Yes...it was called the 35CS. We sold a few (Library of Congress and the AFI/Silver come to mind).
-
-
One thing to mention is the perforators only work one way. You could try turning the punch block around and springs removed, see if the punches engauge the plate normally. If not then.send it back for a refund.Comment
-
Has anyone ever tried to "sharpen" the punches themselves? Our 70SS produces very clean punches with no clean-up or hanging "chads". Our 35SS however tends to leave a few partial punches hanging on by an edge. Perhaps alignment could be improved... but I was tempted to try sharpening the punches like you would a drill bit?Comment
-
The punch(s) and die(s) work together as a matched set. If its that bad most likely the only fix is replace both. The die has to be there to support the film in this case then its the close clearance and sharp edge that when the punch comes down it shears the tape. If its just wear from lots of use the clearances are just too great so its not going to cut clean. It wasn't that common to see actual even wear. Most of the time it was some sort of neglect and abuse that caused the issues requiring replacement.
A very common thing that damaged the punch and die was for one reason or another the punch/cutter block doesn't spring back up fast enough or at all. When the block doesn't rise and the 'operator' just whips the handle open the angle that really screws up the punch and die. The punches need to move straight up and down in and out of the die. That is why its kind of a 2 stage mechanism where you first hinge the whole top down which has all sort of angles and geometry going on then the straight down punch and cut action.
If the punch doesn't rise up before the hinge action happens you are basically yanking the punches out at an angle which isn't good for them or the die. You got direct metal to metal scraping action plus some possible bending. Its even worse if the operator tries to make another splice with the block partially or fully down because it won't want to engage and the fix for that is to just slam it faster and push harder. It could be tape goo in the punch and die that slows down the spring action or how many high speed trips off a moving platter the thing has made that bent the slide pins or a combination of the two.
Hopefully you got a splicer that never had to do regular theater platter duty but most of em did and that was a hard life for many of em. Many did multiple flights off a platter or make up table. Often were transported as if they were a medieval flail going into battle.Comment
-
Also, you can reverse the punch and see if in the past someone may have had it apart that didn't mark which way it was originally assembled. In other words, it may be 180 degrees from where it was normally aligned at the factory..Comment
-
Thanks, I’ll investigate all fronts before I dare try any sharpening. All I’ve done to them is empty the perf compartment and surface cleaning without disassembly.Comment
-
An old technique to help with hanging chads was to place two pieces of splicing tape directly on the die and leave them there. It raises the film in the punch area and it also will "custom" fit to the punch and (hopefully) catch any hanging chads to pluck them off as the punch comes up.
Originally, the splicers also came with cotton balls taped right under the die to catch the chads. It made clean up much easier since one just had to replace the cotton balls rather than clean out the bottom and scrape the stick chads from everything.Comment
-
Improvements already. I did a deep clean of the punches (by removing the top plate)... the 35SS had a lot of adhesive residue build up and stuck perfs all up in there. Picked most of it out with a pair of electronics tweezers and then hit it with isopropyl and a toothbrush... seemed to clear most of it. Two layers of splice tape on the die and a couple tests... didn't have any incomplete hangers so far.
Is it advisable to lubricate the posts and spring assembly somehow? The 35SS generally has more resistance than our 70SS does... not interference in the die, just sluggish travel on the shafts I think.Comment
-
A cheap toothbrush (medium bristle, not soft) with a spray of FilmGuard on the bristles works wonders for a splicer that has a gummed up punch and die. Just use the toothbrush similar to brushing your teeth, but brush the punch and push the bristles downward into the holes of the die. Then punch the handle a bunch as if you were making a splice. Repeat with a second pass if needed. Once you are done you can dry the die plate with a couple of paper towels, but note you will need to make several throw-away splices so the punch isn't still wet (which would make the tape not stick).
Comment
-
Now that Brad mentioned using Film Guard on splicers I now remember doing that and it working much better than past products we tended to have access to like Xecote and Renovex. I'm also thinking Film Guard is what I would use on the slide pins if things still seemed to be a bit sticky. I was basically using Film Guard like projection booth WD40. Worked great where you had plastic stuff like many platter rollers and slides. Same things that made it good for film made it good for that stuff. It doesn't attack plastics and doesn't attract more dirt and make things worse. Plus you had that unique scent of WD40 and baseball card bubble gum.Comment
-
All 3 of mine serviced now. Trying the cotton balls trick (well cosmetic cotton pads in our case), cheers. FilmGuard as lubricant applied sparingly to the end of the travel posts was just the trick for getting that sluggish one happy again.
Anyone know where to get 35SS blades these days? Our spare unit revealed itself to have a huge chip missing off one cutting edge.Comment
Comment