I had less time than I was hoping to work on the VistaVision butterfly camera this week as the Dykstraflex once again commanded my attention. I am part of a team that is preparing the Dykstraflex to be moved for display at an upcoming event in the new year. My week also saw me servicing a Fries 35R camera and preparing it to go to its new home. I did have a little bit of time to continue work on the VistaVision camera though. The viewfinder on this camera is orientable, but it was very stiff, so that had to be repaired, adjusted, and re-lubricated.
The mechanical footage counter was not working properly due to a build-up of corrosion where the counter is mounted to the door, and where the gears that drive the counter come through the camera door. I needed to remove the whole counter assembly to clean and repair this, but the screws that held the mounting brackets in place were so corroded, that the heads of the screws simply broke off. I drilled out the screws, re-tapped the holes, and relocated the screws that hold the counter assembly in place so the counter assembly could be reinstalled after all the corrosion was cleaned off and the door prepared for spot painting. I then repaired the counter, masked the door and the counter, and spot painted both. That was as far as I got this week. Stay tuned for next week’s adventure!
