8mm Forum: Look! my emergency scope bracket :-)

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Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 17, 2017, 06:52 AM:

No need to spend +$70 for a scope lens bracket.

I took a mineral bottle and cut it a half to make it as high as the ST-1200 prime lens. I then made two small "valley" on both edge to let the lens sit nicely.

The result is just exactly the same with your metal and expensive bracket. Lens can be placed almost at zero gap with the prime lens to avoid making vignette image.

Good luck and have a try.

O ...yeah...don't forget to put an apple or an orange or a pear so the bottle will stand rock steady. [Big Grin]

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 17, 2017, 11:24 AM:

Excellent!

It's like when Tom Hanks made an axe out of a pair of ice skates in Castaway!

I made a kludge scope mount myself. It's a platform made from a bunch of scrap wood that the machine rests on which aligns the lenses via the machine's own elevation adjustment. You then adjust the height of the picture by adjusting the whole assembly up and down.

-the problem is I made it too good!

I figured I'd call it a "prototype" and make something really nice based on what I learned within a few months, but it's been like 10 years now!

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 17, 2017, 12:14 PM:

Hey! I've done that kind of thing numerous times in the past! Great job. The ingenuity of film collectors, making "magic' with mere pennies worth of "hardware" (scope lense not included in that cost, of course!) [Smile]

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on January 17, 2017, 01:46 PM:

It looks more stable than the official bracket Winbert. I remember if you ever touched the bracket by accident you could knock it off the alignment. If you painted or covered the outside black it would look the full professional part.

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on January 17, 2017, 02:33 PM:

That's really ingenious. Unfortunately my improvised scope bracket is easily knocked out of alignment and can't switch mid-show -- it was made of lego bricks, seated atop the lenses' box!

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 17, 2017, 02:43 PM:

I've always been tempted by the commercial brackets that are available, but with my improvised one I don't need a different bracket for each machine. My Eumig 800 series gets along quite nicely with my 'scope lens and I'm not sure a machine mounted bracket is even available for that one. My Elmos and Eumigs (at least) have their lenses roughly at the same height off the table, so a free standing mount fits everybody.

It would be nice if I got on the stick and built something a little more professional looking, but life is a long parade and this particular float isn't near the front of my priorities!

Posted by Paul Suchy (Member # 80) on January 17, 2017, 05:27 PM:

I have used a stack of paperback books and cradled the lens on a bag of dried beans or split peas; this was especially useful when using a big honker 35mm scope lens.

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on January 17, 2017, 05:48 PM:

I have to admit that I've done similar things in the past to test an idea before investing too much in the real article. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on January 17, 2017, 06:35 PM:

It's very easy to carve a nice scope lens cradle from a block of Styrofoam.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 17, 2017, 10:08 PM:

Paul...that is a good idea but the thing with styrofoam, it is a solid material, meaning when you cut the foam you must really measure the size of the lens' barrel. I guess this is not an easy work.

But with plastic material such this mineral bottle, we just make an approximate size of the craddle (a bit smaller is still ok). If it is too narrow , just push it, the plastic will get bent and the lens will even sit more tightly... [Wink]

cheers,

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on January 17, 2017, 10:58 PM:

If you cut a 90 degree V- Channel into the styrofoam (or wood) block, the lens will find its own precise location with zero wobble in any direction.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 18, 2017, 01:40 AM:

I see it, Paul. But this means we need to measure precisely the height of the cradle to make it at the same height with the projector lens, right?

And if the projector is not 180 degree (flat) between the lens and the screen (sometimes we need to lift the front side of the projector to be +5-30 degree) I guess the cradle will not work, unless the craddle was made at that inclination.

With this plastic material, if this thing happen, I just push the rear barrel of the scope lens, so the lens will also have the same inclination.

Just give an idea, anyway.

[ January 18, 2017, 05:14 PM: Message edited by: Winbert Hutahaean ]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on January 18, 2017, 05:46 AM:

At the end of the day, if it's precision you're after,the scope lens bracket has to be both square and flatly mounted at exactly the same axis point as the primary lens to share the exact same centre lines in both axes, when done correctly.

This is something not easily and reliably accomplished by any makeshift bracket other than one attached professionally to the machine itself.

Like this in other words...

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 18, 2017, 02:54 PM:

That is why the title says "emergency".... [Wink]

Posted by David Hardy (Member # 4628) on January 18, 2017, 03:00 PM:

Its all you will ever need Winbert.
Why bother with overpriced expensive lens brackets.
After all its serving the same function and with some
modifications can do everything an off the shelf bracket does.

I once used an empty Heinz Beans can and it worked fine. [Wink]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on January 18, 2017, 06:16 PM:

I hope that wasn't in the professional cinema projection room David! 😂😂😂

I'm still trying to imagine a scenario where an emergency scope bracket solution may become necessary.

Emergency exits,. Yes
Emergency ladder..yes
Emergency landing..yes
Emergency push button...yes
Emergency alarm..for sure
Emergency morning after pill...I can see a need for such.

Emergency scope bracket??
Why, what could ever happen to the standard one in run? [Wink]

It's not exactly the raw egg in the leaking car radiator 300 miles from home situation, is it?

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 18, 2017, 07:24 PM:

Emergency scope bracket??

-You are two minutes away from showing a scope film to 50 new friends and realize your real bracket is still packed in one of about ten crates because you moved recently?

Do you scatter an average of five crates of possessions all over the basement or do you...improvise?

(According to Laurel and Hardy, isn't it rice in the car radiator?)

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on January 19, 2017, 01:54 AM:

There are a lot of situation why it is called "emergency". Steve says a good one.

Anyway this is just a hobby, it becomes more interesting if we can conquer the problem.

We see a lot of people splicing those Star Wars digests to make a longer version ones. Someone may say "why don't just buy a F/L from Steve Osborne"

Yeah, I know.... [Wink]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on January 19, 2017, 03:59 AM:

Rice,egg, maybe even egg fried rice,..who knows which works best?

Understood Winbert [Wink]

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