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Author
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Topic: Elmo ST800 M/O
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Jon Byler
Film Handler
Posts: 45
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
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posted September 17, 2013 07:59 PM
I was wondering if anyone has a manual for this, or the plain old ST800? I just bought one on ebay, and wanted to check it out thoroughly when I get it later in the week or next week. Usually I have found that film projectors are pretty straightforward to use, but there is always the chance of something odd with a machine that is otherwise not obvious.
I've read a lot about elmos scratching films, etc, and was wondering also what I can do to keep this from happening? Some have talked of adding rollers, others have said it has to do with wear on one of the guides. I have an elmo 16CL for my 16mm films that I have been extremely happy with, and hope I can get this projector to work for me just as well as it's 16mm big brother.
This is going to be an upgrade for me from a Chinon sp350 that I bought a few years ago off of ebay, which has had problems from the very beginning. fortunately the seller refunded a big chunk of my money on that one! I'll post about the chinon on another thread at some point, as I'd like to get it working properly at some point too.
Here's hoping the elmo arrives in one piece, and is working properly when it does!
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Jon Byler
Film Handler
Posts: 45
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
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posted September 17, 2013 10:20 PM
thanks for the info steve!
I have a number of electronics projects to tackle, some that I have been putting of for many years. Finally, I'm going to buy some deoxit, and some of the associated preservative products. that will probably help a lot with the switches, etc.
I'm most concerned with the dreaded film scratching, though I have a few prints like woody woodpecker, that I really can't stand (his voice at least), and can use those to test it every so often. Hopefully it's as easy to clean the film guides, etc, as people say. I was hoping to find a way to convert it to manual loading instead of auto loading, but maybe that is just not feasible. I also just got a Bolex 18-5 that I need to go pick up on the weekend, i've read here that they are very gentle on the film and less likely than most projectors to scratch stuff, so once I convert the lamp to something a little more modern on that (assuming that's possible) it may be my go to projector for shorter silent films.
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Jon Byler
Film Handler
Posts: 45
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
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posted September 19, 2013 02:41 PM
Hi Steve,
It turns out I was mistaken thinking it was an M/O machine. Strictly Magnetic. It turned up today in a box with pretty much no padding, but looks to have survived the trip OK. I didn't have time to really look it over yet, but I really like the swing open cover, and the way the lens pivots out of the way to make cleaning the gate a simple operation.
This one came with the user manual, original reel, a spare belt and the dust cover. It came also with a number of someone's family films, and it doesn't look like it was ever used by anyone for much else. I bet all told it's only had 50' of film through it maybe 30-50 times if that. I know my family watched their movies once or twice and pretty much put them away until I discovered them as a kid, and we watched them once or twice more. It really does look pretty much unused. Hoping that this is a trouble free machine!
Please do send me the service manual when you get a chance. from the looks of it, it's pretty straightforward to use and fix, but there's always something some engineer did their own way when designing most products.
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Jon Byler
Film Handler
Posts: 45
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
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posted September 21, 2013 07:34 AM
Thanks for the tip on that switch. There's some stuff called deoxit from caig laboratories that is supposed to solve problems with bad switches and potentiometers, etc. They have a number of products that are supposed to clean and preserve contacts so they sound better. A little pricey, but I've been told they work. I plan on getting some soon. Also they make a solution that is supposed to be good for renewing rubber pinch rollers and cleaning them.
I wiped some armor all on the inside surface of the take up reel last night. And just tried it out this morning, works perfectly. Armorall is basically silicone emulsion of some sort with water as a carrier, not harmful to plastics, and makes things nice and slick. I'm guessing the better solution, though, is to live the film.
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