Memocam Information

Memocam
Originally uploaded by bertmac.

Now Craft has a link to my tutorials page! Unfortunately there is a small mistake. I don't have a tutorial on making metal cameras on my tutorials page. There is a tutorial to make a matchbox pinhole camera. And I do have the metal book tutorial they mention.

Here is a quickly written description of making the Memocam:

You can see the first stage here.

I use very basic metalworking and jewelry skills. The sides were cut with a metal shear. If you are patient you could cut them with a jeweler's saw. There is some filing to clean up edges, then the box is soldered (actually braised) together. I use an acetylene torch and silver solder. To make the base I cut the flange pieces to just fit inside the box. I can't do precise measuring, and approximating usually works fine.

The design on the camera is etched with Ferric Chloride. Warning: very caustic acid. The coloring is a heat treatment.

The base has a piece of black plexiglass under the brass base. I cut it with a jeweler's saw. The little legs are beads and washers, held in place with nuts and bolts. The shutter is also attached with a nut and bolt. It's light tight in that area because I put the pinhole inside with a piece of gaffer's tape, which also covers the nut and bolt.

The handle and the crescent shaped stop for the shutter are attached with rivets made from earposts. There are instructions on my tutorials page for these rivets.