Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Magnets?

This is topic Magnets? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jake Lafree (Member # 3656) on 03-27-2008, 08:16 PM:

Does anyone know where (a retailer or website) I can buy those little white magnets that clamp the tails of the prints on the platters? They look like tiny cylinders, they are about 1 inch tall and the diameter is about 1.25 inches. I was told they are gotten through Speco but does anybody know where I can get a similar design from anywhere else?

Or for that matter, any other similar tail-clamping product (although I would prefer magnets because I have never had a tail wrap or any other sort of problem using them) ?

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-27-2008, 08:54 PM:

Sounds like SPECO magnets to me. Why is it important to get them somewhere else, they can't be that expensive?

Posted by Jake Lafree (Member # 3656) on 03-27-2008, 08:57 PM:

We are opening a new building and I was told corporate wouldn't approve it/would fuss about it.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-27-2008, 09:03 PM:

So buy them yourself and turn it in on petty cash.

Posted by Jake Lafree (Member # 3656) on 03-27-2008, 09:07 PM:

I can't find them, anywhere, thats the problem.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-27-2008, 09:12 PM:

SPECO! You don't have to be a theatre to buy from a dealer. [Smile]

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 03-27-2008, 09:50 PM:

The part number is 021-0014-01 and is called a Film Stop.
FWIW I used to make my own when Wal-Mart still had magnets in their arts and crafts section. I'd get the round magnets and match their size to the rubber chair leg tips sold in their hardware section. The chair leg tips are still there, but no magnets...at least I couldn't find them in my Wal-Mart.
Radio Shack used to carry magnets of various sizes.
If you can find the magnets, as Tim said they should not be expensive.

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 03-29-2008, 01:06 PM:

quote: James Westbrook
when Wal-Mart still had magnets in their arts and crafts section.

quote: James Westbrook
Radio Shack used to carry magnets of various sizes.

So when did it become illegal to own a magnet in the State of Texas?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-29-2008, 01:17 PM:

Forget those silly SPECO magnets and either tuck the tail under or use a business card magnet like every pizza shop gives out for free.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-29-2008, 03:42 PM:

This will work on an aluminum platter deck??? Louis

Posted by Jake Lafree (Member # 3656) on 03-29-2008, 05:42 PM:

I went with the homemade approach. Found the same magnets at Radio shack and bought a bunch of chair tips online. Now all I gotta do is super glue them.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-29-2008, 06:24 PM:

No it won't work on an aluminum deck, but Jack says he is using SPECOs and I don't have any SPECO platters around to demonstrate why this is vastly superior than putting a magnet up against the film roll.

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 03-29-2008, 07:21 PM:

You can buy giant strips/sheets of magnets at any large hobby store like Hobby Lobby or Jeffery Allans. They have a tacky side to them, so you can put whatever you want on it to make homemade magnets. Just like the buisness card ones Brad was talking about. Cut however much you need out and your done.

Here's an example

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-30-2008, 02:06 AM:

you can get these adhesive magnets made for business cards at Staples also. Cost close to 8 bucks and you can cut them down as well.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 03-30-2008, 02:09 AM:

I don't know when it became illegal to own a magnet in the state of Texas...
I know we can still own guns...but...they've never sold bullets at Radio Shack...
We are not supposed to have an open container of alcohol in the drivers or passenger compartment of the vehicle, but I think that's to keep Bubba from driving into someone's house with his Ford F-150 on a Saturday Night/Sunday morning...
I never thought of the magnetic sticker thing, Brad...that's cool.
Oh...I never glued my magnets into the chair leg stops...they fit snugly enough without them.

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 03-30-2008, 09:51 AM:

After finding out how over-priced the standard "stick-a-poo-platter pucks" are from most suppliers, I too went the home-made route. My platters are aluminum, so magnets wouldn't work for me. I made some using small suction cups and 90deg angle brackets from a hardware store. They work for me, and at half the cost of the "real" thing. (well, maybe if you factor in my labor the cost came out the same.... but it was fun and much more self-satisfying [Big Grin]

)

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-30-2008, 10:47 AM:

Home Depot sells magnetic sheets that are big enough to cover floor heating vents. One of those could be cut up enough to cover a decent multiplex.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 03-30-2008, 10:51 AM:

Louis no it will not work on the aluminum platter!

You can also buy the refrigerator magnets at Wal-mart and just stack several on top of each other (they cling together nicely) and work well.

Brad never thought of the business card magnet thing! That looks cool!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-30-2008, 01:33 PM:

Seriously guys, a magnet is like a poo. It will only hold the end of the film against the film roll IF the print doesn't slide or there isn't any jerky motion causing the tail to come undone. The business card magnet literally grabs the end of the film and holds it.

Aluminum platter decks...I am still surprised at how many people don't use a safety ring. It's a one time expense and then it is quite literally impossible to have tail wrap or throw a print afterward.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-30-2008, 01:56 PM:

I totally agree with Brad on the safety rings. That thing has given me more peace of mind than any other item in the booth, and it is probably the least expensive item in the entire booth!

Posted by Don Furr (Member # 1469) on 03-30-2008, 04:11 PM:

I taught all of my operators to tuck the tail under. Only a few problems in 11 years and I was never aware of a "lost" show because of loose ends. In fact I was the only person to "sling" a print on the floor the entire time I operated my theatres. I remember it well.....last show of the evening, Conyers Twin Cinema, Conyers, Ga. Yes....I DID lose that show. What else would you expect from a very used AW2??? I kept a stash of brains. [thumbsdown]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-30-2008, 06:16 PM:

Same here - done the tuck thing for years, even though I've worked with LP-170's with the magnet thingey for a good number of years with no problems, even though I did do the magnet thingey as what Brad exhibited here with the LP-270's.

Only disadvantage of the tuck thing is when you work with STRONG platters with microswitch brains and very long films. Then, the usage of the film wrap with clothespin becomes the norm..(platters are designed to rotate on a continual basis, not being switched off an on all the time ...)

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 03-30-2008, 06:43 PM:

Film-Tech safety rings beat any puck, poo, suction cup or any other method hands down.

Posted by Marco Giustini (Member # 4544) on 03-30-2008, 07:51 PM:

Why don't you simply put the leader under the film? I'm doing this way since years and never had a single problem. When prints are put on platter after building (with goldberg reels) we tape it and we remove the tape after the quality preview during credits to avoid brain wrap.

Toysmeccanica platter.

Ciao
MG

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-30-2008, 10:58 PM:

FWIW, the last time I was a projectionist, I just used a big paper clip (like something used to hold time schedules up on the wall), and clamped the end of the film to the platter itself. Worked great. Of course, with LP-270s you can't do this because of the motor shaft, but you can on AW-3s and various flavors of Potts.

Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 03-31-2008, 04:19 PM:

quote: Brad Allen
Film-Tech safety rings beat any puck, poo, suction cup or any other method hands down.

Absolutely. By obviating the need to fix or hold down the tail at all, Brad's Platter Safety Rings ensure a smooth run-out every time.

Also, apart from banishing the possibility of a thrown print, I found the Rings have a beneficial stabilising effect on the deck rotation (Christie AW3).