Bolex Motor Trouble

[Alex Sundberg]

Hi everyone.

I'm thinking of picking up an H16 reflex from this seller in Seattle. It comes with an electric motor you can plug into the wall and when you do so it runs fine. But the seller says that when he attaches the hand crank it will rotate but not wind the motor. His theory is that the film school he bought it from modified it somehow so it would only run with an electric motor but I personally have no idea why a film school would do that. The seller isn't familiar with cameras much either so there is a possibility he's just attaching the hand crank wrong but in the event that he is I was wondering if anyone has ideas on how to solve this issue.

Thanks again!

[Simon Wyss]

The hand crank doesn’t wind the spring (motor). The long screwed-on and folding wind crank does. I have the impression that the clutch is not engaged, its lever being turned between 0 and MOT.

[Alex Sundberg]

38 minutes ago, Simon Wyss said:

The hand crank doesn’t wind the spring (motor). The long screwed-on and folding wind crank does. I have the impression that the clutch is not engaged, its lever being turned between 0 and MOT.

I thought it was the lever he wasn't engaging as well but he said it was engaged. My money is currently on him using the incorrect crank, but it's hard to tell what the seller means since he isn't familiar with cameras.

[Dom Jaeger]

If the motor is disengaged the winder won't turn. 

I would assume the seller is correct until you can prove otherwise. If you've described the long winder to them then it's pretty hard to mix it up with the little rewind crank, 

[Dom Jaeger]

Sorry my computer glitched in the middle of writing.

If the motor is disengaged the winder won't turn. 

I would assume the seller is correct until you can prove otherwise. If you've described the long winder to them then it's pretty hard to mix it up with the little rewind crank,  I mean apart from the length one screws in and the other doesn't.

It's possible the spring motor is broken, or was removed to repair another camera. Unfortunately it's very hard to get new motors anymore, without using a donor camera.

A tech familiar with Bolexes could quickly ascertain what's going on I think, but I would certainly not want to pay full price or buy this if you're hoping to use it a spring wound camera.

[Alex Sundberg]

20 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said:

Sorry my computer glitched in the middle of writing.

If the motor is disengaged the winder won't turn. 

I would assume the seller is correct until you can prove otherwise. If you've described the long winder to them then it's pretty hard to mix it up with the little rewind crank,  I mean apart from the length one screws in and the other doesn't.

It's possible the spring motor is broken, or was removed to repair another camera. Unfortunately it's very hard to get new motors anymore, without using a donor camera.

A tech familiar with Bolexes could quickly ascertain what's going on I think, but I would certainly not want to pay full price or buy this if you're hoping to use it a spring wound camera.

That's a good solution, I'll message him and see if he accidentally mixed them up. He mentioned it ran fine when the electric motor had battery, but since the battery died he hasn't been able to test it. I bet since it came with the motor attached it didn't even come with the long winder at all, just the small film rewind crank.