Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Interesting Film Notcher

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-21-2003, 08:17 PM:

Years ago using these was common practice, but I've never really liked the idea. One of the guys I work with brought this one in that is from many years ago....Anyone ever seen one like this and who made them? The name is pretty worn off the side.....We're only trying to identify the maker here!!
Mark @ CLACO
www.clacoequipment.com

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 01-21-2003, 10:03 PM:

Could it have been a Neumade?

Posted by Michael West (Member # 428) on 01-21-2003, 10:15 PM:

hello mark;
yes we had one just like this but not as "new looking" it was at the (now demolished) casino theatre here in halifax. i actually thought an older projectionist had made it by hand and i did not know it was sold for that purpose. however i remember using it for quick fixes to avoid the more involved cement splices we all used - not really all that long ago.

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 01-21-2003, 10:18 PM:

There was one of these in the film drawer in the Regent Theatre booth in Bay City, MI. It was made by Neumade and was used to "repair"
split out sprocket holes in 35mm film. In the days of cement splices it was not possible to repair a sprocket hole that split out to through the edge of the film. The Simplex Supers and E-7 machines and of course the XLs would run the notched film without catching in the mechanism or tearing the film.

I notice that you are showing it in a 70mm sprocket hole. We never used it that way as it blooped the sound too badly.

Our booth has the PERF-FIX machine and tapes to repair such split or missing sprocket holes without losing any frames or adding splicing film over the image areas.

We run a lot of "vintage prints" and they are acetate and often shrunk or abused so that the Perf-Fix is the real answer for us. Repairs made on the emulsion side of the film do not even shift the focus.

KEN

[ 01-22-2003, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: Kenneth Wuepper ]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-22-2003, 01:51 AM:

YOU MEAN THERE WAS A TOOL FOR THAT?! I spent countless hours cutting those notches with scissors!

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-22-2003, 07:34 AM:

Fortunately, the strength and toughness of polyester print stock has greatly inproved the durability of perforations. Even on damaged pre-polyester prints, "Notching" torn perfs is much less desireable than using perforated splicing tape or aids such as "Perf-Fix" tape to reinforce the torn areas.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-22-2003, 09:18 AM:

This was years before Perf-Fix was invented. And perforated splicing tape was something you could only find in an editing room -- too expensive for theatrical use, where chemical splicers were in use. [Wink]

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-22-2003, 09:51 AM:

Tim: Thanks. I just wanted to be sure people know "Notching" is not the best alternative to deal with torn perfs.

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 01-22-2003, 03:22 PM:

Mark,
Looking in a 1970 Neumade catolog one looks just like called a V-2 film notcher. I have one that is slightly different but works just as well. Good quality and might even be an older version.

Notching was common when I started and doing so prevented lots of torn film in older projectors with tight loops. There was no such thing as a per-fix machine then.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-22-2003, 09:21 PM:

quote:
I just wanted to be sure people know "Notching" is not the best alternative to deal with torn perfs.

I hear ya, John. Believe me, when guillotine splicers started to become popular and I saw that you could cover split perforations with them, nobody wanted one as much as I! [Smile]