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Topic: Bolex D8LA Std 8 Camera
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Maurice Leakey
Film God
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted April 29, 2008 03:50 AM
Can anyone help me please with intructions on how to work the TTL exposure meter on the standard 8 camera, Bolex D8LA?
A bottom plate gives exposure numbers from 1 to 16, these are selected via ASA/DIN speed of film, shutter open or half-open and focal length of lens to be used.
The meter turn knob near the viewfinder has an outer ring marked L/sec and has markings at intervals with 16 in red, also (in black) 32 and 64. The inner ring is marked at intervals with 1, 7 10, 13. 16 with 4 in red. Probably the two reds are lined up for instant use with old Kodachrome.
It would seem that the figure quoted on the bottom panel is turned opposite (say) 16 for silent speed. When the button over the meter is depressed one of the two needles seen in the viewfinder will register. To obtain correct exposure the iris on the taking lens is rotated until the two needles coincide.
All clear so far, I think. But, the two dials each have a black pointer, the fps dial is marked just past 64, and the EV scale has its pointer just past what would be number 18.
So, can any user of this fine Swiss masterpiece help me please? If you have an instruction book a scan of the relevant details would be a tremendous help. The meter is used on other Bolex models so is not exclusive to the D8LA.
-------------------- Maurice
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Bryan Chernick
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 654
From: Bothell, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted May 24, 2010 02:35 PM
It appears that Martins site no longer exists but after some searching on the internet I found the instructions that someone had copied and saved. Here they are if anyone is interested:
The older small spring wound BOLEX cameras are tiny marvels of Swiss craftsmanship and precision. They can make sharp steady movies as long as they run smoothly. Oftentimes, as they are now well past 35 years old, they need relubrication for continued use, especially if they have been sitting around for years.
Carefully remove the center molded plastic unit which contains the door locking shaft and film pressure plate open/close lever. This is mounted via a single machine screw. Be extra careful in removing this unit and pay particular attention to the top spring loaded film feed roller. This roller's lower pin rests in a drilled hole in the film chamber chassis and you must make sure upon reinstallation that it goes back in. Upon removal hold this roller with your finger so that the tiny spring doesn't go flying off. Once removed, set it aside safely somewhere.
Now, using sewing machine oil, place 2-3 drops on the worm gear shaft which is now visible. Do not use WD-40 or anything similar since this type of spray oil is too light; it will free up the mechanism if seized, but its lubrication properties will wear down rapidly. The lubricant must be thicker, but yet fine enough to penetrate the gearing and shafts and provide proper lubrication. Having removed also the film pressure plate assembly (sliding it down to the left of the film gate and lifting it outward), place a drop of oil on the film claw eccentric mechanism and also on visible pivot points and shaft pins which are fitted into drilled chassis holes from below.
Wind the camera fully and run it at 16fps, ensuring that the oil works itself into the moving parts. If, after a full wind, it still doesn't seem to run smooth, drop some more oil drops on the main moving parts, making sure to get some on all visible pivot points, shaft ends, and gear parts. Wind the camera fully again and then repeat winding and allowing it to run thru fully for another three times. By this time, the oil should've worked itself into the main moving parts and allowed them to free up to run smoothly. On the B8LA and D8LA models which have the external film rewind shaft, open the shaft cover and place a drop or two of oil on it while laying the camera on its side. Then run the camera on its side to work the oil in. This shaft directly connects to the main spring gearing dust getting in over the years, dry lubricant and/or lack of it, will affect the running here also. Make sure you do NOT overlubricate the camera, since excess oil could find its way into the shutter area and thus end up splashing some onto the film gate and film itself.
Once the camera comes back to life and runs smoothly, adjust the running speed from 8fps or 12fps up to 24fps and back down again to allow lubrication to fully work itself thru all moving parts. Do not exceed 24fps, since it could damage the speed governor. If the camera is extremely sluggish, you can exceed 24fps, since it most likely isn't running anywhere near that rate. By doing so, it will allow the camera to run faster, hopefully to work the lubrication in and loosen the mechanism up. Once the camera appears to increase in speed at the higher running speed selections, to what begins to seem normal, stop operating it at anything faster than 24fps. For example, if it barely runs at 16fps, 18fps or 24fps, adjust the speed upward to 32fps or 48fps if necessary just to get the mechanism moving. Once she speeds up, back the running speed back down to 'normal' again so as not to damage the running speed governor. On very sluggish B8LA and D8LA models, you can also use the film rewind crank in the external shaft opening to help coax the mechanism into forward movement. Be careful here though, as you don't want to damage the tiny crank, which may be hard to locate now-a-days.
If by this point the camera is back to normal working condition, great. Now clean up any excess oil in the film gate area, and wipe the film gate and film guide rollers with alcohol to remove any oil traces. Then wipe it down with some movie film cleaner with lubricant or, if none is available, with some pure silicone spray (spraying it onto a clean white cotten flannel cloth, allow propellant to evaporate before wiping). Wipe the film gate and channels and film pressure plate. Reinstall the film pressure plate. Reinstall the center plastic moulded unit and carefully place the upper roller pin into its appropriate drilled chassis hole. Once the moulded unit is back in place, reinsert the machine screw with its accompanying washer and snuggly hand tighten. Do not overtighten as you can crack the casing of the unit if you do. The camera should run nicely now. Use some scrap film to test its operation under film load.
If the camera still does not come back to life after all this, then it most likely will require complete disassembly, full cleaning of all parts and proper lubrication and reassembly. This is too involved and delicate a procedure for the average hobbyist and is best left to a skilled camera repair technician. Tampering with the camera beyond this point can cause a lack of frameline accuracy, and film claw to shutter synchronization and other potential running problems. While a fine mechanical mechanism, the BOLEX cameras are also sufficiently complex in their construction, most especially the later ones with TTL metering and variable shutter assemblies.
Lastly, if your BOLEX is running fine or seems to run fine, but the film jitters upon projection, the likely culprit is the slip clutch on the take up shaft. This is supposed to slip relative to the rate of film takeup diameter and the rate to which film is fed to it, and is often overlooked as a problem area on these aging cameras. The design is simple in that the shaft itself uses a material to allow the mechanism to grip and rotate the shaft, but slip as needed relative to takeup. Leather was used on many and, if this has dried out with age, the shaft can't slip and thus tugs at the film causing it to jitter and slip in the gate, usually during the moment just after exposure where the film claw retracts and the frame is supposed to be stationary waiting for the shutter to open for exposure, and/or during exposure. A very small (tiny) drop of oil on this shaft material, under the shaft will usually remedy this problem. Once lubricated, install the take up shaft again, and check with a takeup spool and some scrap film.
Do NOT overlubricate, as it will not allow enough takeup grip and the film will either not take up properly, and will be too loose on the takeup spool, or worse, it won't take up at all! If this happens, just clean off the shaft spindle underneath, having removed the takeup shaft, and start over again. If you go too far, it will require more disassembly, requiring removal of the chassis cover plate so you can have full access to the clutch & spindle unit. In some cases, this is what you'll have to do anyhow - just be careful. First remove the center moulded plastic unit and carefully set it aside. Then, remove the film pressure plate. Then remove the chassis plate screws and tape them to a sheet of paper where you have drawn an outline of the camera so you know where to return them to. Carefully lift out the chassis cover plate making sure not to scratch the highly polished film guide and gate area. The film takeup mechanism will now be readily visible and you can clean up and lubricate it as necessary.
Upon completion, test it BEFORE you reassemble everything, with a takeup spool and and some scrap film. What you want to do is avoid having to take it all apart again. If any of this is beyond your ability, have a competent repair technician do it for you. You should be able to have a local camera repair shop tackle it for you, even if they don't do movie cameras. Show them these instructions and the technician will understand what needs to be done. They will bill you appropriately and beware, many shops now charge in the range of $75 to $125 per hour! Some smaller shops in various parts of the USA still charge some lower rates, but only you can assess if the costs are worth the upkeep of your camera to you.
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