As you can tell by my recent posts, being in an area with several independent filmmakers has turned my mind to my cameras.
I have a beautiful Bolex M5 kit with a reflex zoom lens and a pair of 400’ magazines. It takes very nice pictures. All it needs are the internal rollers so that I can use the mags, and a crystal motor. Until now, a Tobin motor has been too expensive; but Tobin has a new motor for under $500. If I get that, then I’ll have another camera (in addition to the Éclair) that can be used for feature filmmaking. Except…
Bolexes are not quiet cameras. I need a “barney” (sound blanket) for it. I’ve seen barneys for the 400’ magazine, but I haven’t found one for the camera body and zoom lens. I think I may need to make my own.
Do any of you Doper filmmakers (Anamorphic? Cartooniverse? Others?) know how to make a barney? Do you know of any online sites that have instructions?
Thanks for the help.
If you’re handy with a sewing machine, would a moving blanket be the right sort of “blanket” material? (I’m thinking of the professional quilted type rather than the nonwoven things that U-Haul rents.)
Otherwise… I guess that’s why they invented looping and ADR. 
gotpasswords: I think the Bolex is too noisy for that. I don;t know, but I think that barneys might be lined with sheets of lead. I’ve heard that there are sound deadening materials for automobiles, but I don’t know how flexible it is. I suppose I can make a “box” that fits over the camera and magazine. (I don’t have a sewing machine, and I wonder whether one could sew through lead sheets.) In my head I have an image of a box-shaped cover with flaps at the bottom that can be Velcro’d shut. I envision a cover for the magazine with Velcro flaps to secure it to the top of the body cover, and something similar for the lens.
'Twould be nice to be able to download a pattern, though!
The sound-deadening stuff you’re probably thinking of is Dynamat. Yes, it’s quite stiff - picture sticky tar-like stuff on really heavy aluminum foil, and some versions of it don’t smell too nice. The “Ultra” is pretty nose-friendly, though. You may not notice a tar smell in a car’s trunk, I suppose. Works wonders on silencing car body panels or computer cases (which is what I’ve used it for), but not so good for cameras unless you make a fairly rigid enclosure - guess you’d be drifting from barneys to blimps.
Lead sheets? Sure, they can be sewn through, just not with Mom’s Lady Kennmore. I used to have an industrial machine that could punch through thin plywood as used in luggage. Perhaps the lead aprons used by the staff and patients at the dentist’s office would be a ready-made solution? Just be sure your tripod can handle all the weight.
I made one from dense sound proof rubber sandwiched with sheetrock.
Works with the 16BL but not very well with a Bolex or K3.
There’s a woman at Birns & Sawyer who makes custom barneys.
I think you’ll need a pretty hefty blimp though for the Bolex.
I’m getting a Bogen 3192 (20kg capacity) and a Bogen 3066 head (10kg capacity). It should handle it with no problem.
There’s an idea. I’ll have to call them after the holidays to check on the price. (I’d be willing to trade some money in exchange for losing the hassle.)
I suppose I could make a rigid box (which would be easier fot me than sewing). Maybe some Dynamat like gotpasswords mentioned, stuck inside 50mm plywood?
Can you share the process you went through making the blimp for your BL?
I dropped by a company that does soundproofing on walls in businesses, studios and homes. They had some scraps of the rubber material they use and let me have it gratis! I first made a cardboard template of the barney sides, top an bottom. The barney ends up looking like a big mag made out of rubber only rectangular instead of oval.
I basically sandwiched a couple of layers of rubber (1/8 “) then sheetrock (1/2”) then another 2 layers of rubber, another layer of sheetrock and a final 2 layers of rubber for each wall. The top, sides and bottom are 2 layers of rubber, one of sheetrock then two of rubber.
I used leather tools to weave the edges together leaving one end open so it slides over the mag. I gaff the open end shut when the barney is in place…
I think plywood would work well also, you might try that.
Hope this makes sense. Good shooting!