Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1914)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 287 Power's Six Trouble. Stratford. Ont., Canada, writes: Am running a Power's Six machine and would like to know how I can stop the toggle gear from grinding. It makes a grinding noise when the framing lever is up about one inch. When the lever is clear up or clear down it runs quiet. How can I remedy this trouble. Also when the film starts to go down over the aperture plate, that is, just at the bottom of the top loop, it makes quite a clatter at times, usually when a title is going through. What is the cause of this? With regard to the toggle gear, in the first place be sure that connecting link, 682, Figure 121, page 284 of your handbook is tight in its ways. If it is not, then, first having loosened screws 745, Figure 121, slightly tighten set screws 744 (in behind the cog wheel) just a very little, and re-tighten screw 745. Now try your framing lever, and if it works too hard you have got it a little too tight and will have to slack off a trifle. Make the adjustment so the framing lever will work just about right when wing-nut, 65J, Figure 119, is slacked clear off. This puts your toggle gear where it ought to be. Now if the grinding still remains it is probably because the toggle gear is too tight, either against the flywheel pinion or the other (large) gear. Place the framing lever central and then set a broad faced steel punch against the large guide casting, 684, Figure 121, and strike it a sharp blow, but not too hard. Now try your machine and if the matter is worse than it was before, then the toggle gear was meshing to tightly against the driving gear and you will have to reverse your action, driving the casting the other way, the idea being to center the toggle gear between the flywheel pinion and the large gear on the other side. It is not necessary to remove the flywheel to do this. I think if you follow out those instructions carefully, applying common sense thereto, you will probably remedy, or at least help your trouble. As to the film, I don't know what to say about that, considering the way you have put it. I think you had better make sure that your top gate rollers are not too close together, or rather that spring 729. Figure 116, of the Handbook is not exerting too much pressure. You might also try bending the gate idlers in closer to the aperture plate, or further out. You cannot do any damage by so doing, because if it does not improve matters you can simply bend them back to the original position, using a pair of pliers for the bending. Be careful, however, that you don't bend the whole gate, but just the upper part carrying the rollers. Right and Wrong. Albany, N. Y., sends in the following relative to our recent puzzle, "Answer This, If You Can?" I do not pretend to be a wise one. I am in this game to learn, not to teach, but nevertheless I have a think on this particular proposition, and my thought is that in the first place the glass in the condenser partially screens out the heat-light rays which affect glass, converting them into heat, so that when our second glass medium is introduced into the rays at the machine aperture, very few rays are left that cannot pass through the glass without heating it. Secondly, the conductivity of metal and other radiation helps to rapidly dissipate what heat is generated. You are correct, I think, Albany, so far as the reason for the glass at the aperture not heating is concerned, but you are wrong if you mean that the metal at the aperture would help dissipate what heat was generated, since though the glass is cool or cold and the metal very hot, the action would be the reverse. Possibly, however, I misunderstood you in that. Condenser Holder. W. Crowther, Fall River, Mass., sends in 25 cents for the list of questions and makes certain remarks about his condenser mount as follows: I have made myself a pair of condenser lens holders of heavy brass which will take some time to cool off, thus keeping the outer edge of Mr. Lens hot while its center is slowly cooling down. This has, in my case, prevented breakage up to date. Will send one along for examination if you think it would be of any value to anyone. This device is evidently precisely the same thing evolved by brother Woods, of San Francisco, which he showed me while I was in that^ city. I think I described the device in the department at that time. It is. in my judgment, an excellent scheme, and one which might very well be adopted by machine manufacturers. I would not like to say that it would eliminate condenser breakage, but it certainly would very largely reduce it. Brother Woods' holder was about one-half inch thick, as I remember it. The Matter of Throw. New York City makes the following inquiry: Am operating in a place where I have a 50-foot throw, with 25 amperes at the arc. and am getting almost a perfect picture. Now suppose that I moved the machine back so as to make a loo-foot throw. I would, of course, have to get new condensers and a new objective lens, but the question I wish to ask is: could I still use 25 amperes and get the same light density on the screen as when I had the 50-foot throw? Assuming your picture to be of the same size and the lens of equally good qualit>', there would not be much difference, but there would be a little, due to the fact that there is a somewhat greater loss between the film 'and objective lens where a long focal length objective is used than where a short one is used. After the light has left the objective lens there is practically no difference between 30 and 100 feet. But you arc using too low an amperage; I would boost it up to 30 at least, and 35 would be much better. If you increase the size of your picture you will also have to increase your amperage to get the same results, regardless whether you increase the throw or not. Made His Own Camera. Elmer Stites, Shelby ville, Ind., encloses an interesting picture and writes; Please find enclosed money order for Handbook. I am sending a picture of myself, and the moving picture camera which I constructed myself. It has a capacity of 250 feet. The movement is of the claw type; I also made this myself. Projection in Shelbyville is excellent. There are two theaters here, one running pictures and vaudeville, and the other. The Alhambra, owned by Mr. Rembusch, inventor of the mirror screen, running pictures only. I have not seen anything from our city in the department, but maybe the boys have no troubles. A new theater is about ready to start up, and will use Power's Six A equipment. Do you think a new intermittent movement would be worth patenting? The sprocket and the cam shaft would move in the same direction. Are manufacturers usually reluctant to take outside ideas? I hope you will excuse this writing, for twisting a crank is easier to me than handling a pen. Please autograph the Handbook, which I hope I will find as interesting as the department always is. Either this young gentleman is older than he looks, or this letter is a remarkable one. It is better written and better composed than nine out of ten the editor receives, and it talks good, plain sense all the way through. That a boy in knee pants should construct such a camera as the one illustrated seems to be. is something more than remarkable. Friend Stites must be something in the nature of a mechanical genius. As to the question concerning the patent, I could not reply without first having examined the movement and studied its peculiarities. Manufacturers usually will accept an idea that has real value, but you first must thoroughly demonstrate to them that it is of real value, that it is a practical device from the constructional point of view, and that it won't require too radical a change in their present machinery, jigs, dies, tools, etc. As to autographing the Handbook, I get a great many requests of that kind, but usually the book has gone forward before I even see the letter. It would entail a whole lot of trouble to autograph individual books, and would, for this reason, be hardly practical. Many Thanks. The editor desires to thank the senders of the flood of Christmas cards, etc.. which came to him at the Yuletide period. Also he wishes to express his appreciation of those who sent little remembrances of one kind and another, all of which are appreciated, not so much on account of the gift or the card as for the friendly spirit and kindly thought these things evidenced. I take this method of thanking you all, as it would be almost impossible to do so by a personal letter, or even by card. Operators Are you perfectly satisfied with the results you get oa the screen? The new second edition of the MOTION PICTURE HANDBOOK FOR MANAGERS 420T Pages Illustrated AND OPERATORS By F. H. Richardson $2.S0:Each Postage Paid \fill be the standard textbook on the subject for many years Address all orders and remittances to MOVING PICTURE WORLD.