8MM-16MM FORUM WORLDWIDE

I'm currently taking apart and restoring an old Bell and Howell, but I'm out of silicone grease. I was about to run to the store to buy some, but figured I'd ask to see if you guys knew of a recommended weight for the oil or grease to use on Bell and Howells.

Also, I found a 1/2 inch (38mm) f1.9 lens I was considering purchasing to replace my 2 inch f1.4 lens. Just checking my math here, but that should make my picture 4 times wider for the same throw distance, right?

Thanks!

Hi Justin--

Welcome to the Forum. Here is a link to show you what your new lens will do:

http://www.insightlighting.co.uk/HIRE/h ... hrow-1.pdf

As far as lubrication, there are a lot of opinions out there. I mostly use synthetics; for grease it's Grainger's version of the Dow Corning Molykote 33. I also have silicone spray, and 3 in 1 on my bench. Some use Mobil 1 motor oil, I've heard everything from 5W... to 10-30W. Zoom Spout Oil, too, is popular and readily available at Lowes or Home Depot. Try to get a lubrication chart for your specific projector as different parts of the machine require different lubes. Here's a link to a Bell and Howell repair manual; there should be a lube chart in there that can give you a general idea of what to use on what parts:


http://www.acofs.org.au/part_5_files/Be ... 0,2592.PDF

By the way, what machine are you working on? Good luck!

A 38mm should be a 1.5 inch or 1-1/2 inch lens, not a 1/2.

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Here's my two cents for what they're worth. Use only silicon based grease on plastic gears. Anything else commercial will cause them to crack and break. On brass or steel gears I normally use the heaviest oil I can find. Right now I rebuilt an older B&H 16mm that had both. I used a dry silicone grease I got from Home Depo on the plastic gears and Quaker State thick axel grease for the steel gears. The reason I use thick grease on the metal gears is so it stays on and doesn't get wiped away a few turns into use. There are no applicators on small projectors so you need something thick on steel to keep it lubricating long after application. Dry Silicon sticks to plastic or resin gears and doesn't drip or wipe off easily.
If you are lucky enough to have a projector with brass gears then most light gun oils like Remington or 3-in-one are good enough to handle long term use with just one application.