At long last, the final repairs on the ARRI 35 BL 2 are complete! As anyone who has taken the motor cover off any of the 35 BL cameras knows, the gasket that goes between the motor housing and the camera body always disintegrates when it is taken apart. To replace it, I made a pattern and cut out a new gasket to complete that part of the repair. I just chose to use gasket material I had in house and that turned out just fine.
The next issue came up when I ran the camera with the 400’ magazine. The magazine ran fine and was reasonably quiet, but all the insulating material that supports the inner workings to the magazine housing had either disintegrated or was compromised. I ordered some insulating foam similar to what was used in the original, made a pattern, cut out 2 replacement pieces, punched the appropriate holes in them, and reassembled the magazine. Other than a slight squeak from one of the bearings on the feed side, this solved the problem. Once the bearing was washed out and re-greased, everything is now working well and as quietly as a BL ever was. The 1000’ magazine ran fine without any need for repair. Just thought you’d like to see this final step in the repair process. I’m happy to say that the camera is now ready and available for sale along with a set of 3 Cooke Speed Panchro lenses.
