Medalist Question

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EPPaar

Peter from Savannah
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Nov 9, 2006
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I have just won a Medalist II on Ebay. Has anyone had the feed side converted to 120 film? Or is it better to respool?
 
There are a few threads here that discuss this. Ken Ruth used to be the go-to guy for this conversion, but I believe he has retired. I have a Medalist II as well, but I just re-spool 120 onto a 620 spool. It's pretty simple.
Enjoy your Medalist!
 
^ As above , the respooling is quite easy after a few tries . I tend to suggest getting a few properly trimmed rolls of film from "Blue Moon", these fit the feed side perfectly and because they have the same diameter center as the 120 roll film they are easier to reroll on to without having to remove the tape when rerolling on to the 620 spool . Plus the modification was a slow turn around and painfully expensive ! Peter
 
120 film spools with the cut down flanges will fit in the feed side. but the cut has to be smooth or you'll have a chance of the spool jamming.
Respooling is the best option, and not really a big deal if you have a few spare 620 spools. Plenty of tutorials can be found online about it too.
 
I am told -- though I have not tried it -- that the larger diameter of the 120 spool core means that the automatic frame counter doesn't work properly, so it is highly advisable to use a 620 spool for take-up. Can anyone confirm this?

Cheers,

R.
 
The film transport is registered by an idler shaft with spikes around it at the edges of the film. Provided that the gearing and interlocks are set up correctly, the wind-on mechanism stops at the point determined by the film transport.
I've never wound-on to a 120 spool, not having the time or facilities to tackle the severe modification that would be required ;), but in principle the design, to keep consistent negative spacings, should still work. Ken Ruth's professional modifications would surely take account of all the factors and interlocks necessary.
Kodak Medalist film transport interlocks by John Hancock, on Flickr
Kodak Medalist film transport interlocks by John Hancock, on Flickr
 
citizen99 said:
The film transport is registered by an idler shaft with spikes around it at the edges of the film. Provided that the gearing and interlocks are set up correctly, the wind-on mechanism stops at the point determined by the film transport.
I've never wound-on to a 120 spool, not having the time or facilities to tackle the severe modification that would be required ;), but in principle the design, to keep consistent negative spacings, should still work. Ken Ruth's professional modifications would surely take account of all the factors and interlocks necessary.
Click to expand...
Dear John,

Thanks very much. What you say makes sense, possibly because you appear to know what you are talking about. This is not always the case on the internet! I guess there might be a slight variation in the positioning of the first frame, if the first frame is aligned using arrows on the backing paper. Or if as seems more likely you use a red window for frame 1 (I've never used a Medalist), even that wouldn't be a problem.

Where in Bristol are you? Or have I asked you that before? I lived in Easton for 12 years, but we left in 1987 when it was still a working class area. As far as I recall I paid £5995 for my house in Barratt Street, and sold it for £13,500. On the rare occasions we get back to Bristol we always try to get to Majothi's (Bristol Sweet Mart).

Cheers,

R.
 
I've told the story of my 1941 Medalist a few times on these boards already.
It's been conveniently neutered. The frame counter and shutter-charging mechanism have been disconnected from the winding knob (probably because the whole thing jammed, like the Medalist I are wont to do). This means I need to use the red window to wind to the next frame and use the shutter cocking lever under the viewfinder.

That Ektar lens makes it all worth it ;)
 
Camera works the same with 120 film as with 620

Camera works the same with 120 film as with 620

I have Medalist II which I tried 620 film with. Respooling for me was a pain, as I made the film too loose on the spool, leading to a light leak along the edge. Also, I put creases in the film due to my clumsiness.

I then had Ken Ruth modify BOTH chambers so that it takes 120 spools on each side. MUCH easier to use. He also did a full overhaul of the camera while it was apart for machining, and recemeted a separated doublet in my viewfinder. This machine is slick, and wonderful to use. I don't use it as much as I should, as I find it to be a brick to carry.

There is a rather elaborate ritual to loading the Medalist, starting with putting the frame counter in a certain position. Afterwards, due to that pin gear tracking film movement, the workings for the camera whether for 620 film or 120 film is identical. I have to refer to the instruction manual for loading, because it is very easy to foul things up.

As anyone who has used an Agfa Super Isolette knows, these pinwheels measure the lineal distance of film that has traveled. Since 120 and 620 film is identical (as film lengths) except for different spools, the performance of the Medalist (and Agfa Super Isolette) is the same with 120 or 620.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Dear John,

Thanks very much. What you say makes sense, possibly because you appear to know what you are talking about. This is not always the case on the internet! I guess there might be a slight variation in the positioning of the first frame, if the first frame is aligned using arrows on the backing paper. Or if as seems more likely you use a red window for frame 1 (I've never used a Medalist), even that wouldn't be a problem.

Where in Bristol are you? Or have I asked you that before? I lived in Easton for 12 years, but we left in 1987 when it was still a working class area. As far as I recall I paid £5995 for my house in Barratt Street, and sold it for £13,500. On the rare occasions we get back to Bristol we always try to get to Majothi's (Bristol Sweet Mart).

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...
Dear Roger,

I came to Bristol in the late '60s, residing in a bed-sitter on Ashley Hill with a splendid view over the allotments, the mostly abandoned and lifted railway lines, and St.Werburgh's and beyond. In 1974, if I remember, I bought a house in Thornbury, subsequently moving up a size with the occurrence of marriage and children. Photography as a hobby went into abeyance for nearly three decades, resuming on retirement.

When we go into town I usually take a camera for opportunity shots of anything that seems interesting. There have been plenty of changes going on; traffic congestion is still amongst the worse in the country (topography and ancient roads). They're building a 'metro-bus' route which is making things worse before they get (we hope!) better.

You might find this interesting if you haven't come across it already.

All the best,
John.
 
Mr_Flibble said:
I've told the story of my 1941 Medalist a few times on these boards already.
It's been conveniently neutered. The frame counter and shutter-charging mechanism have been disconnected from the winding knob (probably because the whole thing jammed, like the Medalist I are wont to do). This means I need to use the red window to wind to the next frame and use the shutter cocking lever under the viewfinder.

That Ektar lens makes it all worth it ;)
Click to expand...
I sympathise with your practice of simplification where a complex mechanism has failed ;). I'm happy with the basics of a decent lens, adequate shutter, and the red window :).
 
Robert Lai said:
I have Medalist II which I tried 620 film with. Respooling for me was a pain, as I made the film too loose on the spool, leading to a light leak along the edge. Also, I put creases in the film due to my clumsiness.

I then had Ken Ruth modify BOTH chambers so that it takes 120 spools on each side. MUCH easier to use. He also did a full overhaul of the camera while it was apart for machining, and recemeted a separated doublet in my viewfinder. This machine is slick, and wonderful to use. I don't use it as much as I should, as I find it to be a brick to carry.

There is a rather elaborate ritual to loading the Medalist, starting with putting the frame counter in a certain position. Afterwards, due to that pin gear tracking film movement, the workings for the camera whether for 620 film or 120 film is identical. I have to refer to the instruction manual for loading, because it is very easy to foul things up.

As anyone who has used an Agfa Super Isolette knows, these pinwheels measure the lineal distance of film that has traveled. Since 120 and 620 film is identical (as film lengths) except for different spools, the performance of the Medalist (and Agfa Super Isolette) is the same with 120 or 620.
Click to expand...
As I may have months between using the Medalist, I have to refresh my memory from the instruction manual at each loading :D.
 
I set up a fixture on my lathe to shave down the ends of 120 rolls (while the film is still attached) to create 620 rolls. Have used them in a number of Kodak folder cameras and they work great. Have not tried them yet in a Medalist, but as I have one on the way, hopefully I'll get to try it next week.

Best,
-Tim
 
^ The film counter works properly on my Medalist 1 with both 120 or 620 reels . As I've tried to suggest previously , trimming rolls at home is a questionable practice at best , buy a roll or two from "Blue Moon" and you have your bases covered against the feed jamming .( contrary to many remarks it's not just the outside diameter of the roll flanges , but also their length that causes problems ) Peter

ps: not that many of us have lathes at home , but I'm sure that beats the heck out of nail clippers and such:)
 
citizen99 said:
Dear Roger,

I came to Bristol in the late '60s, residing in a bed-sitter on Ashley Hill with a splendid view over the allotments, the mostly abandoned and lifted railway lines, and St.Werburgh's and beyond. In 1974, if I remember, I bought a house in Thornbury, subsequently moving up a size with the occurrence of marriage and children. Photography as a hobby went into abeyance for nearly three decades, resuming on retirement.

When we go into town I usually take a camera for opportunity shots of anything that seems interesting. There have been plenty of changes going on; traffic congestion is still amongst the worse in the country (topography and ancient roads). They're building a 'metro-bus' route which is making things worse before they get (we hope!) better.

You might find this interesting if you haven't come across it already.

All the best,
John.
Click to expand...
Dear John,

Thanks. I've just contacted Amberley Books to see if there's anything in that book I can use in Final Analysis.

Virtute et industrial!

Cheers,

R.
 
Further thoughts

Further thoughts

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I try rewinding rather than having the camera converted — especially since Bald Mountain has closed. I was wondering if I could use a 120 camera to wind the film to a 120 take up spool. And then wind the 120 film from the take up spool to a 620 spool. This should work and save one step in the dark.

I have two other questions.

1) Any suggestions for CLA service other than Bald Mountain.

2) I may be going blind, but I cannot find the Serial Number on the Medalist. Where is it?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
I believe the serial number on the camera lens tells you what year the camera was made. Example: EE before the numbers means the camera was made in 1944

http://www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/KodakID.htm

And yeah, the lathe makes cutting down the 120 spools to 620 size a lot easier.

The times I've tried to re-roll 120 film onto 620 spools, I have always run into the problem that as you roll from the end of the film to the beginning, the place the film is taped to the backing paper never aligns properly, so I always need to pull the tape from the backing paper and reposition it. Which then makes me concerned that the numbers on the backing paper (that are seen through the little red window) are not really lining up properly with the placement of the film on the backing paper. That's why I find it just simpler to take a roll of 120 out of it's packaging, grab it on the lathe, machine off both ends, then load it up as normal. And Yeah, I'm spoiled having a lathe at home.

Best,
-Tim
 
re-spooling is not that hard with a bit of practice. Unroll it onto one spool and re-roll it onto the 620 spool. keep the spools close together and and tight in your hand. if you keep everything 100% tight at all times, the film will start where it should and no need to move the tape at the other end. I'll go do one now and time myself.
 
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