quote: Frank Angel

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Did they leave out something?

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Yea, the good design, and then Strong got ahold of it...... !

There should be a spring assy part number G-2126 in the trap that forces the aperature plate back against the cooling block(does it qualify as a cooling block?). So be sure this spring is in there and in good shape. Thats all that holds it in place.

Mark
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-20-2006, 12:56 AM:
 
Thanks Mark. I'll buy a pair from you -- they obviously aren't in there or they aren't doing what they should. Thing is, the old Super Simplex plates seem to have much less play than the XL plates. I haven't taken the head apart to have a look-see at what's going on. BTW, these projectors are not Strong versions. They are original out of NJ, International Projection Company Simplexes.
 

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Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 03-20-2006, 11:35 AM:
 
It sounds like they never installed the air cooled heat shield plates w/ aperture retaining spring like mark said, or the film traps are older water only type castings and need to be replaced with ones machined for the aperture plate and stop pin...Let me know what you find I have lots of used traps for air cooled curved gates and they install easily with one screw. John
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-21-2006, 09:48 AM:
 
Someone once mentioned to me that he didn't think that using the water pump aparratus on Simplexes was worth the trouble. He said they hardly do any significant amount of cooling and with a carbon arc burning only 80amps, the said I really didn't need water cooled. But DAMN it is so cool (no pun inteneded). I only have 40ft wide screen, so I get decent light even on 1.85. BTW, we had the Joe and Shirley Wershbas in for a screening of GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK (the are portrayed in the film and they were Brooklyn College alumni). Warner Bros, bless their hearts, sent us a high-silver content EK print. Is it my imagination, but does B&W just sizzle off the screen....it was soooo sharp and full of incredible detail. With my spanking new ISCO's, I really thought I was looking at 70mm. DAMN 35mm can look good!

Anyway, one of the pumps crapped out just the day before and I got really worried. I wasn't about to be the one to damage a show print; what with black and white and high silver and all, I thought this could really be a disaster -- I was prepaired to go to Grangers and buy a submersible pond pump, which is what is in there anyway. But before panic set in, decided to take a leader that had lots of full black frames and loop it -- ran it for about 10 turns. No damage at all, not even a hint of embossing, so I figured I was safe. So, should I retain all that water cooled business or just install air cooled blocks? I mean, 80amps carbon arc is like 3600w....I am not sure how eqivalent carbon arc light energy translates in terms of wattage to xenon light energy, but my understanding is that you don't need to go to water cooled gates with xenon until up around 4000w - 4500w bulbs. If a B&W print is not burned by this lamphouse, then there is no question I am perfectly safe with color, right?

But if I go with air cooled, then I will miss all those ooohs and ahhhs when the professors bring film majors up to see the booth and I show them the big tubs of water and circulating tubes. I guess I will just have to make sure when I stike the arc, I hold the rods close a few seconds longer than usual to make them spit and hiss, then pull them apart and quickly open the lamphouse door so they can see the red-hot tips and the residual flame. That gets them pretty good too.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-21-2006, 10:26 AM:
 
Water cooled gates are very useful to keep the gate temperatures comfortable (no burnt fingers), which can help reduce film abrasion by reducing buildup of hardened gelatin on the rails/bands. But heat damage to the image area of a print is caused mostly by RADIANT energy absorbed by the image. RADIANT energy issues are best addressed by proper alignment and focusing of the lamphouse optics (No hot spots!), and by the use of efficient heat filtration (dichroic reflectors and/or heat filters). Silver image and "silver retention process" films absorb much more infrared energy than regular color prints, so paying attention to possible heat issues is especially important for B&W prints and color prints with silver-enhanced images:

Heat Damage Part 1

Heat Damage Part 2
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-21-2006, 12:43 PM:
 
Frank: very-old timers still refer to black & white film as "fine grain." Color film, by definition, cannot match single layer film for sharpness (but I sure would not want to return to b&w.) Louis
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-21-2006, 07:51 PM:
 
Gee Louis,

you don't like B&W? I feel that great B&W is the highest expression of the art form. B&W cinematography is a lost art. Most of the big classics ARE big classics and greatly aided by the magnificent B&W cinematography they contain! You must live a colorful life .

P.S. The B&W print film that was commonly used is called Fine Grain Positive.....

Mark
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-21-2006, 11:43 PM:
 
..b/w.. is easy to print as well... and a work of art to present.

I remember some early B/W prints that were encoded with the digital tracks on difficult the readers were reading the silver based tracks instead of the color ones that were normally used.

When one is running a used print of "Goodnight" - it's easy to see that some lamphouses were not focued correctly with the heat blistering on the emulsion to do the silver emulsion soaking up the heat in the dark sections and what size of aperture plate was used..

..and had to definitely zip that B/W print with FG before showing.

- monte
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-22-2006, 04:43 AM:
 
the srd track on our gngl print has been scratched off since we got it (played at least 2 theaters prior) and that area keeps shedding like crazy every show. we've had it about a month now, and run almost every show through (dry) media. be glad to be rid of it friday.
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-22-2006, 11:42 AM:
 
Mark: Color....and B&W......certainly both have their place; just lenses like non-color better. Louis
 

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