Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 35mm Equipment

This is topic 35mm Equipment - Removal & Storage in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 12-11-2012, 06:00 PM:

Getting ready to gut the booth for our conversion to digital projection. Instead of doing a hack job on the cables and such, I plan on removing everything in an orderly fashion as possible so if for ever any reason it was to be re-installed, we wouldn't be dealing with what wire goes where, etc.

On dealing with the projectors and soundheads, what would be the proper method for long term storage? Drain the oil? Leave the oil? Coat everything with some type of anti-rust inhibitor? What would be the suggestions here? Projectors are Simplex XL with a SH1012 soundhead and a Brenkert BX60 with an RCA 9030 soundhead.

Lamphouses - (Xenex I & Xenex II) - I know to remove the bulbs, but are there any other precaustions I should take?

Lenses? Got 4 to store - just not sure about what would be the proper way to do so. I've got an old felt-lined lens cabinet that I currently use... Good Enough?

Don't have a clue as to what to do with the platters. Probably going to disassemble them down to the tree, the legs, and the discs. Plan on building a type of protective wooden crate to go around the column tree to protect the rollers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 12-11-2012, 06:17 PM:

The obvious answer is to use a dumpster or scrapyard.
If you really want to keep them, I would leave oil in the projectors and RCA soundhead. It shouldn't hurt anything, anyway, and may retard rust. Spraying bare metal down with WD-40 really helps avoid surface corrosion in storage - metal tends to condense water from air when there are temperature cycles.
Depending on the platter brand you may be able to remove the legs and support arms and store the pieces in a relatively small area. Avoiding platter disc damage is tough, they should be stored so there's little force on them to cause warping.
The equipment should be stored in a dry temperature controlled space. To be more realistic, avoid places like the back yard under a tarp or a damp garage or a dirt floor cellar. A cellar with a concrete floor or a dry but unheated shed should be OK.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 12-11-2012, 06:38 PM:

Wrap them all tightly in plastic. If possible remove all the air from the plastic. This would eliminate any chance of moisture getting to the equipment.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 12-11-2012, 08:58 PM:

They'll all probably end up in my garage for the time being until I get tired of moving them around. I think I may try to store the platter discs up in the overhead rafters of my garage. Should be able to slide them up thru the roof trusses and out of the way.

One of my projectors will one day end up as a static display in the lobby at the theatre, but not until I can get the place closed in.

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 5226) on 12-12-2012, 02:57 PM:

Barry

Glad you are not scrapping them, there is to much of that going on and hope other that have some room will do the same.

I myself was considered "nuts" to take our old Bauer projector after the place closed last year. It was my baby [Roll Eyes]

for the last 12 years and it never let me down. I could have just walked away, but thought "na" its comimg with me. On reflection I am glad I did as it deserved better than landing up as scrap.

Here are a couple of photos you might find of interest taken last year.

It ran there for 20 years, 12-14 hours a day except, Christmas day, one incredible run for a second hand projector that came from US.

...on its way to a new home.

Although I set it up for 6000ft reels later on I got the platters as well....I was really pushing my luck with my wife with that one, but getting the platters in particular the five deck has paid of.

Hope others follow your example before film projectors disappear forever.

Graham. [Smile]

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 12-12-2012, 07:15 PM:

Just make sure you get the film stuff out before the digital
installers get there. I don't know the situation in NZ, but here
in the US I've seen several instances where the installers came
in and just ripped stuff out, cut drive belts, and cut not only
cables, but cut the connectors off them so that any possible
re-use of film equipment would be difficult or impossible.
They caused a lot of stuff that could have been re-used to
wind up being dumped.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 12-13-2012, 01:09 AM:

Orcon II's!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 5226) on 12-14-2012, 03:55 PM:

Hi Jim

I dont think its that bad out here, however the installers of digital dont give a hoot regarding the care of removal of 35mm projectors. The thinking is, its out with the old and in with the new and to do it as quicky as possible, as its all heading for the scrap anyway.

I really cringe at this kind of thinking, considering 35mm has been responsible for entertaining millions over the last 100 years or so.

I do hope some of it will land up in a local museum or somewhere and hope 35mm does not just disappear into oblivion.

Here are a couple more photos...I forgot how heavy this stuff was. On removal and getting the projector down the very narrow stairs to the ground floor took a lot of "huff and puff" [Big Grin]

Found a way of moving the lamphouse around, incidentally this also gave me the chance to fit new mirrors that we still had in stock.

Graham.