Bell & Howell 2709 #586 – Headed for a new home!

This wonderful Bell & Howell 2709 camera, serial number 586, came to me from a small studio in Chicago where it was used for animation work on a downshooter for many years. The camera began its life in Eustis, Florida in 1923, when it was purchased by a fascinating character named Dr. Edgar J. Banks. An archaeologist, historian, educator, historical film advisor, and owner of Seminole Films, Inc., Dr. Banks also advised Cecil B. DeMille on his early biblical epics. He is perhaps best known historically for acquiring and selling thousands of cuneiform tablets to universities and museums all over the world. You can read more about him on our website.

A customer contacted me and asked if this camera could be used in its original hand cranked configuration. I had to explain that the previous owners had installed a drive shaft through the port where the critical focusing eyepiece used to be, and connected that to a Camera Equipment Company animation motor. For his use, all of that had to be removed and the camera put back into as close to original condition as I could make it. That all sounded wonderful to him, and that is what I have spent much of my shop time this week working on.

To begin this work I removed the turret and turret sub plate to see what needed to be done to remove the drive shaft. This turned out to be relatively simple. They had removed the critical focusing eyepiece and made a plug with a bronze bushing in it that a drive shaft with a spur gear could fit through. This spur gear engages with the sprocket drive gear near the shutter assembly inside the camera. I removed these parts and machined a new plug to fill the hole that the critical focusing eyepiece used to occupy. I wish I had a spare critical focusing eyepiece and ground glass assembly to fully restore this camera, but alas, I did not. I was hoping that this would be the only thing I needed to do restoration wise to this camera, but upon further inspection, I discovered that the shutter dissolve mechanism needed some serious attention. More on that next week. I hope everyone is staying safe from the horrible fires that are all around us this week.