9.5mm film on a 1600ft 16mm spool

[John Halfacre]

Hi folks

I have recently acquired 2 9.5mm films - each is approx 1600ft of film and the films are on 16mm 1600 ft spools - which to me seems very odd !

Has anyone come across this method of storing 9.5mm film ?
Is it possible that the 16mm spool has been used because the owner has spliced together shorter reels of 9.5mm and did not have a reel large enough ?
What is the best way of getting the film off the 16mm spool, maybe spli back onto 400 or 800ft reels (I do not have a 9.5mm projector btw)

I am quite keen to make the 2 films available to our 9.5mm friends. The films are :

The Blue Light
Q Ships

Any help gratefully received

John

[Maurice Leakey]

John

Are you sure they are 16mm spools? There are converted 16mm 1600ft spools with 9.5mm centres and locating holes. They would have been used on a Buckingham conversion.

"The Blue Light" and "Q Ships" were originally supplied on four 300ft spools.

If you haven't got a 9.5mm projector you may have to rig up something to help the film transfers.


Maurice

[John Halfacre]

Thanks Maurice. I attach a pic of one of the spools for your advice

The 4 x 300 makes sense as looking again at the spools they are quite loose wound and not completely full so 1200ft is about right

[Maurice Leakey]

John
Yes. Definitely a 16mm 1600ft Cyldon spool.
Many (many) years ago as a lad I used 9.5mm so I made a rewinder with a wooden board and put two 5mm bolts through at an appropriate spacing, It was used horizontally and I turned the spools by hand. The bolts were anchored with nuts so the spools could turn easily.
I'm talking about the late nineteen forties.


Maurice

[John Halfacre]

Thanks again Maurice. Your ingenuity back in the day is well outside my skill set ! I will pop the films on Ebay this weekend with a low start and see if anyone fancies the challenge

[Maurice Leakey]

John
These two films are well known with most 9.5mm collectors. I, for instance, have both films.
But, perhaps a few eBayers don't have copies; so I wish you well with your sale.


Maurice

[John Halfacre]

Thanks. Ive started each at £9.99 (roughly the value of the 1600ft cyldon spool ?) so will see how they go - hopefully to get a new life with someone who doesnt have them already

Thanks again for your advice and help

John

[Terry Sills]

John
I see that you have already ascertained that Q Ships has a sound track so that will definitely sell and from looking at the reel, it seems that it has been adapted for 9.5 spindles.

[Maurice Leakey]

What appears to be the four locating holes used with 9.5mm spools are, in fact, the rivets which hold it all together.
Regarding "Q Ships" the silent version is a 4 reeler, whereas the sound version is a 6 reeler. (300ft per reel)
"The Blue Light" is a mute version of an original sound film.


Maurice

[Lee Mannering]

I usually split Tuscan 16mm spools to make 1600ft which are handy for 9.5 abridged films.

Q Ships is the most awful sound films to make 9.5 but its one of those that's so bad you love it or some loath it. I'm a bit of a fan also lifting the sound track for my Super 8 sound striped Pathescope print. Sold my 9.5 sound film as it started to pong.

[Terry Sills]

Maurice
I understand what you mean about the photo of the reel that John has supplied in this thread, but if you look at the photo of the reel in the listing of Q Ships you can clearly see that the reel has been adapted for 9.5 spindles. I wonder however if both sides of the reel have been converted? So maybe the other side of the Blue Light reel has also been converted.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Q-SHIPS-1...QAAOSwQ1dfJAMf

[Maurice Leakey]

Terry
I agree with your comment.
I had not seen the eBay item.
I, of course, was referring to the photograph John posted on the 31st July.


Maurice

[Dominique De Bast]

John, you also listed a standard 8 home movie film entitled "Belgian Congo c 1965". Just for information, the Belgian Congo ended in 1960 (it then became Congo, with a break between 1971 and 1997 when the country took the name Zaïre). There is a good chance your film was shot a several years earlier than what you believed.

[John Halfacre]

Good spot Dominique !! I didnt look up when the country changed its name. I will have to look for a few more clues as there are 8 reels of this guys travels round africa all shot at the same time

[Ken Finch]

It does appear that one of the spools has been adapted for 9.5mm spool arm spindles, but a modified 9.5mm projector with extra long spool arms or a converted 16mm machine would be required. The maximum spool capacity of most 9.5mm projectors was 900/ 1,000ft. Exceptions being the multi gauge ones e.g. The Heurtier tri gauge model. Incidentally, "Q" ships was one of the very first sound films produced. Hence the stilted dialogue and sound quality. Like "Blackmail" it was realeased in both sound and silent versions. Ken Finch.