American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

drive in much the manner I adapted my I Model 50 Eastman. At the dime store I bought a pair of 15-cent hinges of the type commonly! used on garage doors. I measured the! exact length of extensions requir-d; then using a small hacksaw, I cut the ends from the longer elements of the hinges as follows: Supply-reel extension, : 2% inches in length; take-up reel exten-> sion, 4% inches in length. The lower extension must be longer : in order to permit the large-size reel to drop below the line of the projection i lens. This also places the bottom edge j of the reel below the level of the pro1 jector base and during projection the machine must be placed either on the case (figure 1) or on the edge of table or stand. My next step was to remove the reelspindles and bushings from the projector-arms for mounting on my new ! extensions. Studying the make-up of these elements, I decided the easiest j and quickest way to do this was to punch them out. Using a pointed punch and a small hammer, I readily drove the spindle-shafts away from and through the pulley7 wheels after wThich it was a small matter to draw the shafts from the bushings. A large flat end punch was used to drive the bushings out of the arms. In both these operations, the projector was laid on its side and the edge of a small wood block was placed Gadgets That Smooth HomeMovie Projection By ROBERT W. TEOREY, L. A. 8mm. Club POSSIBLY the greatest improvement to 8mm. home movie projectors in recent months has been the lengthening of reel arms to permit the use of 400-foot capacity reels. This, of course, doubles the projection time obtained with the standard reel and permits a lengthy show to be put on with less interruption. Picture presentation is usually the culmination of a long period of cinematography, editing and titling and the manner in which your films show up in screening is the test to which your efforts must always be subjected. Therefore, a more continuous projection of your films will more readily hold the concentration of your audience and their enjoyment and interest will be far greater through lack of interruptions. This can easily be appreciated when it is realized that half the stops for interchange of full reels are done away with. Thus, the confusion attendant to snapping on lights, reel exchange, etc., is minimized. Few 8mm. films run longer than 200 feet. Thus by mounting the film on a single 400-ft. reel the story continues to be flashed on the screen where with the 200 foot reel an intermission would be necessary during which the thread of the picture might become hazy or lost. Even though the latter might not occur, any break in smooth projection is an unwelcome feature of the entertainment. Although it is easy enough to purchase any number of the new 400-foot 8mm. reels on the market, it is not quite that easy to use them with most of the projectors now in use. The chief difficulty lies in the shortness of the reel arms on these older projectors. This can easily be rectified with most projectors employing a spring belt take-up under the arms near the shaft to gain solidity of these sections during the punching. The next job was to secure the bushings to my new extensions. Screw holes already in the ends of each section were carefully enlarged to the correct diameter with a round file, and then the ends of the bushings were driven in place in each one. Tapping the slightly exposed end of the bushing proj« through the hole in the extension. I flattened the edges enough to fasten the two firmly together. Inserting the reelspindles in the bushings, I next drove each of the pulley-wheels into place. A few taps with hammer and punch on the J edges of the shaft exposed through the wheel-centers quickly made them a solid whole. Assembly on the projector brought me (Continued on Page 190) 176 April, 1941 American Cinematographer