Thanks for all the replies and suggestions to this. My takeaway is I need to
get my own super-8 projector overhauled and lubed up and not trust a projector
at a college or university if it's not used and maintained. They told me it
wasn't.
Appreciate it.
Robert
WithersWorks.com
> I am lucky I guess to have two Bell and Howell autoloads that work
> seamlessly.
Just keep the movement lubricated. If there's a little cotton wick inside,
make sure it's soaked with light machine oil or turbine oil. If anything
else goes dry or sticky, you can fix it, but if the movement
I am lucky I guess to have two Bell and Howell autoloads that work
seamlessly. They also don't scratch and can run forward and reverse
seamlessly...also the sound is pretty good! Pure luck, I guess. I do
clean them regularly and try to not let them sit around for too long before
running them.
> Do these projectors have issues or is there a trick?
Autoload systems are touchy and need constant maintenance. If you pick one
up off the shelf that has not been lubed in a decade, the chances that it will
work flawlessly are about zero.
Make sure that the tip of the film has been trimmed
And sometimes you cam jog the run lever in spurts until the film
starts to jump out of the loop former. At that point you can guide
the end of the film into the gate at the point where it is catching,
then it should load the rest of the way automatically.
-Pip
In addition to the good suggestions already given, sometimes it helps,
especially with some super8s, to bend the head of the film a bit to put
a little temporary curl in it to match the direction of the loop former.
This seems especially helpful with some super-8s.
With the Bolex super-8
> I keep encountering auto-load projectors in 16mm and S8 mm that don't load
> for me. You push down the thingie at the top of the threading pattern to
> start auto-loading but when the film feeds in it goes straight up after the
> first curve without entering the gate. Do these projectors have
Othen that is dirt or grease build up in the path. Sometimes, the springs
in some of the little guides in the path get weak (which happened with my
old Super 8...I have to push one of the guides by hand as the film goes
through). With some older projectors, you have to really push hard on the
Hi,
I keep encountering auto-load projectors in 16mm and S8 mm that don't load for
me. You push down the thingie at the top of the threading pattern to start
auto-loading but when the film feeds in it goes straight up after the first
curve without entering the gate. Do these projectors have
