Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Replacement Century Shutters

This is topic Replacement Century Shutters in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-18-2002, 11:55 AM:

I would like to know the cost and availability of a 2-blade, 90? shutter for a Century/Westar SA, preferably used if cheap. I need to replace a pair of very odd shutters that have glass "ports" put into them.
I need two of them, and I am tryng to weigh the options of simply getting new or used ones vs. somehow covering the glass "ports" in the ones we currently have. Any information or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-18-2002, 12:10 PM:

Ports? What was it used for?

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-18-2002, 01:02 PM:

Here is a low quality pic. I'm a little baffled by the design and its original intent. I would assume that these were initially installed for more light output, but they are just causing flicker at this point. I either need to replace them with solid shutters, or cover the glass ports.

It may not come through in the picture, but the larger glass "port " on the left also has a scrim sort of material mated with the glass. All of the glass is broken and/or coming apart. Someone who used to work in this booth remembers the glass being colored, possibly red and blue(?!) on the smaller pieces on the right. The shutter was timed so that the glass with the scrim was over the gate when the intermittent was turning. I ran some quick tests with Gaffers tape covering the glass on the right, and that pretty much eliminated the flicker. if I can get cheap replacements, I will just replace these. Any info would be appreciated.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 12-18-2002, 01:16 PM:

90 degree Century shutters are very easy to find, any theatre supply house can get them. There are not really that expensive, either.

That picture you posted is weird. Is there a possibly that someone was trying to design a drive-in shutter to get more light to the screen? Or maybe something that could serve as a 5-wing shutter for synchronization? That shutter would give 120 hz per second on a screen, divided by 4 gives the same as TV - 30hz.

In an old drive-in I worked at, the screen was so under-powered, and we punched a hole in the flicker blade of the shutter to try to get more light out there. It didn't do that much good, but it helped.

Just a stab in the dark.....

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 12-18-2002, 01:20 PM:

Joe,
Years ago shutters like that were used for booths with mazda lamphouses to get as much light as possible. The flicker blade did sometimes have a blue glass in it to help change the color tempeture of the light. I have a couple of front shutters from Simplex and Power's machines with this blue glass or gell in it. Rear shutters had a lot more heat on them so filter gells did not last too long so some used glass.

Any shutter from old Simplex or Century projectors will work for you and I am sure someone out there will have some.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-18-2002, 06:49 PM:

OK, I can see cheating on the flicker blade but what point would there be to glass on the blade thats supposed to hide the film advance?

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-18-2002, 07:00 PM:

Steve, do you think ikt could have een a balance issue? The shutter is made of cast aluminum, therefore fairly light. The two double circles of glass could have added a fair amount of weight. Perhaps the designer thought that balancing with more glass, and allowing a bit of light through, on the other side would be an easy means of balance. That seems far fetched, but this shutter seems like a bit of a bad idea to begin with.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-18-2002, 07:03 PM:

Don't throw that shutter away. Donate it to a museum as they are very unique and scarce. Eastman house would be a good place to start with.
Mark

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 12-18-2002, 08:57 PM:

Lots of Drive Ins we cut shutters real small and never noticed a shutter ghost because of low light on the screen. Mazda light was also very weak and shutter ghosting may not be a problem. All three pieces of glass may have been blue. I ran 1000 watt mazda lamps with shutters a little over 70 degree width with no ghost.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-19-2002, 01:33 AM:

It still makes little sense. If you're going to cheat and accept a little travel ghost for better illumination then why not just cut both blades back a certain amount and leave it at that? This is positively bizarre.

Balance? Sure...but why not one (or two) on both sides, not one on one and two on the other.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-19-2002, 07:03 AM:

Todd Gustavson is the equipment technology curator at the George Eastman House museum:

http://www.eastman.org/11_coltech/11_index.html

http://www.eastman.org/1_geninfo/1_index.htm