ANTIQUE VINTAGE GRAFLEX FINGERPRINT CAMERA

Dress up as Sherlock Holmes next Halloween and photograph fingerprints, stamps, coins, hair and fiber samples, and other small bits of evidence the way detectives did it in the days of Al Capone.

This is a copy camera that was built for making 1:1 photographic copies of finger-print cards or other 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" photos or documents. A lens is recessed inside the flat-black rigid shroud and is pre-focused on the plane of the opening in the front of the shroud.

To make an exposure, the shroud opening is placed directly on the surface to be photographed. Four battery-operated flashlight bulbs inside the shroud illuminate the subject during exposure.

The picture shows the camera opened up.

The front of the camera is on the right - or is that the botom. You place that part over the object to photograph.

The center section has the lights, 4 little light blubs very close to the fingerprints. You can see some of the little light bulbs.

The lens is in the next section, farthest to your left. The ground glass is at the very back, the far left in the picture.

The shutter is simply a sliding lens cover that is moved out of the way when you press the shutter release lever, then is closed by a spring when the lever reaches the end of its travel. The actual exposure time is determined by how fast you move the lever.

The two brass parts to the left of the lens are contacts that connect to the battery/light circuit in the shroud. The batteries are normally located in the vacant compartments in the shroud. When you press the shutter release lever, the circuit closes, turning on the flashlight lamps in the shroud. Synch? Well, the lamps come on just before the shutter opens, and remain on until you return the shutter lever to the closed position.

After you get the camera lined up the way you want it over the item you are photographing, you slide film holder with the sheet of film into the back of the camera and take your picture.

The camea is old and dusty, but it is all there. The shutter seems to work correctly. Hook up a battery, and replace any burned out bulbs (standard flashlight bulbs should work) and you are ready to conduct your own crime scene investigation.

Okay, so there are better ways to do it, but why not get this conversation piece - not likely anybody else will have one.

This camera is probably 60 years old or more, and it will need to be cleaned up quite a bit before it will be a museum piece, but it sure is fun to study and to play with. Sold as-is of course, as a collectible. If you are not satisfied, you can return it for a refund.

Happy bidding, and have fun.