I have been oiling my Filmo 70 DR, removed the winding key and put a few drops in. I replaced the key and now find that the key rotates when the start button is pressed - which it didn't do before. From reading the manual I guess that it is not supposed to? I think the winding key is firmly on - it doesn't seem to want to fall off easily. Is there something I may have missed?

The camera does seem to be running very smoothly.

Announcing professional technical service, repair, and maintenance of Bell & Howell 8mm film cameras

Early Filmo 8s have the spigot or clip-on type lens mount. Although almost a thing of the past these can be disassembled, cleaned, checked, dressed, lubricated, reassembled, and adjusted like anything else. Some bayonet mount lenses are more desirable than others, I can give advice. Adapters are around for the use of D-mount or C-mount thread optics. The lens mounting threads with turret models is no D mount but a slightly larger one plus flange focal distance is shorter. There are adapters to bridge this gap, too. Fall 1951 one-eye Filmo 8s got the D mount. From January 1^st, 1957 on only D-mount models were sold.

All-metal made Filmo Eights can have a bright future when properly maintained. I know about the two or three weakish points in the design and have remedies. What regards the gear train these little cameras are champions!

Double-Eight film is available. Perforators are around for continued conversion of unperforated 16mm stocks. Nothing against the other brands—Bell & Howell Filmo 8s are unique in perfection.

I take models 127, 134, GB 605, lenses, and accessories. Due to the age and varying conditions I am not able to standardize a price. As a rule of thumb please acknowledge a minimum of two work hours. I grant a two years warranty on my work.

Film-Mechanik Simon Wyss

Rixheimer St. 35

4055 Basel

Switzerland

simon-wyss@gmx.net

I've recently purchased a B&H Filmo 70 DR, which appears to be in great condition. I've oiled all the recommended spots with Labelle 108 (one drop only), but was wondering about the door latches which seem to be very stiff. I'm worried I might bend something! Is the stiffness normal, or do I need to oil something on the door?

Thanks

Gillian

Any thoughts on what to do now? Not sure what's loaded, probably Ektachrome Reversal; it was kept in a cool, dry location since 1980's-90's

William

The camera is also missing the ground glass (on its way) and the academy cover plate. I have a photo of what it is supposed to look like but if someone has one and could send me some CU photos and possible measure the little screw (instruction manual calls it a "locating post") that would be super helpful. Not sure if the ground glass has some kind of holder or if it just goes in the slot. I'm attaching photos of the loaner and the missing cover plate but if you own one you already know what that looks like. :)

Eyemo.HEIC

Wondering if anyone has ever tried this, or a solution for this. It would be very nice to have a reflex and be able to focus. The other mystery to me is some folks online say the labeled f-stops are actually T-stops, but other places say just f-stops, and to adjust for light loss.

Any input would be nice. Thought since I had them both would be great to get them working, I could swap some c mount primes from a bolex to use with the Filmo(it has the viewfinder lenses)...but a double reflex on the bolex seems silly. I'm unlikely to spend money on more lenses at this time.

thanks

I'm returning to 16mm after decades away, and I'm doing it with a recently acquired B&H Filmo 70-DR. I'm working through shooting my first roll of film as a test, and I've run into a couple hiccups. 

After winding up the camera, the shutter-trigger will be completely loose, as if the camera has not been wound at all, and will not do anything. I was worried that maybe there was an internal issue with the plunger, but I opened the camera in the dark and manually advanced the film 1 frame, and that did the trick. Closed it up, and was able to trigger the shutter like normal again...

That is until the spring tension finished and I had to wind it up again. Same issue. So it appears that perhaps the film is jamming in a way that is preventing the trigger from being able to do its job. 

I'd like to solve this, as obviously, opening up the camera every time I re-crank it is not ideal working conditions. At this point I'm hoping it's operator error, but I'm not sure where I could have gone wrong. 

I'm shooting a (very old) roll of Kodak 7277 4-x reversal,

I have 3 lenses on the turret. A Wollensak 0.7", A General Electric 1" Television lens, and a Wollensak 3". 

If anyone has any thoughts I could certainly use help with my troubleshooting. 

I have discovered what I think is a problem with the trigger button on this camera. Normally when you are shooting and stop before the spring is completely unwound, the trigger button will pop out and you hear an audible click as it returns to its rest position. This resets the stop pin in case you turn the turret to a lock position. When set to a run position the internal stop pin resides in a depression in the back of the turret which allows the trigger button to be depressed, etc. I have found that if I let the spring completely unwind, when I release the trigger button it does not pop out as far and there is no click, indicating the stop pin has been re-set. At that point if I turn the wind lever to load the spring the camera immediately begins to run on its own, even if set to lock position on the turret or I have not pressed the trigger button. As it never completely popped out before, the trigger thinks it is still being depressed so the camera runs. If I stop shooting the camera "before" the spring is completely unwound, the trigger will always pop out completely and this is never an issue. As long as I never let the spring completely unwind, the camera functions as normal. It appears that the trigger button needs the force from the spring to properly re-set itself to the correct position. Is this normal or is there something wrong here?

The first image shows what I got from Amazon. The second image shows the internal male plug removed by unscrewing the one screw. In the third image you have to drill a hole in the top of the cover on the motor connector. There is a small circular depression inside the cover that around its girth (see image #4). You need to make sure that the hole you drill is in the center of this depression as that depression is where the new connector will sit. Place the connector into the old cover and insert the screw to securely attach (photo #4). I then placed some epoxy glue into the cover to permanently attach the connector to the cover (photo #5). Just drop it in and let the connector sit facing directly upward while the glue dries (IMPORTANT -- only put glue on the back side of the plug, not on the side facing outward where the female plug will sit!). This kind of puddles around the bottom of the connector and attaches it really well. This very is important to ensure the connector does not come loose due to the pushing/pulling of the female matched connector as you attach it and remove it. The next image shows the connector installed into the cover. Notice the small depression in the top of the cover where the female plug would clip into to avoid it accidentally falling out or getting loose. Well, the new plug has this same clip and it fits right into this hole like a glove to provide a secure connection (see the following photo). Just push in the new plug and it clicks into place. Then simply press the button on the connector to remove. You can also see a keyed slot just below this small depression used to align the female plug. The new connector has this same key and it also fits perfectly into this slot. The next two photos show the entire unit plugged together. It really fits snugly and securely. The last photo is the finished product. Just solder the wires to either end and reattach the cover to the AC motor with the two screws and you are finished. Remember to put an inline switch on the supply side cord as there is no switch on the motor.

Item: 

5 CORE XLR Connector Male Female to 1/4 Audio Jack 3 Pin Secure Microphone Plug with Locking Ends - XLR 5 Pair

Just copy and paste this into the Amazon search bar and it should pull it up -- $7.99 for 5 pair of plugs.

NOTE: For those of you worried about running 115v current through an audio plug. We are not using the lesser rated audio cabling and the pins are of the same size and thickness as the original. Even that said, this will only be run for a most several seconds as the 100 foot roll of film is quickly exhausted. That is simply not enough time to build up any heat inside the coupling to do any damage. It should be fine.

The other day I was in a local auto repair facility and noticed the mechanics tool chests. They were Kennedy Tool Chests and have a brown wrinkle finished paint on them. In fact, it looked very close to the B&H Filmo (and other B&H products) camera finish I had been looking for (see the photo below). When I got home I began looking for this product on the internet, and low and behold, discovered a company selling spray cans of this very paint for touch-ups. I have ordered one and hope to be testing it out soon. Here is the contact information:

Nelson & Storm Tool Supply

www.nelsonstormtool.com

phone: (800) 322-0574

The product is called KENNEDY BROWN WRINKLE PAINT 12 OZ SPRAY CAN. It is not cheap at $36.40/can but it is the best thing I have found after searching for several years.

Stock # KEN80860  --  just type this stock number into their search bar and it will pop up.

P.S.- I forgot to mention how to cure the paint. At room temperatures it tends to dry with a flatter surface. It needs to "cure" at 80 deg. C (176 deg. F.) or above before completely drying to get the correct wrinkle look. You can either bake it in an oven (not recommended for cameras) or as I do just use a heat gun to keep it warm enough as it cures. Kind of fun to watch as it will suddenly "wrinkle" right in front of your eyes as it cures. Just make sure to keep moving the heat gun around to keep an even temp. on the paint and not burn it.

I just signed up for this forum and have taken some time reading all the other posts regarding this camera--in the hopes of reducing redundant questions. This Filmo 70 DR just showed up at a local thrift store today for $24.94. Seemed like a great value as each of the lenses likely cost more than this. I have noticed a couple of peculiarities however about this particular model. Your posts said that some models have a motor attached and were mostly 12 and 24 volt ratings. Seems like the 110/115 volt were not common. #1 oddity is that mine has a 115 volt motor attached. Second oddity is that there is no apparent serial number on this guy. The manual shows it being on the base by the tripod mount but my camera is completely clean with no markings in this area. Could it have been covered with the crinkle paint and not be visible? I opened the door and it has a serial number stamped inside of #17498. I have read that the door and body numbers are supposed to be matching so that must be the number for this camera. Third oddity is that the rotating lens turret has no geared teeth to sync with the viewing lens turret so they turn in unison. As you can see in the image included there does not appear to be any evidence that a geared ring was ever here. Not a huge deal as I can just turn the viewing turret to the correct lens, but I thought the 70 DR model had the two turrets synced. The forth and last oddity is that there does not appear to be a spring in the wind mechanism. The key just turns and turns, apparently not attached to anything. It is locked up in the counter-clockwise direction (as you are supposed to turn to wind it) but just free wheels clockwise. Is the spring just broken off or is it possible this model was only intended to be used in a TV studio and as such only needed the motor winder? The whole thing seems a bit odd to me. Any ideas out there?

Thanks, Matt

I know that some models have a bunch of viewfinder lenses that have matching or corresponding focal lengths to the taking lenses on the turret. I'm hoping there's a 25mm and 50mm viewfinder lens available because I plan to use my Canon FD 24mm and 50mm lenses with a C mount to FD adapter. I may or may not be able to focus on infinity but I would mainly be focusing on closer subjects anyway. 

Ive also heard there's an accessory known as a "focusing alignment gauge" which fits between the camera and tripod, allowing you to shift the camera from one position to another. Parallax correction I assume. How often does this accessory turn up on eBay?

A few people on this forum have commented that these cameras can produce flicker. That's one turn off for me. How common is this issue? Ive seen a number of clips on youtube shot with Bell and Howell 70 series cameras and I didn't notice any flicker in them. Someone mentioned that the HR model is less likely to have flicker but I checked out the price of a HR on eBay and it's going for around $1000. For me, I think part of the appeal of Bell and Howell Filmos is that generally, they can be picked up for super low prices. If spending $1000 on a 16mm camera, I think it would make more sense to buy a more advanced camera like a Bolex H16 reflex or an early model Arriflex. 

Also, is there a socket for a cable release? I'd prefer one when filming from a tripod.

I tried a coin to twist out the adapter but since it didn't unscrew, I don't want to use too much force in case that's not it at all.

I obtained a copy of the B&H service manual and it mentions that special alignment tools are required and the focuser should not be removed or taken apart.

Is there a way to take this focuser apart and clean it without special tools? It looks like a modular unit with a mirror.

Or is this something best left for professional camera technicians?

It's not a major obstacle to using this camera, but it would be nice to have a clean critical focuser.

Thank you,

Mark Eastman
Palo Alto, California

The 1925 Eyemo 71 design has a clutch spring between main spring hub shaft and first gear, to be preciser a helicoidal spring made from round wire with an axially protruding leg that sits in a bore of that gear. The leg can break off. In such a case nothing holds the main drive spring so that it unleashes instantly. I am having a 71-A here with this damage. What happens next is that one of the stop mechanism gears, it sits on the main drive hub shaft, will pound onto the other with the full energy of the drive spring. So the stop mesh is no longer there. Also, the main spring may unhook from the hub shaft.

It is difficult to buy replacement parts from the remainders of Bell & Howell stocks. Nobody at MPE knows the camera. Parts can be sold only by the civilian numbers. I have the military parts list, not useful. The civilian parts list is not given out. So the replacement of the stop gears can become cumbersome although you describe the parts exactly.

Since I didn’t want to fool around with the MPE people I decided to have fresh clutch springs made. They arrived Friday, the Eyemo is back to life now. The stop mechanism is dysfunctional but else the camera can be used. I have a couple dozens of springs. Interested parties may buy from me, CHF 10 each, net. Mind you that younger models, I don’t know from which serial number on though, have two shorter mirror-inverted legged coil springs. Bell & Howell had to improve the construction.

May many Eyemo users use their Eyemos. I love these noisy automatic cine cameras and I love to retrieve the savoir-faire from the twenties.

One is an "E" model dating from 1955 - 1958.

One is an "M" model dating from 1963 - 1965. 

One is a "8302", a 302 made and sold in Japan - I am unsure of the year...

But there has been some information that I have seen that there is a drive-gear within the units that are plastic and when they break it is essentially a terminal condition. But also that their use was not consistent throughout the product line over the years but was introduced at some point. So my question to the group is if anyone knows if my units might contain these potentially problematic parts or if they might (hopefully) precede them? Any information on preserving these projectors would be appreciated. Thanks.

It looks like it's built like a small tank.

I have just ebay purchased an old Bell and Howell Filmo 70DL for a young film artist in Malaysia. The motor, however, appears to be seized. I have tried putting a little oil in the oil holes. I'd like to open it up and have a look (being very careful regarding the spring). Currently the spring is fully wound up. It won't unwind at all. This will make disassembly problematic I believe. Anyone have any thoughts or instructions as to which screws I could safely unscrew in order to open the camera up?

many thanks,

richard

I’ve recently been gifted a Bell & Howell 70DL, my first 16mm camera.  It came for free from a private collection someone was getting rid of and I couldn’t let it be discarded. As far as I know this person bought the camera for looks and not to use, I plan to change that.
 

The issue with the camera is that when I go to wined the camera, there is no resistance or tension on the turn key, and no ratcheting sound of the drive spring being put under load.

In my opinion I believe the Drive spring to be broken or to have disconnected from the turn key. 
 

I have recently been trying my hand at repairing vintage lenses and 8mm cameras from my own personal collection as a hobby with a great deal of success (surprising myself in the process). I’m looking for any advice to aid me with this repair. Every little tip helps.
 

I know the risks of attempting to replace a Drive spring which is why I was hoping to reach out to someone with more experience and guidance. 
 

All the best

Chase