Lubing the winder on a P1

andrew parrish · October 14, 2011

Hi everybody,

I bought a P1 to fool around with on e-bay for $20. ( ie take apart& learn) I found a great video on youtube that told me how to lube the gears under the film compartment, and that made a big difference. However, the winding spring sounds and feel like there is sand in it. Can I take it apart without an explosion of parts/ loss of an eye?

Thanks

Andrew

Dom Jaeger · October 15, 2011

Sure you can, the spring motor is cased, as long as you run it down first nothing will explode.

But it's a bit of a disassemble to reach the winder seat in order to clean and re-grease it. You have to remove the spring motor, which requires removing the front. Getting the motor out can be tricky too, the square key on the winder side won't allow you to lever the motor out unless it's in a particular orientation.

When you take off the front, take careful note of how the movement/shutter gears mate with the body side. The shutter fader pin on the body sits inside a groove in a sliding gear. Watch the lightmeter wires going from front to body too, unless you don't intend on using it (or it's already broken).

$20 was a good deal, those cameras were really pricy when new.

andrew parrish · October 15, 2011

Thanks Dom. I was kind of amazed that It is in as good of shape as it is. After the lubing the easy stuff, it purs like a kitten, and the glass is in good shape, too. No life in the light meter yet, but I'll check for bad leads when I go in again.

Thanks again.

Andrew

Robert Ditto · October 15, 2011

Hey Andrew,

Also, I have a copy of the Bolex Factory Repair Manual for the P1 around here somewhere, I can send it to you if you would like. I have since moved on to the H series of camera and don't really need my copy anymore. If your interested, message me with your address and I'll send it to you.

Sincerely, Respectfully,

Robert M. Ditto

David Auner aac · October 16, 2011

Dear Robert,

do you have a means of scanning and uploading the manual? I am sure loads of folks here on the boards would appreciate that!

Best, Dave

Mark Kellems · October 27, 2011

I would also appreciate that, Robert! Just got a P1 last week. Looks to be in great cosmetic shape. I think it just needs a little TLC.

One other question hopefully someone will have the answer to...I have this Bolex 155 I can't get to work (the motor will not run). I took the battery casing out and scraped and scrubbed down the contacts. The light meter seems to be working however, the motor....not so much. Any ideas guys?

Mark