16mm rewinds

[Daniel Macarone]

Hi, Anyone here ever use these kinds of rewinds that only have a hand crank on one side? Was this done to save money on handles? I'm thinking of buying a pair. They're from Ukraine. Photo attached.

[Dominique De Bast]

I have another model of 9 5 rewinders that has also only one handle. I see no good reason for that.

[Juergen Kellermann]

It is quite common for 35mm. I have seen rewinds like this in several old theatres.

If you just want to rewind, you only need one handle, as long as there is a resistance/break in the idle arm - so the reel does not spin too fast. I see that this Ukrainian one has a spring tensioned idler arm.

If you want to examine prints in detail, then two handles are necessary, so you can go back and forth.

[Martin Davey]

Most pairs come like that. The one with the handle is more complicated than can be seen, because its also geared, and is probably more expensive to make. The one without a handle is designed to apply tension on the film during rewind, so it does a different job in the pair.
I use a rewinders for all my films (std8, super 8, 16mm).

[Chip Gelmini]

On Ebay look for Neumade rewind cranks. The better ones will have cranks on both sides. They're not always clamp based and normally must be permanently drilled and mounted through a wood top bench

[Juergen Kellermann]

Another thing to check, is if the handle turns the same way as the spindle, or the opposite way. In the first case, there two gears are connected with a chain, in the second case there are only two gears (a larger and a smaller one). - Personally, I prefer the first case.

In addition, good quality rewinds also have a counter weight at the handle, which makes them run smoother.

The type of attachment at the spindle can also be different. You can have a square (like the ones you showed), or a key (similar to 35mm rewinds). Editing rewinds came with a clamp that holds the reels. Some other use screws to tighten the reel.

Here in Australia, Easton rewinds was the best brand. They are chain-driven and came in different sizes, for 35mm, 16mm, and I have even see Super-8 ones. They pop-up on eBay from time to time and are usually not to expensive.

The image below is from another eBay listing, but seems to be the same type of rewinds. I think the brand is the Russian Lomo. They have only two gears, i.e. the handle turns the opposite way to the spindle.

[Daniel Macarone]

Thanks, everyone.

[Chip Gelmini]

In the movie theater projection rooms the left side without the crank was normally referred to as the "dummy end"

There was also a motor pulley and belt on the right side, and basically it only went from left to right driven by a motor

If you had one of these kits and you had to go a few feet back, you basically turned the reel on the left side by hand

later on when they introduced cranks on both sides, it made it a lot easier to go back-and-forth when you had to do it