Minette M-2 8mm viewer issue

[Spencer Worthley]

Hey all,

I'm new to the forum and new to using film, though I have a background in analog photography and work as a (digital) filmmaker, so it's not entirely foreign to me.

I recently bought an old Minette M-2 viewer for 8mm film (I have the Minette S-5 for Super8 and love it). Upon trying to run some film through it, I've noticed that the film isn't sitting right as it runs over the rollers and through the plate.

The issue is: if the film is rolling over the left wheel as it should (through the middle), then the film shifts forward and comes off of the gear along the sprockets; if the film is running as it should over the sprocket and out the right wheel, then the film has come forward on the left wheel and the film is running along the edge of the wheel. I know that sounds like a riddle, so images follow to illustrate the issue:







I admit it's a little less intuitive than the Minette S-5 (loading the film is a bit comical in comparison), so hopefully I'm just committing some sort of newbie error. I've tried loosening and tightening what parts I can to see if that makes any difference and it hasn't helped. Do you reckon the arm is somewhat bent and that's the issue?

Any thoughts or advice are welcome, and thanks in advance. Happy to be here!

-Spencer

p.s. If anyone has any advice for removing a stuck light-bulb from the holder, I'm a bit stuck (literally) there, too.

[Joseph Banfield]

Are you sure it's threaded properly? It looks very different than what I'm used to seeing.

[Tom Dennis]

I am with Joseph on this one. Threading as per picture will allow the film to scroll through. Normaly some tension around the gate is needed and I am inclined to thread the film over the top roller then down round the bottom roller and similarly onto take up spool.

Try electrical contact cleaner on the bulb, spray and jiggle the bulb, this is probably a bayonet type. Failing that sacrifice the bulb [they are cheap and easily obtainable] and remove using snipe nose pliers, bit messy but works.

Also see if removing the back cover gives better bulb access, some editors do not have bayonet bulb holders but use a straight push pull friction holder, these are generally best pushed out from back.


Hpe you are not tackling the problem with your adjustable [as per pic.] or is this the last resort ?

Regards

[Spencer Worthley]

I threaded it as the manual instructed (attached), which is similar to how the Minette S-5 threads, and that hasn't given me any trouble.

I see what you both are saying about threading it for more tension, but unfortunately the two top rollers are positioned so that I can't utilize them to build more tension—like on a projector. They're solely there for use rewinding. I did try changing around the position/order of the film along the bottom two rollers to see if that helped. It maybe ran for a few seconds longer, but it always ultimately jumps off the gear and shifts a bit forward.

I got the bulb out, in good news. And yeah, Tom, the adjustable is just the last resort in case it all becomes too frustrating—ha!

[David Roberts]

The minette was one of the few editors with a proper film gate which springs shut with a positive action.It looks from your pictures that the film is not flat in the gate,so has the spring worn I wonder?

[Spencer Worthley]

Well shoot! Keen observation about the gate, David. I've never been able to flip the gate up and have it stay up, like it does on the Minette viewer that I have for Super8, which is built near-identically. So after reading your thought, I took it apart a bit to see if there were springs I could examine and realized that someone had flipped the condenser around——it was on upside-down and preventing the gate from fully opening and the film being able to settle properly onto the gear.

Success! It works! I can't thank you all enough for your thoughts and insight. So utterly grateful.

[David Roberts]

Well done,am so pleased.
Its what this forum does best!