Movie Age (1927)

SEPTEMBER 10, 1927. PAGE 19 iQequipment New Film Gate Assembly is an Important Improvement After two years of research and test¬ ing' the engineering department of the International Projector Corporation has produced the new Power’s film gate as¬ sembly with lower fire shield, the need for which has long been felt in the mo¬ tion picture industry. This improve¬ ment is of greatest value at the present time because of the rapidly growing use of the reflector lamp, the high intensity and other illuminants with extremely high candle power and corresponding increase of heat. Power’s new film gate assembly pro¬ vides greatest protection against over¬ heating and ignition of the film. The new film gate differs radically from the old one and while at present it is be¬ ing supplied only on new projectors it is probable that eventually it will re¬ place the old one almost universally. This new film gate is massive in con¬ struction and is so designed that theie are two large cooling spaces between three widely spaced heavy metal shields. For the protection of the projectionist s fingers there are completely insulated bakelite finger plates attached to the front baffle above and below. On this front baffle, which is of waffle iron de¬ sign to secure rapid radiation of heat, is mounted the automatic fire shutter, an accurately balanced sheet steel cur¬ tain having great thickness which closes and opens at a projection speed of ap¬ proximately forty-five to fifty film feet per minute. Back of the front baffle is another heat dissipating unit assuring a cooling flow of air at all times. To this second plate is attached the gate latch and gate latch spring which also carries the upper film guide roller, the upper fire shield and the pad to which are attached the pressure pads and their respective tension springs. The pads, which remain in perfect align¬ ment at all times and exert the abso¬ lute minimum tension, are practically instantaneously replaceable. The old lower fire shield assembly has been dis¬ continued and in its place a new device having a positive lock has been attach¬ ed. When it is desired to open this low¬ er fire shield assembly the index finger of the projectionist naturally falls in contact with the release catch and the thumb upon the knob for opening the shield. The new shield opening down¬ ward lifts the lower part of the mech¬ anism entirely free of obstructions and eliminates the possibility of the lower fire shield slamming shut on the projec¬ tionist’s hands while threading the me¬ chanism. With the new gate assembly it will no longer be necessary to hold the film in place when closing the film gate. The film may now be threaded in the Pow¬ er’s mechanism, the idler rollers closed and without holding the film in place over the aperture, the gate may be closed and the film automatically placed in its pi’oper position. This feature has been so well taken care of that although the gate may be repeatedly opened and closed while the film is being projected, each time the gate is closed the film will automatically be placed where it prop¬ erly belongs. The entire film gate assembly consists of the following parts: Gate and Hinge Plate, Gate Latch Stud and Stop, Fire Shutter Governor Link and Lower Fire Shutter Assembly Complete. A small double ended wrench for attaching the apparatus to the projector and all ne¬ cessary screws are included with each gate. The new gate will readily fit any Power’s 6-A or 6-B mechanism and may be attached in four or five minutes. Consolidated Tests Lamps Hourly to Insure Accuracy Attesting to the importance of ex¬ pert personal supervision in successful printing of film, Harry M. Goetz, of the Consolidated Film Industries, Inc., points out that in the company’s plants, the lamps in the printing machines are tested every hour to detect deteriora¬ tion, adding that these must be main¬ tained at a constant efficiency to se¬ cure the uniformity of the prints. In amplification of the personal supeiwision theory, Goetz states: “There are many factors to be con¬ sidered for the successful development and printing of film. Much automatic machinery is used but it must be op¬ erated and directed with the utmost in¬ telligence. Temperature is one of the most important factors in every pro¬ cess. In the buildings, in the develop¬ ment solutions, in the drying chambers, in the storage vaults, everywhere and constantly, the degree of heat or cold is scientifically controlled under the skilled watching and supervision of trained experts. Standardized condi¬ tions of temperature and moisture are carefully maintained at levels that are known to produce the wanted results. Emulsions on various batches of raw stock are tested and gauged.” Consolidated operates plants at Hol¬ lywood, New York, Long Island, Chi¬ cago and Jersey City. Book On Film Protection is Issued By Eastman Valuable information as to how to prevent mutilation of film and to im¬ prove projection has been prepared by the Eastman Kodak Company in an il¬ lustrated booklet called, “Film Mutila¬ tion And How To Prevent It.” This is a handy pocket guide for the operator and should be read by every responsible projectionist. A postcard request addressed to Mo¬ tion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc., 469 Fifth Ave., New York City, or to the editor of this pub¬ lication, will bring a copy of the book¬ let free of charge. Read this page every week It will give you the important new develop¬ ments in the equipment field and help you select the right equipment for your theatre.