8mm Forum: Howell & Bell 16 mm Filmosound projector model 641 or 642

This is topic Howell & Bell 16 mm Filmosound projector model 641 or 642 in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Dawn Thomas (Member # 4804) on May 01, 2015, 01:16 PM:

Hi

anyone any ideas on how much one of these are worth today, been told that its worth around £400....its in mint condition and I'm told very easy to thread and use?

ALSO, IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE INTHE WARWICKSHIRE AREA, WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO VISIT ME AT HOME TO SET THIS UP, AS WELL AS AN 8MM SILMA PROJECTOR, WILLING TO PAY! Found these in the loft and would like to view films we have with it, to see if its worth transferring to DVD for the great grand children! I believe these Silmas are worth around £30?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on May 02, 2015, 10:01 AM:

Sorry, Dawn
Around £100 providing the worm is in perfect condition. These two models were introduced in the early 60s.

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on May 02, 2015, 03:50 PM:

Search eBay for them. When search results show up, click on "Sold Only" on the left side of the page. That will show you how much they sold for. It will give you some idea what they are worth.

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on May 03, 2015, 02:24 AM:

Barry's suggestion may not necessarily work with the 641 and the 642 which were introduced in 1962 and are often found by house clearance specialists.

They had a mains lead with a special four pin socket which was only used by Bell & Howell and, more often than not, never seemed to be with their projector, hence eBay ads have the words: "Sold as seen, unable to check the projector working as there is no mains lead."

As I said before, these could be 53-years old and their worm gears may have disintegrated, making the projector virtually worthless, their only value for would be for spares.

To renew a worm could cost upwards of £150, plus the cost of the worm. The 641 worm would be cheaper than the 642 as it is a no-animation version, however you are looking at probably another £50.

Posted by Paul Mason (Member # 4015) on May 03, 2015, 04:38 AM:

You never know what to expect with these projectors.

My latest projector, a 642, bought at the beginning of last year has still got it's original worm. I bought it locally through Ebay and its previous owner had had it a long time. It ran well but had a various minor troubles so I had it serviced for about £80 including a conversion to a modern kettle socket.

My 8D644, mid 1960s, bought through Ebay 4 years ago, also ran but sounded rough. The worm gear was cracked but still operative. I had it replaced and the projector lubricated for £160 at the time.

I've also had TQ1 models through my hands. A 658, 644Q and a 655 and others. Nearly all had cracked or disintegrated worm gears but some did run but all needed a service. The auto threading models tended not to thread reliably so I would prefer the manual versions like the 642 for long-term use.

Posted by David Guest (Member # 2791) on May 06, 2015, 10:33 AM:

I have a mint 644 the best one manual thread optical and magnetic playback and record for sale

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