Repair Beseler 35mm NegaTrans for 23C?

[George Nova Scotia]

It sounds like the o-ring is too small, it might stretch out a bit but not much. I wouldn't lubricate the wheels. They should spin freely without the o-ring, I don't think I'd want any oil near the negative.

Give it a day then start looking for a bigger belt/o-ring.

[Rick A]

Sounds as though the belt is catching on, or is pinched under something. The OP reports all wheels turning as they should, a small belt shouldn't make it jamb in one direction only, but may cause it to be hard to turn. Is the O ring running through the nylon film guides properly, that is the only place I can imagine it would bind.

[Tony-S]

Well, this seems to have been the fix. The four wheel spun, but one of them spun more freely. A closer inspection of them revealed a bit of grease on each that appeared to have broken down. I cleaned all four posts and the wheels with rubbing alcohol, let them dry, then applied a small amount of lubricant to each post. Now it seems to work much better. I was careful with the lubricant, but I'll inspect negatives as they go through for signs of it. So far, so good.