8mm Forum: Chinon SS 1200

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Posted by Craig Hamilton (Member # 258) on November 11, 2007, 06:19 AM:

I have just taken delivery of a huge amount of films & equipment from a retired collector! in amongst the equipment one of the projectors is a Chinon SS 1200. This is a true stereo projector with 1200ft reel capacity. having tested this projector last night I found that it dose have a couple of faults that should not be to difficult for Mr Faulkner to rectify [Big Grin]

Any excuse for a trip to Kev's.

Do any of you guys have one of these machines? if so how do you rate them! What I saw last night was pretty good and sound output was very good. This projector came with its original box with all accessory's and an unopened dust cover. The manual is in Spanish which is not much use to me.

Another projector that came in this lot is a 16mm Bell & Howell TQ1. The owner informed me that the worm drive has gone but he has supplied a brand new worm drive with a two page fitting guide. If any of you guys are looking for another 16mm machine feel free to drop me an email with an offer. If you live local collection is ok or I will deliver within a reasonable distance otherwise it may be around the £20 mark to post this machine.

Craig

Posted by Mark Mander (Member # 340) on November 11, 2007, 07:55 AM:

Hi Craig,i have one of these machines mine is the identical Lux 80 model and find it a very easy machine to use.I like the useful way it turns itself off when the film has finished and the little side screen is handy.Recording wise it's not as good as the GS but still not bad.Seems to be kind to film and has never scratched any of mine and plays them first time every time.1200 foot capacity nice steady picture 150w brightness and good sound a good allround machine.This machine is the one i do all my cine - dvd tranfers with and gives great results best Mark.

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on November 12, 2007, 02:40 AM:

I've had an SS1200 since 1991. Good re-recordings though not quite on a par with a properly sorted GS1200. But they do scratch films so beware of all the plastic guides. They wear and once they've gone that's it. The top sprocket guide is the worst offender and there are no spares available now. Keep it lubricated with thermolfilm occasionally (just a wipe over with a cotton bud does the trick) and keep your eyes peeled when projecting for the dreaded lines to appear.

I have the english manual Craig but it's all pretty obvious. Actually I think I posted a scan of the manual on the bfcc web site.

Posted by Craig Hamilton (Member # 258) on November 12, 2007, 10:04 PM:

Thanks John, you are a star.

Craig

Posted by Xavier Gascon (Member # 381) on November 13, 2007, 12:49 AM:

Hello,

John You've the reason about the plastic guides, and that gs1200 it's better to record, but only on full features, because the Chinon ss1200 /Revue lux 80 have a think very useful, you can mark a point with the counter, and the projector begans to record exactlly in this part of the film. It's excellent to re-record cut downs.

Xavier

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on November 13, 2007, 03:00 AM:

I virtually wrote mine off doing cut downs a similar way Xavier so be careful. I was too heavy handed on the stopping and starting when getting it wrong and eventually the switches wore out. They're all working now but it had to work hard during its re-recording life and a few other problems caused me to sideline it. I'd like to get it back to 100% working order eventually.

Posted by Craig Hamilton (Member # 258) on November 13, 2007, 08:14 AM:

OK John

firstly this projector is in near mint condition, all accessory's are still wrapped in the box along with the unopened dust cover. The take up reel still has the inner card ring to protect it.

The couple of faults that it had were down to being stored for period of time.

Upon inspecting the inner parts of the projector I noticed that the claw and cam were a bit on the dry side regarding lubrication and this makes it a little on the noisy side whilst projecting. Can anyone tell me if they are prone to being a bit noisy or what lubricant do these machines prefer, grease or thick based oil?

As for the re-recording that area is not a concern, any re-recording I need is always a good excuse to pop round Kev's. ( he makes a cracking cup of tea )

I personally use a dry silicone lubricant on all film guides and gate areas on all my projectors, this lubricant is designed for use on nylon roller bearings or any parts that need lubricating and do not want to be a magnet for dust and grit. Film glides over this stuff and it is long lasting.

Craig

Posted by Keith Ashfield (Member # 741) on November 13, 2007, 08:42 AM:

Hi Craig, What is the make of your Dry Silicone Lube? I use Rocol. It does make a difference when it's applied to the guides. Film seems to pass through with liitle effort and there is no apparent "residue" when it "drys".

[ February 01, 2008, 07:12 AM: Message edited by: Keith Ashfield ]

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on November 13, 2007, 08:49 AM:

My own memories of that machine were sitting through the Ten Best at Blackpool with ACE mag editor projecting on said machine at 18 FPS and that horrid grinding noise throughout each film. Later I got to know a guy locally who also had the Chinon SS1200 and that also made that annoying noise at 18FPS. Not keen on them as you can tell and a wee bit plastic for me.

My pals SS1200 likes scratching films very much and he now no longer uses it but his GS1200. He also had problems with switches on the SS which may be due to poor air circulation within and an excess of heat building up during a long show which we tend to favour locally.

Thats what we make of the machine in use Craig.
Keep an eye on your films for lines pal.

Posted by Craig Hamilton (Member # 258) on November 13, 2007, 10:52 AM:

Keith, I use this lubricant. Apply to a soft cloth or to cotton buds. One tin last for ages.

Lee, certainly no grinding noise coming from this machine, it is pretty quiet at 18fps. I intend to use this machine for the kids cartoon shows at home rather than giving the Elmo a hammering over the winter.

Craig

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on November 13, 2007, 11:14 AM:

Interesting comments about the ss1200. Could someone possibly put a photo up as I dont think ive ever seen this machine before.

Graham S

Posted by Mark Mander (Member # 340) on November 13, 2007, 12:25 PM:

I didn't realise these machines were so temperamental,i've never experienced any of these problems!best Mark

Posted by Eric Baucher (Member # 809) on November 13, 2007, 05:31 PM:

they are neat looking, but lots of chinons have PLASTIC gates, which is lowest of the low, I dont think the ss1200 has one, but why buy an imitation GS1200 when you can have the real thing? [Smile]

so craig, what films did you get?!?!?!

Posted by Craig Hamilton (Member # 258) on November 14, 2007, 07:21 AM:

Eric

It will take me some time to trawl through the whole collection but roughly there are 35 feature length films, 95 400ft digests and around 120 200ft digests. On top of this there was 5 super 8 projectors and 1 16mm projector.

Craig

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on November 14, 2007, 10:30 AM:

Wowee!
The nearest I got to that quantity was when I used to buy collections for a southern dealer here in the north or there behalf. One collection had more or less every Universal 8 film going and that was all he collected and nothing else, just Universal 8. The collection came with several projectors including some of the finest available. This was around 10 years ago, and although in recent times myself and a group of friends have purchased local collections outright to split between us thus saving so much outlay I don’t think we have had anything like the number of reels in past years.

The funny part was one time we got a GS1200 Xenon in its box and we all had a very friendly fight who was having it. Its great fun sharing the hobby with others in this way and spreading the outlay, and if you are as close as we are it makes for some funny stories. It wasn’t me that had that Xenon at the end by the way, but I did get some nice films. The bloke with the Chinon now has it!

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on November 14, 2007, 10:33 AM:

Graham.
It has a little preview screen on the side and a recessed porthole where the lens sits. Bit of a problem if trying to use a Scope lens as the front element of the Anamorphic needs to go into the porthole. Focus on these is also very critical and we found you could not really leave the small focussing knob alone for very long.

Many of the SS1200’s were fetched into the UK by Perry’s movies at that time and I was pleased to be filming in his shop when a number landed, along with a good quantity of GS800 Elmo machines all gleaming new. Those were the day’s eigh.

Isn’t it surprising that with all that heat generated from a very intense lamp some of the manufacturers continued to use so much plastic, even gates made from plastic.

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on November 14, 2007, 11:09 AM:

Thanks for the pic, lee. I like the idea of a built in daylight viewer. It would be cool if the viewer could be used at the same time as normal projection.

I can see the problem with the lenz being recessed though.

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on November 14, 2007, 01:15 PM:

The 'Scope lens kit that came in the box with the photo of the girl on the beach on the cover fits in the recess. I believe Walton sold these 'Scope lens kits in their day. I have a couple of them and they're pretty good lenses.

Beware though, one of the metal door stops for the internal daylight screen has to be bent out of the way to fit the 'Scope lens in place fully. No problem really as the remaining stop does the job when the 'Scope lens isn't in place and the internal screen is required (for whatever reason!).

Excellent re-recording machines these. When in good condition they can be set to speed and run just like sync' pulse is attached to them. Once they get old and worn though, forget it!

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