8mm Forum: Standard 8 reel on Super 8 machine

This is topic Standard 8 reel on Super 8 machine in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Greg May (Member # 6310) on October 14, 2018, 06:58 PM:

Quick question. It seems like you can get an adapter to fit a Super 8 reel on a Standard 8 projector feed, but is there one for the other way around.

I realized some of the Standard 8 reels that I got over the weekend are too small to fit on the projector feed. Is there an adapter for the feed arm, or do I just need to purchase a Super 8 reel and transfer the film to that?

Thanks!

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on October 14, 2018, 07:01 PM:

I've never seen an adapter like that.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on October 14, 2018, 07:11 PM:

Hi Greg,

If you have a Standard-8 reel it probably has standard 8 film on it. The sprocket holes are different sizes between the two standards and your ST-600 will not be able to deal with it.

Enjoy the machine! I'm a particularly big fan of the Elmo ST's: as a matter of fact I used one of mine upstairs at the Ocean Holiday this weekend. (White refrigerator doors in all OHMI rooms: useful emergency screens!)

Posted by Greg May (Member # 6310) on October 14, 2018, 07:16 PM:

Thanks, Steve!

I have a Standard 8 Bell and Howell that I brought with me over the weekend to diagnose. It looks like it needs a belt. Worse case scenario I can use that for the Standard 8 films, once I fully diagnose and repair that one. From what I watched on the Elmo so far, I've really enjoyed.

-Greg

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 15, 2018, 02:26 AM:

Greg
As mentioned by Steve, is your Elmo only for Super 8? Do you have a Super 8 film on a Regular 8 spool?

Posted by Joseph Banfield (Member # 2082) on October 15, 2018, 07:54 AM:

No,it is physically impossible to adapt a regular 8mm reel to fit a super 8 spindle. Even if someone did make an adapter of some kind your film would feed into the projector at a slight angle instead of straight in because it would have to extend beyond the super 8 spindle and then taper into the smaller standard 8 spindle. And with the film not feeding in straight and if the film had a torn sprocket hole it would catch and break the film while going into the projector guide! If you were desperate you could drill a hole through a standard 8 reel to the required size of the super 8 spindle but would probably have to also elongate the three slots as well. But if you do that make sure you transfer the film to another reel before attempting that!

Posted by Greg May (Member # 6310) on October 15, 2018, 08:46 AM:

For some reason I thought the Elmo could play both regular and Super 8 film. That was an incorrect assumption. I do have a Bell & Howell that is a silent projector with a switch for both Super and Regular 8. Once I fix that, I will be using that to watch the Regular 8 stuff. Just got the Elmo yesterday. I've been collecting only 16mm up until this point.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on October 15, 2018, 08:53 AM:

Greg, all the dual projectors have a feeding arm that allows you to put a standard 8 spool. There is an adaptator for super 8 ones. However the take up spool arm is always (or maybe almost always ?) designed for the super 8 spools.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 15, 2018, 10:03 AM:

This is the adapter to which Dominique refers:-
https://www.amazon.com/Super-Movie-Reel-Adapter-Regular/dp/B0714MLZTV

Posted by John Capazzo (Member # 157) on October 21, 2018, 03:33 AM:

Van Eck services in The Netherlands fabricates many parts for Elmo and Eumig and they recently have in their website and standard 8mm sleeve that slips over a super 8 spindle. I've bought many parts from them over the past two years. The main problem with both machines is the main control knob that strips. There knob is made of a more durable plastic.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 21, 2018, 02:42 PM:

Perhaps John would be kind enough to provide a link to his mentioned sleeve.

Posted by Will Trenfield (Member # 5321) on October 21, 2018, 05:14 PM:

The feed spindle on my Eumig Mark 501 was designed to take both standard and super 8 reels. Other Eumigs I've had needed adaptors.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on October 21, 2018, 06:25 PM:

John says the right one.
Here are some examples on the site of the good Van Eck (but make better search, maybe I missed some versions):
https://shop.van-eck.net/film-projector-parts/p-1a/?_globalsearch=Supply%20reel%20holder%20
With a small substitution it's possible to make the mandrels only for Super 8 in universal, for both formats.
Excellent invention!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 22, 2018, 11:14 AM:

The Super 8/Regular 8 components referred to in Luigi's posting appear not to be adapters as such, but replacements for the projector's original feed spindle.
But. I could be wrong.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on October 22, 2018, 02:09 PM:

The Eumig Mk 501 did come with an adapter but did not need it and can be used without as it has large vanes that fit into both sorts of spool. The adapter was just a grey sleeve with slots on it.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on October 22, 2018, 02:11 PM:

Yes, Maurice, they replace the spindle, so I was talking about a "substitution". Are useful because make both formats, not only Normal 8.
I don't know if there are real adapters (on the Van Eck website I did not find any), but I think it's impossible, as mentioned, to have a Super 8 ---> Normal 8 adapter without the axis moving forward by a centimeter.

Posted by Simon Wyss (Member # 1569) on October 23, 2018, 02:33 AM:

The industry seeked to prevent that Regular-Eight film was fed into Super-8 projectors and therefore made half-inch diameter spindles on the latter. Regular-Eight projector reel spindles are of 5/16" diameter.

Posted by Edwin van Eck (Member # 4690) on March 12, 2019, 02:38 AM:

Hello all,

We are working on the issue that you can not mix super8 and regular8 reels on most projectors.
We encounter this issue a lot with the films scanners we have. Customers use all kinds of reels to put the films on. And in many cases this require that we need to put the film on reels which fit on the filmscanner before we can digitize these.

Currently we supply for many projectors these reel holders:

https://shop.van-eck.net/PP-0027.html?_globalsearch=pp-0027

These holders can hold most super8 and regular8 reels.

However we encountered that for some metal reels with on one side a round hole, these reels will not fit on this holder.

That's why we are currently testing a new design for the reel holders which can fit all 8mm reels. Also audio reels, metal reels, super8 reels, etc.
The concept is based upon our earlier launched film rewinders: https://shop.van-eck.net/RW-0062.html?_globalsearch=film%20rewinder

You can find more pictures at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NqpvnNHKHJmqKRxy9

We are testing these currently on our film scanners. Also i appreciate any feedback from this community!

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