Eumig P8 problems

[Rene Pollak]

Help. I bought a nice looking P8 off Ebay. I wanted to view my recently deceased fathers old 8 mm films. They are on large reels and go back more than half a century. The P8 sprocket drives function, but they consistently grab at that film, making the frames stutter and chatter. Things get much better if the feed spool is given a continuous hand to unwind the film. However its impossible to view the film and view how much slack one has created. Too much of the latter could cause all sorts of problems. So my question is, does anyone know how to resolve this incorrect film feed. I would really appreciate help to bring both my mum and dad, euphemistically back to life.

[Brian Fretwell]

I would start by lubricating the film old films can dry out and cause problems like this. Cresclean can be bought from Classic Home Cinema. Some of my films projected much more smoothly when treated with this.

[Paul Adsett]

May have something to do with the fact that the Eumig p8 requires the film feed off from the left side of the spool when facing the projector, not the normal right side used by every other machine. Try rewinding the films so that the film feeds off from the left side of the reel, still of course with the perforations facing outward from the machine as normal.

[Nick Regan]

There were a few versions of the P8. If you opened the back of the early ones there were some small holes that were edged with a red mark, dotted around the mech spindles etc, these were for lubrication during maintenance, A drop of 3 in one oil in these holes and let the unit run for a couple minuets may ease the flow so to speak.

Which model of P8 do you have? The Imperial/Imperial M/ Automatic/Phonomatic/Dual/P8? (It should say on the plate.)

Nick

[Maurice Leakey]

I would start by lubricating the film old films can dry out and cause problems like this.

I am not sure if I agree with Brian's comment, although I do agree with Nick's suggestion that oiling the various points is a good idea. These Eumig P8s are getting old and their lubrication can dry out.

I also don't think that the tension of the front spool is governed by its either clockwise rotation as is the usual standard 8 way, or with Eumig's idea of the spool rotating anti-clockwise, but it could be tried, but it would require re-spooling.


Maurice

[Erik Snel]

usually, when the projector has sprockets like a p8 does. tension from the front axle is not that important. the metal belts from the p8 should slip and there are versions with hand cranked rewind to the have no resistance from the front axle because they are not at all atached to the drive mechanism. these are also the ones that have lubrication points.