# How can I not have a paper clip?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-not-have-a-paper-clip/296582>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 28, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-not-have-a-paper-clip/296582 "2005-03-28T07:27:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-not-have-a-paper-clip/296582/1 "2005-03-28T07:27:33Z")

</div>

I have an extra Bolex H16 camera that I’m getting ready to sell on eBay. It has a spring motor, and the new Tobin crystal motors don’t fit. But I _do_ have a Bolex variable-speed motor with a speed control! And it won’t fit. Yeah, the camera is an older model with the recessed shaft. The coupling/drive shaft on the motor doesn’t go into the hole because of the structure of the motor housing. So…

I’ve just spent the last hour and a half making a 2½"-long bolt into a ½"-long coupling. I used my little Craftsman grinder/sander to reduce the diameter of the bolt so that it would fit inside of the motor coupling/drive shaft. (The O.D. is the same as the O.D. of the drive shaft.) Then I tried to drill a hole through it so that I could install a pin that would engage the drive shaft. Oops. Can’t get the drill to stay put. Start again. I cut off the reduced-diameter bit I just made. This time I drilled the hole first, _then_ reduced the diameter of the bolt. I cut the bolt to the approximate length with my Dremel tool. Then I drilled a hole (lengthwise) into the fat end so that it would fit over the drive shaft in the camera. Next, I cut slots with the Dremel tool to engage the pin on the camera’s shaft. So far so good. After a little fitting, I put the motor onto the camera with my newly-made coupling between the motor shaft and the camera shaft. The motor whirred, but the camera didn’t run.

:smack: You know that first hole I drilled, the one for the pin? I forgot to put in a pin. Okay, I’ll just find a large paper clip and cut it to size. That’ll do 'er.

Amazingly, I could not find a single paper clip in the house! How can I not have a paper clip? _Everybody_ has a paper clip! Oh, well. I’ll just go to the hardware store tomorrow and see if I can get a roll pin of the correct size.

I used this camera with this motor a couple of years ago (worked great!), but I lost the original part I’d made. I’ve also misplaced the fiberglass plate that holds the speed control to the camera. I guess I’ll just have to get another piece of fiberglass and another cutting wheel.