8mm Forum: Hello everyone from a newby

This is topic Hello everyone from a newby in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Alan Smith (Member # 843) on June 02, 2007, 07:25 PM:

It's fate. I've been lurking and slurping up the tidbits, and waiting for my registration to clear so I could ask advise of this august body.

Couldn't wait, heard from a gentleman with a BOLEX 18 5 L to sell, and the FedEx bloke dropped it off at the gate at the very same time as my registration came through! Very strange. My Elmo ST 1200 D died (fan stopped working) not ten minutes before the FedEx truck drove up.

What a jewel! I love it, quiet, smooth, compact and relative light, and the lens: the late model zoom (I'd rather have a prime), but it really is an improvement on the Elmo f1.3 zoom.

Now if I can find some great silent movies in S8. Actually I'd like to make some. My hobby, if hobby is the word for something that can take 12 hours of the day is trying to write and film stories in S8 (preferably silent) or with voice over.

Regards, alan

Posted by Douglas Meltzer (Member # 28) on June 02, 2007, 08:33 PM:

Alan,

Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on getting the Bolex! The 18-5 is a great little machine and it also looks very impressive just sitting out on display.
Tell us more about your poor ST1200. What functions still operate?

Doug

Posted by Alan Smith (Member # 843) on June 02, 2007, 10:13 PM:

I can't speak to any sound function as I've only shot silent film.

What seems to have failed is perhaps the control switch: the fan doesn't turn on nor does the drive, forward or reverse. The lamp turns on. Curiously, it seemed to function well, then not.

I suspect a "tuneup" is in order. Time is the issue.

Before it died I captured some footage to mini-dv, then the same footage from the BOLEX. I'm amazed to see the ELMO capture is extremely high contrast as compared with the 18-5 L. Perhaps because it's a brighter lamp? I even like the flicker effect.

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on June 02, 2007, 11:15 PM:

Hi, Alan! Welcome! Sounds like the ST-1200 needs a main drive belt. You can puschase a 4 belt set on Ebay form isellprojectorbelts. Mark is a good seller. [Smile]

Posted by Lars Pettersson (Member # 762) on June 03, 2007, 07:35 AM:

I also have Elmo ST spares [Wink]

Cheers,
Lars

Posted by Alan Smith (Member # 843) on June 03, 2007, 09:15 AM:

Mr's Lail & Pettersson, thank you for the happy suggestion re. the drive belts. I was about to tear into the switch assembly thinking it was an intermittent contact issue.

I noticed the belts [2] driving the speed control rollers that seem to drive the shutter might be a source of trouble as the rear most of them flops rather loosely. I put it out of mind because the front belt is tight. My mistake, obviously.

thanks again, alan

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 03, 2007, 04:07 PM:

I don't know squat about belts, but welcome to the forum!

Posted by Mark Williams (Member # 794) on June 03, 2007, 04:24 PM:

Same here!!

Welcome to the Forum Alan.

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on June 04, 2007, 04:54 PM:

Welcome Alan, any questions or information on Super and Std 8 shorts, I'm the guy that can usually answer - Welocme again, Shorty

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on June 07, 2007, 08:40 PM:

Did I just hear someone say "Welocme?"

Alan,
Me too, to you.

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on June 07, 2007, 08:52 PM:

Did I just hear someone say "Welocme?"

Alan,
Me too, to you.

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on June 07, 2007, 09:59 PM:

What the! what the! [Big Grin]

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