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Author Topic: I get to see a carbon arc setup! Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 06-30-2006 03:36 PM                       quote: Stephen Furley what's the difference between the Super Cinex and the Super Core-lite? Optical speed. The Corelites were a lot faster. Something ridiculous like f/1.4. FWIW, the "Super" designation indicated the big "push-pull" blower on top, which directed air down over both the front and back sides of the reflector, around underneath the burner assembly, forward towards the projector, turning up and past the douser opening, and back out the top of the lamphouse to the roof blower. I loved Ashcrafts. They were SO cool.  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-30-2006 07:07 PM                     Here's a link to the Capitol schedule: Capitol schedule Bob  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 06-30-2006 09:36 PM                        Yeah, there were times when the schedule kept me working. Of course there were times when I'd wish I brought a pillow and blanket. I don't know what the breaking point is, but I have heard of some plexes staffing 2 projectionist for something as few as 10 screens. I was working 11, by myself. I guess maybe they always showed really short films?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-01-2006 01:57 AM                     quote: Tim Reed I loved Ashcrafts. They were SO cool. ..yes, they are. .. (Good ol' "Ashcans" lol) So easy to work with, easy to strike up the carbons, easy to change out the silver contacts, easy to clean the mirror..et.al. What is so interesting that many-a-booth, especially drive-ins, were equipped with the combination of the Motiograph AA machines with the Ashcraft lamphouses. Only thing I can think of why of this "perfect marriage" is of the usage of the barrel shutter that the Motiograph used and the long arc angle that the Ashcrafts emitted. The light on that drive-in screen was nice and bright coming from this form of setup. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 07-01-2006 03:03 AM                     quote: Robert Throop Here's a link to the Capitol schedule: Capitol schedule Bob I'd like to come to the Capitolfest, but I don't think there's any way I could afford it this year.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-01-2006 02:05 PM                       Monte, maybe the proliferation of one dealer over another in a particular area had some bearing? Where I grew up (central Kentucky), out of the oh... 20 drive-ins or so in that vicinity, one had Strong 135s, another had Mighty 90s, two small drive-ins had Enarcs, but the rest had Ashcrafts. The most-popular projectors behind the Ashcrafts back home: a tie... Centurys and Brenkerts. There were no drive-ins with Motiographs in central KY.  |  IP: Logged Floyd Justin Newton Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 559 From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 07-01-2006 04:52 PM                     Tim-- When I worked the booth before retirement I visited just about every ozoner in the Phoenix area. With the exception of one or two the booths contained Century CCs with Strong 135s with generally an RCA Sound System. All put up an acceptable picture. The downtown Fox, Orpheum, and Palms were all Ashcraft Super Cinex.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-01-2006 05:22 PM                       Hi, Floyd! We had a lot of RCA sound in the drive-ins back home, too (hence the Brenkerts and Centurys). And, also that you mention it, the drive-ins didn't have that much light trouble back then. Denser prints, light pollution, xenon, all took their toll. Oh, for those good ol' days...  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-01-2006 07:20 PM                     Monte, I worked a Motiograph booth just like that. Those lamps are Super Highs which had a ratchet to rotate the positive rather than a chain right? Bob  |  IP: Logged Daniel Wright Expert Film Handler Posts: 163 From: Okmulgee, Ok , USA Registered: Oct 2003 posted 07-01-2006 07:43 PM                     The only time in recent memory I have seen anything run on carbons was at the Globe Cinema in Calcutta India. Although the machines were replaced with xenon bulbs shortly afterword. This theatre is OLD having been built as a stage play house sometime in the 1860s. It had been given an UGLY remodel complete with an old GCC shadow box screen.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-02-2006 01:52 AM                     quote: Robert Throop Those lamps are Super Highs which had a ratchet to rotate the positive rather than a chain right? Right, actually ran two separate drive-in booths with the ratcheted positive action. This drive-in booth pictured use the 10mm x 20" rotators, and the other drive-in booth that I also ran used the 11mm x 10" rotators...and at this one drive-in. I found two cases of threaded positives-so that there was no stubs to worry about. I remember taking graphite oil to the ratchets on opening of each day during the cleaning procedures..take an emery stick and dress up the silver positive contacts - more of the routine opening maintenance needed..as well as white greased the gears once a week on the Motiographs.. And I was a 18 yr old kid starting to learn all of this...by my owner of this drive-in who showed me how to really take care of equipment and would, then let me go on figuring out more booth tricks and he would then just guide me in the right direction. Worked this drive-in for 5 yrs until I finally ventured into the hardtop world.. -Monte  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 07-02-2006 05:07 PM                     Monte, in the Ashcraft picture, on the floor to the right of the soundhead, is that a foot-pedal changeover switch ? Or the remnants of one?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-02-2006 10:05 PM                     Yeppers...that was a very good working foot dowser..and the sound changeover was the rotation type with the rod link that would run over to the right machine - being a full Motiograph sound system. I used to finese my changeover tactics in by doing a slight delay of sorts by flipping the sound changeover lever 1/2 second before I would stomp on the floor dowser. This seemed to make more of a smooth changeover transaction than hitting the two at the same time. When I moved into the hardtop houses, I carried this same changeover delay practice.. Below, is another Motiograph/Ashcraft setup at a Drive-In that I projected at for 4 years (and this was a union booth): When I took this booth over, they were still using a good ol "gennie" with this setup, but in the middle of the summer, the "gennie" blew up (windings shorted across on the armature), and we installed two rectifers in the back room to feed the two Ashcrafts. What caused the "gennie" to go is that the arc focus mirror on both lamphouses were way out of alignment and the arc gap was way too close, thus driving the amp range to the limits for the "gennie." When I found out that the mirror was out of alignment, I immediately realigned that mirror to get the proper arc focus to the mirror, but it was too late for the "gennie" which let go while I was doing a shift that night. With that arc gap too close, the previous operators were trying to get as much light out as possible, but didn't know about the proper arc to mirror focus - just relying on pushing the amps up to get the light out. (and. it's funny, that to this day, I find xenon consoles with their amps cranked up to screaming levels just on the premise of getting the light out and not knowing of doing the simple bulb focus to mirror..) I really don't know how long these were out of focus, but I can take it that on-one would 'fess up to this that operated previously. Once again, the stomp dowser is present here. And as always, a full Motiograph sound system.. thx-Monte  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-03-2006 03:40 PM                        In the first house I worked full-time, they were burning 55A Peerless powered by a motor/generator. There was only a single generator and when you would strike the second arc while the other lamphouse was still lit, the light would dim a bit on it but it wouldn't go out and for the minute or two while you were waiting for the motor/sync cue, both lamps were burning. The projectionist who trained me in that booth just told me to pay attention to the strike, making it as quick as possible (not keeping the rods touching for more than a second) and to pay attention to the when the reel was running out because the change-over bell was set VERY short -- you couldn't be dilly-dallying off somewhere when that bell rang, you had to be right there ready to fire up. Was it common to use a single generator in a change-over situation? They were running for years this way so I guess it didn't hurt the generator any...possibly it was oversized and could handle both lamps at once. The little dim-down was barely noticable on the screen with the film running. The owner also ran a DI in the next town and would send me over there on occasion; they had Ashcrafts and I must tell you, they were pretty scary to a small kid. Running Magnarcs and then going to run Ashcans was like driving a VW Beetle and then told to drive a Mack truck.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-04-2006 12:09 AM                     quote: Frank Angel Running Magnarcs and then going to run Ashcans was like driving a VW Beetle and then told to drive a Mack truck. ...good thing I started out with the "Mack" truck. For when I downsized to the Magnarcs, that was some switcheroo to handle - not used to operating pencil carbons that didn't rotate. Yea, a single "gennie" had a very high limited rating to run two lamphouses for a given amount of time - like a burst rating of sorts. But, the rare trick was to have a "gennie" large enough to easily handle both lamphouse runs on a continual basis - We had a 'gennie' that was originally a spotlight 'gennie' and our Magnarcs had ratings, when running paired, was well below what the maximum output of that spotlight 'gennie.' That unit was a monster - had a good 15bhp motor and the generator part had windings pretty big with the current heading towards a ballast section to keep things on the steady side. Plus, the bearings, being sleeved bearings were oiled by a oil tank mounted below each bearing to where a round belt, being around the bearing and rolled with the main, 3 inch shaft, would dip into the oil to keep the bearing lubricated.  |  IP: Logged

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