"Fixing" a Bolex 150 Super 8 Camera with a flick of the wrist

The camera I bought on Monday arrived today. It’s beautifully made of very solid metal and is around fifty years old. I optimistically popped some batteries in it and pressed the trigger to start making movies. Nothing happened. Not terribly surprising. We did some tests and managed to prove that the batteries were connected and supplying power. The drive motor in the camera (the thing that pushes the film through it) is mounted in the camera handle and quite easy to get to. So we took the handle off and had a look.

It turns out that all we had to do was slightly turn the motor shaft and the camera sprang to life. However it failed again later. It turns out that there is a “dead spot” on the motor shaft. If it stops in that position the motor gets stuck. This might be due to a faulty coil in the motor, or a bit of dirt on the commutator (the shiny ring around the motor shaft which transmits power into the motor). We’ve cleaned things up a bit and the camera mostly works a treat, but it still gets stuck every now and then, which is a bit sad. However, we’ve found a solution. All you have to do is hold the camera in your hand and give it a “flick” on the motor axis. This jogs the motor shaft slightly, getting it into a working position.

With that that proviso, we now have a working camera. Even the light meter is responding correctly. The camera came with some very old film which we are going to try putting through it.