8mm Forum: Keystone Super 8 k-520

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Topic: Keystone Super 8 k-520

Bruce Newton
Junior
Posts: 3
From: Titus, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2016

posted June 08, 2016 10:01 AM

Hello Gentlmen. My name is Bruce Newton but most call me Newt. I have come to this forum to seek out answers to questions I have about a projector I recently purchased. As the title of this thread states, it's a Keystone Super 8 K-520. I was told that it works but after getting it home, I found out different.

The lamp still works and the motor still turns. What seems to be the issue is with the belts that appear to be dry rotted after sitting for a while. There seems to be a felt piece that makes the part that turns the upper reel turn and it has eroded away.

Unfortunately I have no pictorial diagrams or user manuals for this projector so I am going in blind in trying to restore it. This is why I come here. Any information that you gentlemen could part with in assisting me in restoring this machine will be greatly appreciated.

I am an Industrial Maintenance Tech and am very mechanically inclined. Thank you for your time.

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted June 09, 2016 02:03 AM

Hi Bruce.. Welcome to the forum! I'm not gender-wise one of the gentlemen on the forum. I'm sometimes referred to as the resident Bond Girl [Smile]

I hope this doesn't disqualify me from responding to you projector issue [Smile]

. I have a Keystone K-560. It is a dual format projector...but these 500 series models are all very similar in design. Mine had the same issues as yours. Since it was such a low-end projector... I decided not to repair mine ... the cost was more than the projector was worth.

However, if you want to proceed here are the links to the parts you'll probably need:

Belts
http://www.ebay .com/itm/KEYSTONE-K-520-25-30-550-560-M-K-Dual-8-Keystone-Projector-Belts-3-Belt-set-/252375062118?hash=item3ac2b9d666:m:mF9Ok769_4TLWjpaHh_yKqQ

Rubber tires
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KEY STONE-K-519-K-520-K-525-K-530-2-Rubber-Belt-Tires-Keystone-Tire-Kit-/251941330102?hash=item3aa8df9cb6:g:gBcAAMXQTT9R0Iv~

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

--------------------
Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Bruce Newton
Junior
Posts: 3
From: Titus, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2016

posted June 09, 2016 07:41 AM

Thank you Janice for your reply & you certainly do qualify to respond. The pic you shared looks exactly like what I got and I appreciate the links for the parts I will need to repair this unit provided I continue to go this route.

Mine looks alot worse for wear the the one you pictured so it might not be worth my time & effort in restoring it. What do you mean by duel purpose?

My issue is I have a bunch of 8mm reels of old family footage and would like to be able to view them. What Avenue should I take? Should I look into getting another one? Should I look into converting them into digital format? So many questions. I appreciate your reply very much.

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted June 09, 2016 10:30 AM

Welcome Newt! Dual format means that it can play super 8 and regular 8mm film.

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted June 09, 2016 01:00 PM

I recommend that you do get them transferred to digital...but also keep the original film for projection. In this case I would look for another projector. Are your films all Super 8mm or are some Standard 8mm?...and are they sound or silent? A good way to view what is on the reels is to first buy a Viewer/Editor. These are also handy for editing out bad parts of the films and possibly combing small 50 foot reels onto 400ft reels. This can save you money in reducing transfer cost and make the final digital format more enjoyable. Once you have the films transferred you can pick up a working projector to watch the original films as they were intended.

--------------------
Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Tom Spielman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 339
From: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Registered: Apr 2016

posted June 09, 2016 01:30 PM

Hi Newt. I came to this forum for similar reasons. I needed some belts to get an old projector working and the folks here were very helpful.

You can take your films to Costco and a bunch of other places and pay about 10 cents a foot to have them converted to a digital format. That price gets you a basic transfer of SD quality. Other places will clean the film, mend bad sprocket holes/splices, and attempt to improve the image qualify in various ways. That will cost you more. Then finally, there's the option for an HD quality scan that bumps the price still higher. Depending on how much film you have and how much you're willing to spend, that may be the way you want to go.

A typical 8mm reel of home movies is 50ft to give you an idea.

In my experience, a regular 8mm projector can be purchased for much less than an equivalent quality dual format projector. Super 8 film is more common and demand for projectors that can project it is higher. Those projectors tend to be newer as well.

I guess what I'm saying is that if your family's movies are standard 8mm and not super 8, you might easily be able to get another projector for less than what it would cost to fix this one. If you have a reel of 8mm film that maybe you've already had transferred or otherwise isn't that important to you, you could look for a projector on craigslist and try it in the projector before buying it.

If you want to fix this one just because you enjoy doing that type of thing, you might be able to use O-rings to replace the belts for less than what it would cost you to buy the belts on eBay. Some hardware stores have O-rings that are large enough but it's pretty hit and miss. Amazon is another source of O-rings. There's a good chance you'll be able to find the size you need. You typically need to purchase a pack and prices vary but can be pretty reasonable if you only need 1 out of a pack of 10.

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Bruce Newton
Junior
Posts: 3
From: Titus, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2016

posted June 10, 2016 08:06 PM

Sorry for the late reply all but RW issues keep me busy sometimes. Would like to thank everyone for their replies. They are very informative. I do have an ample supply of O-Rings at work and I think it would be fun to bring this device back to life. I still mey go down the road of having them transfered into digital format for the simple reason that other family members might want to enjoy these frames.

After searchinf briefly for information on this projector, I found several prospects for them at ebay. Being new to this 8mm world, how good are the items purchased from there? Should I stay Away From ebay?

One last thing, the center hole on all of the reels I have is a small on. The pin used to hold these reels on this project is a Large one. Can this pin be replaced with a smaller one, or is there an adapter I can get?

Thanks for any and all replies.

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009

posted June 10, 2016 08:48 PM

It is a crap shoot on Ebay. You need to ask if the projector has been tested with film. Most sellers say the projector works but that can mean they have turned the projector on and they hear the motor run. If they say it has not been tested with film, ask them if the spindles and sprockets turn as they should in forward and reverse. Many of the projectors sold there are not by the original owners. They get them cheap at sales and then try to sell them for a profit. They do not know the history of the projector. You have regular (standard) 8mm film. You need a regular 8 projector or a dual 8 that will play both. Super 8 has the larger holes in the reels. You also need a projctor that has a reostat to control the speed of the projector so you can match it to the speed of ypur digital camara that you will use for conversion.

[ June 11, 2016, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: Barry Fritz ]

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted June 11, 2016 12:11 AM

Bruce...from what you've written it doesn't sound like you are looking at transferring your films to digital yourself... so variable speed would not be a requirement. However, from your description it appears your films are Standard 8mm...not Super 8mm. Not only does Standard 8mm have a smaller hole in the reel...but the spocket holes are bigger and spaced differently. Hence you can not run Std. 8mm film on a Super 8 projector and they won't run on your K-520. You will need a Std. 8 or a Dual 8mm model.

Buying off Ebay can be a crap-shoot. If you can find a suitable projector that has been serviced and tested you might pay more...but you can be more assured that it will work when you receive it. Most of these projector are 40+ years old so there will probably be something wrong with them...you just don't know to what extent. Hopefully...just new belts...a lamp...and maybe some cleaning and lubrication.

If you find something on Ebay you could post the link here if you want a second opinion from the members [Smile]

... and don't hesitate to ask the seller questions.

There's Craig's list too. At least you can bring a roll of film with you and test the projector before you buy it.

--------------------
Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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