Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Enarc reflectors

This is topic Enarc reflectors in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-15-2007, 10:43 PM:

Does anyone have a reliable US source for Enarc reflectors, either NOS or the new Japanese version? I know of a theatre that could use replacements (and spares). I haven't asked them personally, but I'm told that Wolk does not carry these.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-16-2007, 07:47 AM:

You probably have the last pair of Enarcs in use in the entire world!! You ought to consider updating them to a pair of Magnarcs [Big Grin]

.

Mark

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-16-2007, 10:21 AM:

The was an operator in our local who said these lamps had eyes because as soon as you stopped watching the arc, it would immediately drift.

I actually restored one from the smallest panel upward. I was incredibly bored that summer working in a drive-in. I went through two sets of punches getting apart.

Anyway, no help here.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-16-2007, 01:54 PM:

You are right about the drift Sam! When I did my 110 stint I ran at the Logan Theater on Milwaukee Av. The Enarcs there needed constant attention for the drift factor. I never could quite figure out why they were that way other than perhaps uneven lead screw wear or the feed motors heating up... They weren't the best lamphouses but they hardley ever broke down either.

Mark

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 08-16-2007, 02:55 PM:

That's interesting. I never had troubles with Enarcs. If you fed them from something stable (like a generator), used National carbons and kept the feed mechanism & rails clean, those lamphouses would burn an entire trim without touching them. I really did like Magnarcs, but walking into a booth with Enarcs never bothered me at all.

Maybe I had the only good sets, eh??

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-16-2007, 05:04 PM:

The pair I ran were on rectifiers. Never ran a booth on a generator except to test one or two of them before removing them from service.

Mark

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 08-16-2007, 05:31 PM:

The Peerless magnarc (if the negative clutch is in good shape) or the Ascraft C70 were reliable arc at not drifting
The GK President was also good if the gearbox of the two feed motors had the proper grease in them

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-16-2007, 05:58 PM:

Enarcs fed the positive as well as anything made. The negative, however, was affected by temperature. Since the negative will "drive down" the positive, the location of the crater moved quickly.

Magnarcs have spring mounted negatives, enarcs did not, just 2 screws to be critically adjusted. Louis

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-16-2007, 10:08 PM:

The Enarcs that I run from time to time seem to be least stable for the first show of the day. By the third or fourth show, they are fine and require little attention. I guess that this is typical?

I do prefer the Peerless lamps, but haven't had the chance to run those in quite a while. I have never run Ashcrafts.

In any case, this discussion is interesting and all but does not really solve the issue at hand. If anyone has a stockpile of these reflectors or has some lamps that have been taken out of service that might still have good reflectors, I know of a theatre owner who would likely be interested in them.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-17-2007, 12:20 PM:

There were 3 styles of enarc reflectors, depending upon working distance.

Sorry, I have not seen any suitable reflectors since the 70's. Louis

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 08-17-2007, 01:34 PM:

Is this the place in RI (I think) that was running WE Universal bases? If so, have they still got them? There weren't that many of those still in use even in the '70s.

I don't think there's now any public cinema in the UK still running carbon arcs on a regular basis, though I believe there are a couple of places which still run film occasionally with them. A pity; I think one or two should have been kept.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 08-17-2007, 02:33 PM:

The Enarc design was also used by Toshiba Photophone for Asia, hence the Japanese reflector. The last one I serviced had the Heyer Shultz metal reflector which could be refinished.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-17-2007, 05:51 PM:

You might try contacting Carey Williams at the Chicago Cinema Museum... Sorry I don't have the number handy. He might be able to help you...

Mark

Posted by Bob Koch (Member # 1062) on 08-18-2007, 08:02 PM:

Lewis notes that there were 3 reflectors for the enarc 34"-311/2 " and 29-1/2 inch which were used in Drive Ins.While I was never enamoured of the mechanics of the Enarc i.e pins, half nuts, drive wedges et al it had the advantage of the removable cone, half cone and being able to use the shorter working distance reflectors to great advantage to produce more light than a Magnarc which you couldnt get close enough to the projector to use the shorter WD reflector. Mike Wilkenson of Colusa Ca has a couple of Enarcs but dont know the condition of the reflectors. He`s a member of FT forums.