
back of this element carefully and at the moment, I CAN'T FIND ANY FOR/AFT SHIFT
WHEN THE LENS IS ROTATED.  (I'm not yelling, just consider it a poorman's bold type
for a bold statement).  So how the heck does this lens defocus?