Jump to content

Chipped Shutter Blade?


Stewart McLain

Recommended Posts

I have an old Bolex H16 that I haven't used for about 15 years. I've been thinking about shooting something with it so I brought it out of the closet to get reacquainted with the controls etc and I discovered that the edges of the shutter blades have what I think is corrosion due to chipping. I lightly scraped it with an orange stick and white powder came off.

I don't think the blades are bent. The shutter seems to spin smoothly when run. I kind of think that the blades have been like this the entire time I've owned the camera but maybe the corrosion has worsened a little over time. It did not affect the film last time I shot with it but if it has worsened I'm afraid that the corrosion would come off into the gate while the film is running.

I guess my question is, is there an easy solution to this? Like I'm sort of wondering if there is a paint that I could use on the edges of the blades that would seal over the chipped area. Any advice is appreciated!

 

post-61073-0-16203700-1424367489_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

It’s been a pleasure, also because there’s someone who cares for an elder Paillard-Bolex H-16.

I think it’ll be worth to spend an overhaul to the camera after all the years, so the shutter blade thing can go with it.

 

If you state the serial number I can tell the year of manufacture and some technical details.

You can do exact work with the rackover that sells cheaply today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Stewart, number 23xxx tells the camera was made in 1944 and I would confirm something in that order from the details I see on the picture: The early trifocal viewfinder (the multifocal one came in 1950), the Wollensak 17-2.7 lens. It’s more than 70 years old.

 

You have 190 degrees effective opening angle in the shutter. Exposure time is thus 1/30th second at 16 frames per second or 1/45th second at 24 fps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark, that was my first thought. And I'm still tempted to do it too although now that Simon has identified the date of manufacture as 1944 it doesn't seem like a horrible idea to have it serviced. It's possible it hasn't been been lubricated since WWII :o (Although it did work pretty darn flawlessly back around 1998 or so which is a testament to the great build quality of these cameras)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...