More Old Tat... Resurrected

I have acquired a new old crumbly thing having passed the earlier Burke & James View camera onto it's rightful owner! This is also a 5x4 B&J, but this time a far more portable(!!) press camera most likely from the 1950s which has come all the way from the US of A. It needs some love and attention but then again what 50+ year old girl doesn't?? Burke & James Inc. of Chicago was a camera manufacturer and importer of cameras and lenses. The company was established in 1897 by founders Henry Burke and David James. Products were sold via their store as well as mail order. They designed and manufactured view cameras, fingerprint cameras, portrait cameras, cine cameras, graphic arts equipment, lenses, darkroom sinks and various other things. Having checked the old thing over I took the lens and shutter out for a clean, both look pretty beaten up and a bit tired, but I'm hoping that with a bit of attention this is still going to be something I can learn to use and love (I have a couple of other old large format lenses I can try). The rangefinder is missing parts and totally useless. I tried to remove it but three layers down it got complicated, so I will leave it's shell there for now, it's not a problem as I prefer to use the (broken) ground glass screen on the back for focussing anyway. At the end of the day it's much more reliable as ultimately that's what the film/paper will be exposed to in the film holder.