8mm Forum: Help needed with Fujica editor

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Posted by Tim Holt (Member # 4498) on October 28, 2014, 01:03 AM:

Hi,
I recently purchased a 8mm dual Fujicaeditor E55, and it worked perfectly for 15-20 or so 50ft super8 and regular 8mm rolls, but then I put on a roll that was significantly damaged, bits coming off etc. Then the next roll I put on I couldn't see clearly, so I went back to a previous roll that I could see clearly before, and couldn't see that clearly either - I can see individual frames, but when I wind the film at any speed, the picture flickers and becomes unclear.

I assumed it must have been something to do with the gunk coming off the damaged film, so I pulled the viewer apart to clean it all out.

Needless to say, after I put it all back together, it appears to have the same problem.

So I wonder if you could help me with any tips on how I might stop the flicker (is it something to do with the prism alignment?)

Thanks in anticipation

Tim

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on October 28, 2014, 12:50 PM:

Hi Tim and welcome to the Forum. Sorry to hear about the situation with your Fujica Editor. I have one also and it's an excellent editor.Most of these types of editors were made by Sansei Koki in Japan. They made them for Elmo, Goko, Argus, Vernon, Fujica, San-star..., etc. The design and branding would change but the basic film transport and optics stayed the same.

I have repaired a few of these ... broken a few also [Frown]

. Cleaning the mirrors and the screen...and lubricating the plastic and metal gears is pretty straight forward although you must be careful not to put anything out of alignment.

The 3 most critical areas that can have problems are 1) the Film Feed Rod assembly that can become hard to turn. 2) The shutter which can collect debris and become out of alignment and I actually had one completely dislodge. 3) The lens which can get cloudy and threads get dirty and not turn with the focusing wheel.

This is a pic of the lens from another viewer...but it's the same as on the Fujica.

You could try to first gently blow some air into the shutter opening to dislodge any debris that may have fallen in there. If that doesn't help remove the front plate...remove the focusing wheel... and unscrew the lens and clean it. If none of that helps then most likely the shutter is out of alignment. To get to the shutter you have to remove the screws on the front and push the entire assembly back from the frame.

I recommend always inspecting and cleaning your films just on the rewinds before running them thru the editor's viewing transport. Also keep your editor/viewer covered when not in use.

[ October 28, 2014, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Tim Holt (Member # 4498) on October 29, 2014, 04:43 AM:

Thanks Janice,

I'm pretty sure I've cleaned it out ok, but it the picture is still unclear when I run the film through at any speed - can see a single frame ok though (although to focus it, I have to wind the lense all the way in (ie up).

When I was cleaning it out, the glass cube in the rotating thingo fell out before I had a chance to see how it was aligned. I guess it's supposed to have the flat side of the cube centered in the gap (aperture?) of the rotator?

Tim

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on October 29, 2014, 10:51 AM:

If the shutter prism and holder gets separated or moved out of position... it's pretty much trial and error to get it back in alignment since there is no way to test it without putting the whole thing back together again. It took me 3-4 times but I finally did it...good luck with yours.

[ October 29, 2014, 12:49 PM: Message edited by: Janice Glesser ]

Posted by Tim Holt (Member # 4498) on October 29, 2014, 04:10 PM:

Thanks Janice, at least that gives me some hope that I might be able to get it working again.

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