8mm Forum: What's your preferred splicer?

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Posted by Stuart Reid (Member # 1460) on April 17, 2016, 09:22 AM:

When I was a 16mm collector, as far as I was concerned the only splicer worth a light was a CIR, it worked beautifully simply, and spares were available. Plus, it was built like a tank. Now I'm back on a smaller gauge I once again kitted myself out with a CIR, and managed to get the cast metal version for a good price. Boy, I wish I hadn't bothered! Everything that's good about the 16mm version is just painful with this one. It's too fiddly, the tape keeps sticking back on the roll or beneath the splicer, and it's just a bit flimsy feeling. On the other hand, I also picked up an Agfa F8S which just works beautifully. A simple, elegant mechanism with the minimum of fuss - as long as you've got splicing tapes! So, I'm curious, what splicers do you guys swear by (and at)?

Posted by Evan Samaras (Member # 5070) on April 17, 2016, 09:56 AM:

I'm still new to the hobby but I have been using a Kodak universal press tape splicer for both 8mm and 16mm films. Has worked well for me so far! I assume those press tape might become pricey after a while vs the tape rolls I can pick up for another 16mm splicer, but is there a difference between the quality of the splice?

Posted by Paul Browning (Member # 2715) on April 17, 2016, 10:19 AM:

You can't go wrong with the Agfa, simple to use and clever in operation. The Cir is suppose to be the best one, very well made but a lot less metal to give it that true "quality " feel. These still fetch a very high price on ebay especially complete. I have both, but I use the Agfa more, and a bic pen top turned upside down to smooth out the tape when complete, just to be sure.

Posted by James Wilson (Member # 4620) on April 17, 2016, 10:37 AM:

Cement every time.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 17, 2016, 11:35 AM:

CIR splicers for 16mm, Super 8, and 9.5mm.
The last two are a bit "cheap" compared with the elegant 16mm, but that's life.

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on April 17, 2016, 11:46 AM:

I've been using a Ciro "wrap around" tape splicer since the 70s. This is the heavier metal version. There's also a plastic one that's less expensive ...

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on April 17, 2016, 01:31 PM:

Me too, Joe... except I only use the metal "bench" (under the long black arm in your photo) to hold the film before applying Jessops own brand splicing tape cut down,by me,from 4 frames to 2 frames and it does the trick beautifully.

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on April 18, 2016, 11:27 PM:

The Bolex Beveled 8mm splicer makes the best cement splice.

Bolex Collector

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on April 19, 2016, 12:38 PM:

This is just a personal view, but I can't understand why people use cement splices when the tape version does a fantastic job. I once,believing I was going up a notch, invested in a cement splicer and liquid.All that grinding down,messy liquid.... mess full stop! For what? A hard crusty join. No way..... back to tape I went.No doubt I was doing something wrong, but I find that by cutting the four frame splices into two,still gives a very strong join which is barely noticeable as it runs through the projector gate.
( Okay,Melvin,you have said your piece...prepare to be shot down.....)!!

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on April 19, 2016, 01:08 PM:

A beveled cement splice is as close as you will ever come to a single piece of film. Back when Nick Maltezos striped film he wouldn't stripe film spliced any other way.

I did a scene in a film one time where I panned behind a tree in the dead of winter in black and white, came back at the height of spring and panned beyond the tree in color. For this to work right the splice in between had to be as invisible and silent as possible: I very carefully did a Bolex beveled splice and it catches the audience by surprise every time!

I used to do overlapped cement: though the gate it's too much like driving a car over a speed bump.

I'd definitely go tape before that.

-then again if it's polyester film, it's not even a choice!

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on April 19, 2016, 01:16 PM:

For me it has to be the CIR. Not only can you splice without losing a frame, but also make repairs to damaged sprocket holes and other film damage.

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on April 20, 2016, 02:40 AM:

Mine is the exact same type of splicer that Joe displays above.
I switched to this type recently from a F8S Automatic splicer.

Both are brilliant in use, but the CIR with "Jackro" official tape, ensures by far the strongest tape splices that are available nowadays.

Posted by Rob Koeling (Member # 35) on April 20, 2016, 03:34 AM:

Fujica splicer for me:

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on April 20, 2016, 08:26 AM:

For Super 8, of those I've tried, I don't think you can beat a Wurker. I once obtained a like new CIR that was the plastic type, but I thought it was terrible - I immediately parted with it.

Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on April 20, 2016, 11:54 AM:

Another thumbs up for the Fujica Splicer. I have used one since 1997 and unit is very good.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on April 20, 2016, 12:11 PM:

My favorite is a "Revue" splicer, which gives perfect "cuts" every-time.

My second choice is a "Hervic" splicer (which I'm lucky enuf to still have quite a lot of splicing tape for!) ...

...and lastly, a fairly old school "Tower" "Quick Splice",
which is good not just for standard 8mm, but was also designed to handle the double sprocket 16MM, (the early home movie 16MM which had sprockets on both sides, for those who don't know about the earlier gauge differences).

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on April 20, 2016, 06:55 PM:

Where do you get tape for the Fujica splicer?

Posted by Rob Koeling (Member # 35) on April 21, 2016, 03:01 AM:

Johan Kalee from Parallaxe in Amsterdam has it in stock:

http://www.parallaxe.nl/nl/fujica.html

There are contact details on the website. The site is in Dutch, but he is fine with questions in English.

- Rob

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on April 21, 2016, 11:22 AM:

Rob ...

It appears that you're splicer is the same exact design as mine, with just a different name plate to it. That makes sense, sell a good splicer but put you're own name on it. It's a beauty!

Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on April 21, 2016, 12:47 PM:

Steve Osborne from the Reel Image has the fujica tapes. Also Retro 8.

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on April 21, 2016, 06:37 PM:

Thank you.

Posted by Rob Koeling (Member # 35) on April 22, 2016, 04:41 AM:

Osi, maybe you're [a] splicer, I'm not....

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on April 22, 2016, 11:24 AM:

Huh? [Confused]

note: dim-witted expression on OSI, who's bald pate slightly resembles the "Graemlins"!

Posted by Steven J Kirk (Member # 1135) on April 22, 2016, 12:35 PM:

You are not your splicer, Osi, you're a free man...

I have the CIR 'amateur' splicers for Super 8 and 16 BUT do half 'by hand' splices using the bed of the splicer to cut the film and re-punch the perfs but I trim off the tape with scissors and cut thinner tape to cover less film. Yes, it takes ages.

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