posted October 14, 2018 03:28 PM
I bought an unused Bell & Howell 10MS Projector that has problems crimping the leader to some film reels. It feeds OK about 30% of the time. Other times it will crimp the leader before it makes it to the take up reel. I've been keeping the front cover off in order to see the feeder flow. The projector didn't have the film trimmer, so I haven't done any trimming. Would that cause these problems? The instructions do say "The end of the leader must be trimmed before use for the first time". The film leader of the "failed" film looks Ok (not crimped or damaged) before I feed it into the projector. This is the after result.
Where can I buy a trimmer? Once the leader is crimped, do I need to replace it? I do have a film which I ran through several times without and leader problems.
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted October 14, 2018 05:25 PM
Yes the end of the film has to be trimmed for it to feed properly into the gate without getting jammed. You can use scissors to cut a half moon shape on the end of the film. You can also use nail clippers which make a rounded edge.
You can try and straighten out the kinks in the leader...but you should replace for best results.