8mm Forum: Overflowing 600ft reels!

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Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on March 12, 2017, 01:58 PM:

How many films do you have where the reel is "overflowing" to the point that every time you take it out of the box it immediately starts to unravel and hit the floor?
Reel 1 of "Beauty and the Beast" is like that.
How do you fix it if possible?
It seems a waste to use an 800ft reel also you can't put it back in the box like that.
Is there a 600ft reel which allows maybe a little bit more on there? Maybe something with a smaller core?
Dilemma.

Posted by Mike Newell (Member # 23) on March 12, 2017, 03:02 PM:

Alan, I also had this problem with Beauty and the Beast and didn't want have 1800 and 3 600s Eventually using an editor I respooled to 3 x 800 not ideal but it worked. From memory , Gepe reels could hold slightly more film than most other reels. Please note apart from overspilling you also run the risk of causing damage to your film. When Bonum were going they sold unusual 300 and 700' sizes.
I still have sold 300,' but sold the 700' with features.

Posted by Graham Sinden (Member # 431) on March 12, 2017, 03:12 PM:

I know the feeling Alan but like you Id rather have it on a 600ft than an 800ft. Problem is a very slightly
bigger 600ft might not fit the standard boxes. A smaller centre would be possible but I dont like small centres on reels so I just put up with them. At least you get a lot of film for your money like on a 1x600ft.

Graham s

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on March 12, 2017, 04:45 PM:

Plenty of the Derann films were seemingly spooled very very differently.

I have dozens which I've witnessed at least one 600ft reel tipping the brim so to speak.
Some are positively beyond brim!

Ironically, in my own case, Beauty & The Beast wasn't one of them however and it came to me as originally spooled??

From memory, Pocahontas,Mary Poppins, Die Hard and Hello Dolly were some of the most extreme examples I can instantly think of.

The Cine Books Derann used to sell offered a 750ft spool in them, but problem is, the outer diameter is only marginally less than a small 800ft spool outer diameter.
This therefore is no help if you want to keep your film in their library boxes.

Whenever films arrive with me like this, I instantly place a Bonum film clip onto the overflowing reel of Film.
They really help keep it all together while threading through the projector and the 4 claws on these type of clips keeps the outer layers gripped and in line to the lower layers of film some 15-20ft below.

I even thread up with one still fitted, it simply falls off as the film unravels then allowing the film to stay in line with lower layers until the rim of the spool is exposed.

Works well I've found, and allows films with all original leads and tails still in tact, to remain on their original 600ft spools, just! 😂😂

It does have to be said however, you need top notch rewind facilities for films that are over spooled to ever stand a chance of getting them back onto reel at just the same level.
Any slack and your film will be ruined as it simply falls off the spool towards the end of rewinding it!

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on March 13, 2017, 02:30 AM:

Alan

What I have done with "Beauty and the Beast" is to have it on one Elmo 1200ft and second half on a 800ft reel. The last reel has approx 700ft of film and although the Gepe, at a push will take 650ft. The risk of the film doing what film is good at ie spilling all over the place at a very "fast" rate [Eek!]

if you are not very carefull...best bet is to play safe.. use a 800ft. [Wink]

Posted by Joe Balitzki (Member # 438) on March 13, 2017, 03:53 PM:

Viacom very often sold their features on full to rim 400' reels which was aggravating. They also frequently would splice on Black Leader at the end of most of the reels. Since the prints were on thinner polyester stock I wish they had ended the reels at the actual 35mm reel changes and just used another 400' reel.

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