This week we tackled the project of cleaning and repairing of the Vinten 400’ magazines. One of the first things people notice when they see the Vinten camera is how similar the camera and the magazines look to the Bell and Howell 2709. Mechanically, the Vinten has very little similarity to the 2709; the movement, the drive system, and the viewfinder are unique to the Vinten. The magazines, however have some very strong resemblances. In fact, if you look at how the magazines mount to the camera (photo 2), you’ll notice that they are so similar that either magazine can be mounted on a 2709 or a Vinten Model H. Once inside the magazine though, the light trap and film handling mechanisms are very different. Unlike the 2709, which relies on 2 spring-loaded black velvet covered leaves that automatically open when the magazine is fastened to the camera, the Vinten relies on a set of rollers that run the film up into a light trap cavity, out into the camera, the back through the light trap and into the take-up side of the magazine (photo 5). The Vinten magazines rely on a belt drive, much like the 2709 and Mitchell cameras, to take the film up while shooting. Notice the interesting clutch assembly on the take-up wheels (photo 4) which is made up of a piece of phosphor bronze and a felt pad that keeps the film from unspooling. Work on the Vinten is not quite finished yet, there are a few more very interesting things we would like to show before we wrap this project up.
