Are all Elmo GS1200's created equally ?

[Steve Lee]

I owned a Elmo GS1200 xenon back in the 80s and rather stupidly sold it in the mid 90s and have regretted it ever since. Just after Christmas I decided to treat myself to a replacement machine as I had kept all of my super 8 film collection mostly features all stored on 350m reels. Last week I was going to watch a print that I haven't seen since parting with my original machine to find that the reels will not fit on the feed arm of this replacement GS1200 only by 1mm. I understand now that my original GS was a mark 1 and the replacement machine is a mark 3.
Can anyone shed some light on this problem or know if there was any alterations made in this area during the production run of these machines, as it is a mystery to me having clear memories showing this print on my old machine with no problems at all. I guess it is two new reels on my shopping list.
Steve.

[Lee Mannering]

Hello Steve. They look a little like Fumeo spools so may be a little oversize for the Elmo? Only guessing as I don't have a Fumeo.

Have all three of the GS versions here and the Elmo 1200ft spools fit perfectly on all of them if that is any guide as do the plastic blue/black type which I prefer as they are light putting less strain on motors and gears. My MK1 has been a lovely machine since 1983 giving little trouble and the others are also nice units if now a bit heavy carrying out for shows/talks.

My recommendation would be buy a GRASSO plastic 1200ft spool and try it with a genuine Elmo 1200 for the take up which is what I tend to use most of the time. Good luck!

[Paul Browning]

Wittner cinetec do a larger upgrade arms for the elmo, retro fit that will take these fumeo reels, plus all the other makes larger than the 1200ft capacity the elmo is. The fuji reel is a nice quality reel too, but not that common, the elmo 1200ft reel will take some beating, for design, and quality, with the clever auto take up.....

[Maurice Leakey]

I have just been looking at my Fumeo 750 metres spool and the illustrated one above does look like a smaller sized version.
I also have measured a 1200ft Elmo aluminium spool and it's just over 12" in diameter, actually 30.9 cm.
Perhaps Steve can tell us the OD of his spool.

[Steve Lee]

Hello Lee. Many thanks for your advice. I do believe the reels are made by Fumeo, I have managed today to purchase two Grasso reels from Ebay Italy so they should do the job and it doesn't matter if they squeak as the machine is in a projection room.
I do use a genuine Elmo 1200 for the take up as they are such beautifully made reels and is a shame that nobody has been able reproduce them. In the future I might try Van Eck's new 1200ft reels.
Steve

[Mark Norton]

They look like the 1600ft Super spools Derann used to sell, I have a few of these & they fit both my GS1200's. Has the front feed arm position dropped slightly?

[Dominique De Bast]

I'm not sure it's obvious on the pictures but the Fumeo spool is a little bit larger than the Elmo one.

[Maurice Leakey]

Well done, Dominique, for clear proof of the small difference.

[Osi Osgood]

Something Lee mentioned is a good point that I hadn't thought about before. Now, I will be the first to confess that I, like so many others, find the ELMO 1200ft metal reels attractive, (though I prefer 600ft Eumig reels), but something that I hadn't thought of before, is that by using those heavier, metal 1200ft reels, it puts MORE wear and tear on those ELMO GS1200 motors, especially those separate rewind motors, so, though they are less attractive, if one must use a 1200ft reel, it would be best to use plastic ones, especially with the motors in these aging ELMO projectors weakening.

[Steve Klare]

The Elmo 1200 is aluminum and pretty lightweight. It weighs very little compared to a steel reel of a similar size, and you sure can't beat it where it comes to straightness.

What a luxury it would be to have 200s, 300s, 400s, 600s and 800s made the same way! (-although the Elmo plastic 800 is also a great reel.)

[Paul Adsett]

For reels of the same design, aluminum alloy reels will be almost 1/3rd the weight of equivalent steel reels. Plastic reels will be about 1/6 weight of equivalent steel reels. The same factor also approximately applies to rotary inertia and the resulting torque induced on the rewind motors and gears during rewind operations, which induces the maximum and most damaging torque. So yes use a hand rewinder if possible, or stay away from steel reels.
Its also good practice to always use a large rear take up spool, even when running small 200ft reels, as this minimizes the rewind torque.