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Author
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Topic: Bell & Howell 300 series - Jammed top sprocket?
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Matt Pilz
Junior
Posts: 3
From: Marshfield, WI, USA
Registered: Jan 2018
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posted January 11, 2018 03:36 AM
Hi all, I am happy to have stumbled across this community for projector-related discussions. Recently I picked up my very first 16mm from a thrift store, a Bell & Howell Filmosound Specialist 399. The projector seemed destined for a landfill as it was in great despair. The wires so corroded they tripped breakers and shorted out immediately upon being plugged in. Bad lights, bad audio connector, stuck motor and so forth.
This past month I have worked steadily to restore it. This included redoing and repairing the wiring, adding a new power end, replacing the bulbs, opening up the motor/governor and cleaning the carbon brushes and all-around fixing things up. Everything is now operational including the motor, amplifier, speaker, lights and rear spindle movement.
Here is where the problem comes in. The topmost sprocket that the film first feeds through is entirely jammed and unmovable. This seems to have occurred during the first rewinding of a film after it likely sat unused for decades. It sometimes attempts to turn perhaps a quarter rotation and then stalls entirely. This causes the motor to race, shutter to halt and top sprocket on that side to fail, which is powered by a shared counter gear with the bottom sprockets. (The counter gear itself has now lost a few teeth due to how stuck the top sprocket is, thanks to some clumsy testing without it being fully seated).
Does anyone have suggestions as to why this may have occurred and if it is readily repairable? I have not yet tried removing the sprocket from the machine but I did check all around and couldn't see anything obstructing it. I also tried a little lubrication (not sure of the most recommended type) but nothing has made it budge. If I can get this one issue resolved the machine would be back to original functionality (I will be replacing the bad counter gear soon but would like to have the top sprocket issue resolved before that to avoid more breakage). Below are some photos and diagrams illustrating where the problem is.
Sprocket and Sprocket Gear that Do Not Budge:
Counter Gear that Can't Turn Sprocket:
Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.
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