Motion picture handbook; a guide for managers and operators of motion picture theatres ([c1916])

684 MOTION PICTURE HANDBOOK American-Made Pastil. — During the European war it was for a time impossible to obtain French pastil, so Mr. Lindall got busy and produced an article which some operators pronounce superior, many just as good, and a few not so good as the foreign article. As to quality, each man must compare and judge for himself. Mr. Lindall says the ingredients, density, etc., of the "home grown" article are identical with the French product. Personally, I believe the Lindall article is practically as good as the French. The following is reproduced from the Projection Department of the Moving Picture World, June 13, 1914. It contains valuable data for pastil users. "After a three months' trial, under various and severe tests, I have finally discarded the old, faithful lime pencil, for the reason that since using the guil pastil not only are the general results better, but my gas consumption has been reduced by fully one-third. While I formally consumed twelve cakes of oxona, with guil pastil eight suffices for a one and a half-hour entertainment. I now have a pastil in my lamp which has been used for twelve consecutive shows, and it is still good for ten or twelve more. With careful handling the guil pastil should, in my opinion, average at least eighteen entertainments, each one and a half hours in length. But great care is necessary in handling the pastil, since it is very fragile and will not stand up under rough treatment as will the lime pencil. The first two pastils I tried lasted but one show each. I had been using lime pencils for several years, and one can shove in a lime pencil at a moment's notice, turn on both gases as soon as it is in place, and be ready to begin the show. I tried this method with the pastil, with the result that it heated too quickly and cracked, and by the time the last reel was through the pastil was on the floor of the lamphouse in small pieces. I now first turn a small flame of ihydrogen for about three minutes, which heats the pastil slowly and thoroughly; then I turn on the oxygen gas slowly, until there is a small red ring on the outside of the flame. This heats the surface of the pastil to white heat, delivering a steady, powerful, white light which the line pencil can never produce. The pastil throws a brilliant, clear field like an electric arc, except, of course, it is not BO powerful a light. To get the best result with the least consumption of gas, ihave the burner-tip at the lower edge of the pastil and about oneeighth of an inch away from it. At this distance the gas is evenly distributed over the surface of the pastil, so that its outer edge is us white as the center. If the tip be any closer than this the light will be in the center and the edges will be darker, which makes for poor results, besides pitting the pastil in the center, due to the blast of gas which concentrates on one small spot. I get the best results from a ninesixteenths size pastil, using two 6% condensers, projecting a 12-foot picture at 45 feet." Repairing Guil Pastil. — Should a guil pastil by accident be broken it may be repaired and made practically as good as new as follows: Take some soft asbestos wicking, such as is used for packing the stems of steam valves (to be had at almost any hardware store) and wrap some of it outside of the pastil, as per Fig. 318. Then over the asbestos wind some soft wrapping wire, such as jewelers use. Now make a band, or