Keystone Zoom 2500 Projector HELP!! Please

[Joshua Andrews]

Hello, I recently acquired two dual 8 projectors from a local thrift shop. The 1st is a GAF 2388Z.
I was able to screen two films I had on hand with this projector and the only issue is a belt with cracks.

However, the Keystone I was not so lucky with.
Keystone Zoom 2500. I cannot for the life of me get the film to thread. Please allow me to explain some context.

As seen in the photo where I pointed with the pencil. The film jams up here. It pulls the film in and goes for about 10 seconds then it makes a bad noise and the film jams up.

The mystery to me is when I took the front cover off I was able to get the film to go through and feed out the opposite end onto the take up reel.

I put the cover back on and it jammed up again.
lastly when the cover was off and the film actually threaded through I could only see flickering light no frames were being projected.
please let me know if this sounds like a lost cause.

I would be content with the GAF 2388Z but I'm afraid the lamp is going to burn out any day so I'm scared to watch anything else with it.

Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this matter.

Josh

[Janice Glesser]

Hi Josh and welcome to the Forum. When you got it to thread with the cover off... were you feeding the film through the gate by hand or did it auto-thread. It could be a claw problem. If the claw is broken or not protruding correctly the film feed can stop...jam...or just pull the film through the gate not stopping at each frame.

Check to see the condition of the claw. It could be broken...covered by a dust bunny... or just not protruding enough to pull-down film frame. You probably will have to remove the front and back cover to manually cycle the claw on this model. With the back cover removed... you can turn the shutter by hand and observe the claw in the gate ... you might need a flashlight.

See if you can detect any claw irregularities and report back.

[Joshua Andrews]

Thank you Janice. I will take the back cover off today and do some more inspecting.

Additionally can you please clarify what the loop former button does? I really just am entering into this hobby and the other projector does not have that feature so I'm confused by it.

I worked in the CVS film lab when they still processed 35mm so that is really my only base knowledge of handling and working with film.

[Janice Glesser]

Joshua Andrews First off I have a couple of manuals for you. I will PM you the links to download. The Keystone 2500 Zoom and the Generic GAF Dual 8 manuals. These may answer some of your questions.

The Keystone 2500 and others like it are not high-end projectors...but can be very serviceable if maintained properly. This projector design is notorious for losing the upper loop when threading and also during projection. The loop former button is designed to restore the (required) upper loop if it is lost. I don't have this projector anymore...but I remember having to press the loop restorer after the film threaded.

Here is a video I made. You can see me loading the film and pressing the loop former button (around the 1:16 time position). If I didn't press the button the film would just jump in the gate.

[Adrian Winchester]

Very nice video - if only people could still buy these new, I'm sure it would boost sales! I was surprised to see the 50w 'spaceman' bulb in a comparatively modern-looking projector.

[Joshua Andrews]

Janice Glesser thanks again!! I see what you mean now about the loop former button. great video!!

[Joshua Andrews]

Janice Glesser here are some pictures I took. Since my eye is untrained maybe you might notice something that looks off.

[John MacMillan]

I got one of these from a big thrift store pretty cheap, and it works fairly well! One thing I don't like is something I was able to do on another projector doesn't seem to work on this one: I borrowed a Eumig 607d I think it was, playing regular 8mm film on the super8 setting to open the gate up wider to show the image between the sprocket holes. My Keystone2500 doesn't seem to want to play regular 8mm film at the super8 setting. The gate switches over to widen the picture, but the claws stop grabbing the film, letting it slip through more freely without stopping frames... Super8 film also didn't want to play right at the regular 8mm setting, but I didn't have any suer8 film when I used that Eumig to know what it would do...

Does anyone know if there's a way to open up my gate so I can see the full images on my regular 8mm films on my Keystone 2500, while making the film do it's proper individual image flashes instead of the slipstream blur I get when I try it? Plays great with the cropped images but I know there's more that's getting lost.

Does pretty good video transfers with this thing, if you ride the frame rate adjustment. I found it tends to drift frame rates and start coming out of synch with video framerate and start to pulse brightness...