Friction Head

Advertisement from “American Cinematographer” Magazine, March 1931, advertising the benefits of the Mitchell Friction Tilthead and its telescoping and folding pan handle.

Trivia About the Mitchell Geared Head and Friction Head

As we continued our search to find the proper name for the Mitchell geared head, which we still have not found, we came across this charming advertisement that Mitchell placed in “American Cinematographer” magazine in March 1931. In the ad, there are two camera operators, one using a geared head and one a friction head. …

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Mitchell FC Friction Head

The Mitchell FC Friction Head Is Complete!

It’s alive! The FC friction head restoration is finally complete! Here, you can see the friction head supporting Mitchell FC camera sn.8. Mitchell friction heads have a surprising number of parts that all had to be reconditioned or remanufactured in order to make this unit complete again. The casting hides 10 steel friction plates, 14 …

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Mitchell FC Friction Head

An Update on the Mitchell FC Friction Head

After much struggle, hammering, prying, wiggling, pushing, and pulling, I was finally able to completely disassemble this much abused unit. It is shown here in its current state, all the pieces cleaned for rust, petrified grease, and stripped of the old, crumbling paint. I still need to make a couple more parts before everything gets …

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Mitchell 16mm friction head

Mitchell 16mm Friction Head

Originally introduced in 1946, the Mitchell 16 professional motion picture camera incorporated the features and design that had made Mitchell’s 35mm cameras so successful. The Mitchell 16 was advertised as a more compact package, well suited to 16mm cinematography. Alongside the camera, Mitchell introduced a full complement of accessories, including a sidefinder, tripod, and friction …

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