cleaning up an collimating a set of Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar lenses in 20mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm focal lengths, plus repairing a 1000' ARRI 35 BL2 magazine

Investigating a set of Super Baltars, and Repairing an ARRI 35 BL2 magazine

While doing a final test run of the ARRI 35 BL2, I discovered that the feed side clutch on one of the 1000’ magazines was jammed. Fortunately, I had replacement clutch pads in my collection of parts, so the magazine had to come apart, the surfaces of the clutch mechanism had to be thoroughly cleaned, the new clutch pad installed and the clutch mechanism adjusted to put just enough drag on the film so it doesn’t unspool when threaded in the magazine, and the magazine reassembled. With this repair complete, I loaded and ran 100’ of film from each magazine through the camera to make sure everything was working properly. That completed, I moved on to reviewing the first of two new sets of Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar lenses that I have recently taken into inventory. On this initial inspection, I made sure that the iris was working on all the lenses, that front and rear elements were clean and clear, and that each lens had front and rear caps. Next I cleaned up and repainted where necessary the focus and f-stop markings on the lens barrels. And finally, I began the process of checking collimation of each lens to see if they will require any adjustment. I will go into much more detail next week as I inspect and service these lenses further, but on initial look, I found the lenses to be in very good condition, with all controls working smoothly, and all glass in good condition for lenses of this age. See you next week!