8MM-16MM FORUM WORLDWIDE

I have a GAF 3100S (Chinon) that is another step above the 3000 that I use for transfers (variable speed) and it has been trouble free. I also have a Chinon SP330 MV that runs ok as well, although I don't use it that much. My main super 8 machine that is set up in my cinema is an Elmo ST1200D.

So I have not had any issues but I really try to stay on top of keeping the film path clean and sometimes I will run a red print with no lines through twice just to see if there are any issues with all my machines. (I try to put the red prints to good use!) The films could be scratching after the gate and you could go through most of your collection and not even know they are getting scratched.

Now I have my wheels turning....I better go run a red print!

Bill

Keeping clean all parts that touch my film and lubricating the film are at the top of my list of things to do before projecting them. Back in the day a large number of projector owners knew little to nothing about cleaning their machines film path or gate way. With products such as FilmGuard we today can aid in preventing film scratching.

I am learning a lot from you highly experienced guys. For me the 8mm world is a new but fascinating. I am happy that I joined this forum.

Roger is correct.
I think, back in the day, the majority of projector owners were not hobbyists. For many, the projector was used primarily to view home movies. They neither knew nor cared about projector or, for that matter, film print care.

The results of this often turn up on ebay - badly scratched and burnt films.

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www.mickoregan.com

True Mike. I have purchased film in the past off eBay with more than one burnt frame and would contain fairly heavy scratches. One should stay away from library prints also. I bought a few when I first started collecting film and found that all contain splices and most were in less than good condition. I suppose that every now and then someone possibly fines a nice print but that has never been the case for me.

16mm ex-library prints can be hit and miss as you say. I have one of Modern Sound Pictures prints of King of Kings(27), which obviously hadn't been used much at all. It's in excellent condition.

I don't have any experience at all with ex-library 8mm prints. Were there, in fact, libraries which rented 8mm?

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www.mickoregan.com

Super 8 is what I purchased. There is a seller on eBay that is currently selling Super 8 ex-library prints. Only a few are in the original boxes and most are in plastic cans. These are 400ft digest with some being features with as many as four or five reels. The ones I have inquired about all have splices. A three reel feature that I was interested in had two or three splices in each reel. I did have a couple of those films that had the actual library cards in their boxes with the libraries name, address, city and the dates that the films were checked out. A neat little collectable. Here is a picture of a card that I still have. The film is long gone. The film was the 200ft silent edition of THE MUMMY'S TOMB.

I have, in my collection. a few Ex-library prints in 8mm & super 8 both in silent and with sound. Few prints are still in excellent condition but the majority are in just about good to average.

Wow! Nice one. I didn't know that.

My feeling is that as 16mm was more of a professional gauge, there are a lot more cheap and crappy Super 8 projectors around which would've ruined many of those prints. The Royals, the Cinerexes, etc.

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www.mickoregan.com

I'm sure that many did come back with sprocket hole damage and breaks.