Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Moving Century projectors

This is topic Moving Century projectors in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 12-16-2013, 04:12 PM:

Greetings

We need to remove our projectors from the local Town Hall whilst it is repaired following earthquake damage, pic below.

Now rumour has it that these projectors were moved in as they stand using the muscle of the local rugby team to cart them up the stairs; is that the right way to move these machines, or is there a disaasembly procedure we should follow to make them more easily moved in chunks?

I should say that we hopefully will be moving these things back in following the refurbishment, so if we need to disassemble, then we need to be able to reassemble.

We dont have the normal commercial pressures of cinema, and although we (hopefully!) will be installing digital post refurb, if we don't have to chuck out the 35mm we would rather keep it, as one day people might actually like to see movies done "the old way".

(Though, to be fair, this isn't really the "old way" for us; the old way involves backing a steam tractor up the projection booth and slinging a drive belt out the window. We still have one of the original projectors that worked this way in the town museum...)

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 12-16-2013, 05:36 PM:

They come apart in a fairly straighforward manner: remove magazines, remove projector head, remove motor, remove soundhead, remove lamphouse. Then, the base can be further disassembled into three parts: the top part (with the tilting mechanism), the middle section, which is bulky but weighs very little, and the bottom section. Then repeat the procedure for the other projector. No one piece will weigh more than 100 lbs. or so once everything comes apart this way. Label all parts as projector 1/projector 2 so that you can re-assemble the correct motor with the correct soundhead, etc.

Save all hardware! And be sure to cut the power to everything before disconnecting it (which should be obvious, but...). Label all wiring (especially for the lamphouses and rectifiers).

Posted by James Falloon (Member # 1933) on 12-17-2013, 05:44 AM:

I agree with what Scott said, though I'd like to add that a pair of gardening or other suitable gloves makes handling them a but easier too [Smile]

PM me with a date and time, and I'll try to lend a hand.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 12-17-2013, 06:19 AM:

Remember, glass breaks and on the lamphouse the handles are quite fragile including the coupling in the negative feed knob. Don't bang these on doorframes. louis

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 12-17-2013, 09:45 AM:

WoW ~ Deja Vu!

I ran a pair of machines that looked just like that about a month ago
here in California! Nice booth ya' got there though...

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 5226) on 12-17-2013, 12:25 PM:

Hi David

Yes...to the above for dismantle. Barry Scott and Gavin were the ones that installed them. My understanding though, is that the nearby museum is very interested in one projector, not just for display, but to be a running exhibit as well. It might be better talking to the folk at the museum as they have some very interesting plans under way.

Graham.

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 12-17-2013, 02:25 PM:

quote: James Falloon
PM me with a date and time, and I'll try to lend a hand.

Hi James, thanks for the offer, which I will pass on. I'm unwiring (which is my area of expertise, and yes, Scott, I will be labeling!) everything in the next few days, as opportunity permits; the actual projector move will be sometime later, but before the end of January; the council are keen to get the contractors on the the job!

quote: Graham Ritchie
It might be better talking to the folk at the museum as they have some very interesting plans under way.

Hi Graham, yes, the folks to the museum are being talked with, though not by me, so I don't know what is happening on that front.

The views of the League are not unanimous on this, but I'm pushing to have the changeover pair back in the Town Hall post-refurb fully up, running and capable. I'm not quite sure why I feel this need, especially considering I'm the least experienced of the projectionist pool, and that I'm by profession an IT guy, but I do. There's not going to be a lot of 35mm projection capability left really quite soon, and given the historic nature of the movies in Oxford, I'd like to keep that history going. Our centenary is, after all, just a few years away...

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 12-21-2013, 05:41 PM:

Update - well, it happened. But, not quite as I expected.

I was happily pottering about, unwiring stuff, and the moving crew arrived, and, well, dismantled and moved. So the booth is now in storage. Except for the rectifiers, which are being professionally moved later on.

As everything had to be moved out, a lot of stuff that was undistrubed for decades was relocated too. Including things I'd not ever come across, stuff like tungar valves...

Here is the "nearly done" photo, the 35mm machines are gone, with just the old slide projector left to go. This hasn't been used in anger in decades, and wasn't hooked up to the extract when the "new" projectors were installed in the 1990s, but it still worked!

And thats the photo limit reached.

Thanks again for the advice (which can be seen in the photo, the piece of paper on the control panel!), and the offers of help which were passed on.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 12-21-2013, 09:42 PM:

That's an interesting Slide Projector in the Background;what make and Model is that? [Confused]

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 12-25-2013, 12:43 PM:

Please let me know if you are getting rid of any of this equipment. I am currently in need of rectifiers for my Magnarcs. I am also interested in locating a Simplex X-L 1031 cabinet (see F.T. Maunals section).

I am currently in the midst of restoring two E-7 vertical shafts w/SH1000s, and a early 3-window Century C (4 in lens barrel w/ straight gate) & R-3.

Please contact me thru e-mail or P.M.

Cheers

Will Kutler

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 12-25-2013, 05:34 PM:

Will - New Zealand to Arizona is a long way to ship rectifiers! I'm sure for less than the cost of the shipping you could have them hand built locally.

Steve - I have no idea what the slide projector is, I don't recall there being a nameplate on it when we yanked it out. But I do have an old pic (sorry about quality, taken on an old digital camera back in 2004), should anyone recognise it:

It has two lenses with two slide holders on the front, and on the wall there are ports with shutters so one can manually crossfade between the two images. The slides are about two inches square, theres a box of old slides in storage, some local adverts, some movie announcements for "coming soon".

(And this my the third picture in a thread, so I'm in violation of the Rules, but as it is in response to a question I'm hoping this fits within the exceptions)