Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mag Penthouse Manufacturer

This is topic Mag Penthouse Manufacturer - HELP! in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 02-09-2009, 03:37 PM:

I was looking around the picture warehouse and came across the below pic of a mag penthouse that Rick Fearns posted.

I could not find any contact info for Rick. So, can anyone clue me in as to the manufacturer and where I might obtain one or two of these hulks?

Thanks!

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-09-2009, 04:16 PM:

Phil,

The construction resembles a Simplex. I not sure about the pad rollers though.

Rick

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 02-09-2009, 05:43 PM:

I dunno, Rick. To me, it has no resemblance to any Simplex mag penthouse...

I have 2ea of the SH-1025's (pic below)....they are nothing like the pic in my above post.

STILL lookin'...

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-09-2009, 05:52 PM:

Phil, those look like Century or possibly Ampex penthouses....

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-09-2009, 06:36 PM:

They are Ampex heads. I found an old picture and verified it.

From the AFI Nitrate Fire pictures in the warehouse.
You can make out the word AMPEX on the door.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-09-2009, 08:46 PM:

Yep! Ampex... great penthouse and you can use it to moor your boat when not running mag filum. Just be sure not to throw in on a coral reef... utter destruction will result!

Mark

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 02-09-2009, 10:11 PM:

I may well have one or two of these. Louis

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-10-2009, 01:11 AM:

...I like seeing them sitting on those DeVrys...quite interesting..

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-10-2009, 02:00 PM:

Too bad Phil didn't need these back in '98, I threw two of them in the dumpster.

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 02-10-2009, 02:51 PM:

I have one that was given to me by another FT'er that I was going to mount on my DeVry but never got around to it. Do you want it, Phil?

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 02-10-2009, 04:03 PM:

I have a pair of Motiograph AAA penthouses that came out of a drive in. The four heads are tied together for mono output. The penthouses are in otherwise great shape as I don't think they've ever been used. Does anyone know where I can find a pair of decent 4 tr. clusters to fit these beasts?
Bob

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 02-10-2009, 04:09 PM:

Bob, If memory serves the heads are tied together in the cluster. We were able to carefully chip out enough epoxy to get to the seperate heads. It worked fine.

Motiograph had one of the better mag penthouses. There should be some of these around for hardtop use.
Dick

Posted by Richard B. Perrine (Member # 409) on 02-10-2009, 09:39 PM:

Phil.....I've got a pair of these....they're Ampex with good heads in them and riser blocks for Century.

If your still looking for them.....e-mail me.

Rich Perrine

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 02-10-2009, 11:30 PM:

Ampex penthouses were some of the best. When Dolby was designing the first SR.D reader, I brought in one of each, RCA, Ampex, Motiograph, Simplex, etc. and the designers looked over all of them and even picked parts off them to build the first prototype penthouses.

The one feature of the Ampex that was cool back in the day, but deadly in today's booths was a gear on the back of the sprocket that stopped it when you opened the pad rollers so it would thread more easily, kind of like the Park position in your car's automatic transmission. Imagine starting the projector with the pad rollers open with Polyester film.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-11-2009, 12:17 AM:

quote: Robert Throop
Does anyone know where I can find a pair of decent 4 tr. clusters to fit these beasts?

I have one AA penthouse reader complete. If interested, please PM, or email me on this.

thx-Monte

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 02-11-2009, 01:46 PM:

Westrex mag heads did the same as Ampex with the sprocket not turning if the shoe was left open. Weber mag heads probably did the same as they were made by Westrex. They changed it after serial # 100 or so to let the sprocket turn and make a loud buzzing sound until you closed the sprocket shoe. It got your attention.

I can't think of any others that did that.
Dick

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 02-12-2009, 10:36 AM:

quote: Dick Prather
Westrex mag heads did the same as Ampex with the sprocket not turning if the shoe was left open. Weber mag heads probably did the same as they were made by Westrex.

Dick,
Is that the Weber Machine Co. in Rochester,NY? I used to run a pair of their optical soundheads and had no idea they were still around in the scope era.
Weren't the official Westrex heads supposed to be for export only?
Bob

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 02-12-2009, 05:09 PM:

I understood that the westrex mag head was sold in the US by Century itself probably unti; westrex introduced the 5000 35/70 machine and sold them in the US

Posted by Dick Prather (Member # 1136) on 02-13-2009, 02:33 PM:

Bob, that is indeed the Weber Machine Co. I think they were in business thru the mid 50's. I saw an add for the Weber 4-track penthouse and a fancy looking optical soundhead but never saw one in person. It looked indentical to the Westrex with a different door.

Westrex did start as Western Electric Export. I am not sure when it became it's own company. They had a complete line of equipment for world wide sales. Most were close to Century designs. They were big in movie sound recording. I don't know if the Hollywood and UK were the same company. I thought Litton Industries owned them for a while in the US.

Century sold the Westrex R-9 mag head and a nice little 4 channel sound system called the S-10. It could be placed against the front wall between the two projectors. Motiograph offered the same amp along with it's own.
Dick

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 02-13-2009, 08:01 PM:

This jogged my memory. I was told that Bill Ingram who ran Schine Theatres projector repair shop in Rochester had Weber make curved, water cooled gate assemblies for Simplex E7's.
This was mentioned in International Projectionist. I think it was 1958.
Bob