Another frequently asked question I get, along with how to thread a camera, is how exactly to get the magazine ready for shooting. I hope I am not boring you all to death with these how-to posts, but I want to make sure to answer some of the more interesting questions I have been getting. […]
How to Prepare a Mitchell Magazine for Loading with Film Read More »
Along with questions about threading a Mitchell camera, I have recently also been getting a number of questions about the proper way to clean and oil the movement in preparation for shooting. This short video demonstrates the method I was taught and have used successfully for many years. I hope it proves a useful resource
Getting a Mitchell Standard Ready for Shooting Read More »
I have been fortunate enough to find new homes for several Mitchell Standards, GCs, and Fries conversions recently. A common question I get about these cameras is, now that I have it, how do I put film in it? This is a reasonable question. And as I looked around online for a video to demonstrate
A Basic Guide to Threading a 35mm Mitchell Standard/GC/Fries Mitchell Film Camera Read More »
The heart of all motion picture film cameras, like Mitchell Standard 46, is the movement (or film transport). When I hand-cranked this camera for the first time, I noticed a bump or hard spot as I was cranking the camera. As I reinstalled the shutter assembly, I made sure that it was free-wheeling and turned
Servicing the Movement in Mitchell 46 Read More »
New this week: a not so vintage ARRIFLEX 435 Xtreme. This is an amazing piece of machinery that I had not put my hands on before this one came into the shop. The 435 Xtreme is the big brother of the 435, the 435 ES, and the 435 Advanced, combining and expanding upon the features
New This Week: ARRIFLEX 435 Xtreme Read More »
After venturing through the scorching-hot wilds of the Antelope Valley, this new-to-me Majestic CNC vertical milling machine has found its way to my machine shop. It took way more time than I expected, and it isn’t hooked up to power yet, and I don’t know how to run it, but all of that will get
Our New CNC Milling Machine Has Arrived! Read More »
With many of the significant hurdles overcome, it was finally time to rough assemble Mitchell 46, put a hand crank on it, and hope that all my work would pay off. Mitchell Standard and GC cameras rely on three gears to control the overall camera timing. These gears keep the film that is being fed
Hand-Cranked for the First Time in Decades: Mitchell 46 Read More »
After winning last week’s struggle with the rear bearing race, I could actually move on to properly aligning the shutter in the camera casting. I hope you will all forgive the tedious details of this process, but it seemed important to me to outline the many steps it took to achieve this. Several things had
The Long and Winding Road to a Balanced Shutter in Mitchell 46 Read More »
First off, I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful suggestions they made. All of them were quite good and helpful. Before I had read your suggestions however, I went at this problem with a thread file, honing stones, and lapping compound. After several hours of work, I was able to get the
The Shutter Shutters Again! (Sort Of…) Read More »
Why is it that the jobs that are supposed to be the simplest always turn out to be the most complicated? Thinking that the most labor-intensive part of the restoration of Mitchell 46 was behind me now, I was supposed to be at the point where I reassemble the working components of the camera, set
One More Problem on the Way to Success Read More »
