8MM movie projectors

[1930artdeco]

Hi All,

Not sure if I am in the right spot for this, if not please move it. I would like to buy an 8mm movie projector but need to know where I can buy parts or have it serviced. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[LizzieMaine]

Depending on the model you choose, there's very little servicing that will need to be done. The indestructible Kodascope models from the thirties used metal spring drive belts that sometimes get kinked or stretched out and these are easily found on eBay - just enter the model number (Kodascope 60, 70, 80 etc.) and you'll find what you'll need. The motors will often need a shot of light oil (3-in-1 or sewing machine oil is fine), but otherwise there's little to go wrong with them.

(Kodascope Model 50, c. 1935. Note the spring drive. I have one of these and strongly recommend them.)

The lamps are very common -- usually type DAB, which will run you twenty or thirty dollars to replace from any number of online vendors. They just twist into place -- no tools required.

The later models from the fifties onward get more complicated, so I definitely recommend the early Kodascopes as the best modern buy if you intend on using it. Be in mind, though, these are silent only, and if you want a sound projector you're looking at a whole different set of issues.

 

[1930artdeco]

Thanks LizzieMaine,

That is what I was looking for. I see them for sale at antique stores and just don't which one to look for/buy. I am looking for the silent version and that is all. It won't get used that much just occasionally.

Mike

 

[1930artdeco]

LizzieMaine,

What is the size of movie reel that yours takes? I have a super 8 movie at home on a 8" reel (?) that I want to play. At that time were they interchangeable or would I have to get two different projectors?

Mike

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ah -- super 8 won't work on a vintage 8mm projector, because the perforations are different. You can only show Super 8 on a Super 8 projector.

Standard 8 is shown at left, Super 8 is shown at right. Note the smaller perfs on Super 8.

Super 8 projectors *will* usually show Standard 8, but not vice versa. Super 8 was introduced in 1965, and most 8mm projectors from the late sixties forward were able to handle that format, but no projector built before 1965 can run it. Check your films to be absolutely sure of the format before buying a projector!

My Kodascope 50 takes 200 foot (5 inch diameter) reels, but later models could take 400 foot (7 inch) reels, which became the standard until the end of the 8mm era.

 

[MissMittens]

Lizzie, how about good ones for sound? Are there any good 30s-40s 8mm projectors with sound? I've seen a few from that era but don't know which are the better models/manufacturers.

Thanks

 

[LizzieMaine]

8mm sound used a magnetic coating on the edge of the film -- the same process as a tape recorder -- and didn't come onto the scene until the early 1960s. Pathe built 9.5mm optical sound projectors in Europe in the Era, but I've never seen a standard 8mm optical sound projector.

Standard 8 magnetic sound is less common than Super 8 magnetic sound, which became quite popular in the late sixties and on into the seventies. Bell and Howell made some good machines in this format -- I have one sitting in my garage that I mean to fix up one of these days.

 

[LizzieMaine]

8mm sound used a magnetic coating on the edge of the film -- the same process as a tape recorder -- and didn't come onto the scene until the early 1960s. Pathe built 9.5mm optical sound projectors in Europe in the Era, but I've never seen a standard 8mm optical sound projector. Generally speaking if you want an Era-vintage sound projector for home use, you'll be looking at 16mm.

Standard 8 magnetic sound is less common than Super 8 magnetic sound, which became quite popular in the late sixties and on into the seventies. Bell and Howell made some good machines in this format -- I have one sitting in my garage that I mean to fix up one of these days.

 

[MissMittens]

Thanks Lizzie, I think you're right. I was thinking 16mm that were used for "morale" or "info" films.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If you're looking for a 16mm machine, consider either the Kodak Pageant or the B&H Filmosound lines -- the earlier models have tube amplifiers that'll need to have capacitors gone thru and replaced, but the mechanical and optical parts are rock-solid. I have a Pageant Model 1 that's foolproof to use, and very gentle on the film.

 

[MissMittens]

Thanks Lizzy