8mm Forum: The reel value of things...

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Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 01, 2015, 02:22 PM:

There was this customs agent standing at the border. Every day a man walked across the border pushing a wheelbarrow full of sand. The agent poked into the sand to see what was buried in it, he sent it out for analysis and all it showed was "sand". He became frustrated and dumped the wheelbarrow out and sifted for contraband.

-yet day after day he found nothing and had to let the man go.

A few months later he stopped at a bar for a drink and there the man was. He said "Listen, I know you were smuggling something, now that it doesn't matter anymore can you tell me what it was?"

-the man looked up from his drink and said "Wheelbarrows".

I just won 5 reels of films about model airplanes for 10 bucks plus five to ship. I like model airplanes plenty and I hope the films are nice, but what makes the deal for me are the five Gepe 300 foot reels (normally $15-$20 each) I'll wind up with!

The Gepe 300 Footer is a work of Genius! The world is full of ten minute sound films that fill a 200 footer right to the hairy edge and if rewind comes in just a little too loose you wind up de-rewinding and standing there re-rewinding with drag on the take-up reel to make it fit.

The 300 footer is like putting on the next sized larger pants when you've put on a few pounds: suddenly everything fits comfortably without all the stress and struggle!

(Sure, you could go to the gym, but you aint gonna whack the last minute off a film!)

This will release several of these films in my collection from the "rather not project" list!

Posted by Janice Glesser (Member # 2758) on November 01, 2015, 03:01 PM:

Getting a good deal in this hobby is all about timing...and yours was perfect Steve [Smile]

The films are a great buy and the rest makes it even sweeter. I use to fly the little bit bigger planes and take my word for it...those little models are much safer.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 01, 2015, 03:09 PM:

You never cease to amaze, Janice!

Can you tell us what you were transporting?

(Was it wheelbarrows? )

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on November 01, 2015, 03:10 PM:

Aviation Films from Blackhawk are very much sought-after

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 01, 2015, 03:14 PM:

Hi Shorty,

Don't know what these are: my guess is home movies.

We shall see!

(I found some 50 foot boxes and it is on the docket to send them your way. The docket is well..."docketed!", as always!)

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on November 01, 2015, 03:27 PM:

Steve, i love those 300 foot spools to, ive only ever had the one but it was quite badly chipped all on its edge so i sold it but they are almost impossible to find. It's a perfect size.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 01, 2015, 05:17 PM:

Tom,

As far as I know Gepe is still making them, but they do seem fewer and farther in between. There is this immense camera shop in Manhattan that used to sell the entire Gepe range (200-800 Feet) in single piece quantities. The 300 footer was like ten or twelve dollars and a few times I bought maybe five and gradually used them up.

-lately they are at $19.95, special order, minimum thirty at a shot!

All due respect, but I've never spent that much on a projector! (-and I don't NEED thirty of these reels!)

So a buy like this helps keep the budget within the bounds of sanity.

Moment Catcher has them for $15.50 in single piece buys: that's more like it!

Gepe 300 Footer

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on November 02, 2015, 01:59 AM:

Steve

Last week I was doing a little research on model engines and to my surprise, came across this photo on the internet of a little "Bantam" glow plug engine. I bought one of those back in the 1960s, not for an airplane but for a shallow flat bottom boat. It went across the pond like a little rocket, until it got to the other side [Roll Eyes]

The only thing with those aero engines, you really had to be careful where you put your fingers when starting them [Eek!]

Ah memories.. [Smile]

Posted by Mathew James (Member # 4581) on November 02, 2015, 08:22 AM:

Hey Graham,
When we moved into our old childhood house when I was 5 years old...the people left very few things behind, and one was a big model type boat with this EXACT engine beside it, but with yellow props.
My brother and i played with it for years, turning the prop to make that airintake/exhale sound each time it turned.....
Great memories here with that thing!!!! I wish we still had it, i would rebuild what i could..but sadly it disappeared with most other toys i had..probably given to neighborhood kids and we grew on...
Cheers,
Matt

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on November 02, 2015, 08:27 AM:

I have a friend at work who is very, very into model aircraft. (He's single and just bought a house: I'd love to see what it looks like in five years!)

These days the aircraft are mostly battery powered. He said he's had a few glow-plug aircraft but the electric powered ones mean they get a lot more time in the air and a lot less time on the ground fiddling with engines.

I'm too much a gearhead to go this way: I have a couple of miniature steam engines. They don't do particularly more than stink up the house, but I enjoy the process! (My wife is a Saint! I fixed the dishwasher last month, but that does come with a cost!)

I think one of the options for this film is I might just give it to him. If he gets more out of it than I do, why not? Besides: a guy with a houseful of spare rooms really should collect films!

We'll have to figure that out after it shows up.

[ November 02, 2015, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: Steve Klare ]

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on November 03, 2015, 12:50 PM:

It's all about demand ...

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