Information about Wollensak P18

[James Neph]

I recently started working on a Wollensak P18. Everything runs well, but I’m curious to know more about it. The funny thing is, I can not find ANY information about it online! I’m most interested in the approximate year of manufacture, but any knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

[Shane C. Collins]

Cool looking projector you have there! I never realized Wollensak had projectors made for them? When I think of Wollensak, reel to reel recorders come to mind. I do know they made many 8mm cameras during the 50's. So I guess projectors would make sense.

[Paul Adsett]

Looks a lot like the Revere's. That crinkle brown paint finish seems to be ubiquitous for just about every projectors of that period, at least those made in the USA. and all the designs look like knock offs of the superior Bell & Howell's.

[Ed Gordon]

Revere bought Wollensak:

In November of 1952, Revere purchased the nearby Atwell Building – also designed by Alfred S. Alschuler[3] – at 221 E. Cullerton St., Chicago, Illinois – and operated machinery on four of the building's eight floors.[4] In the 1950s, the company was the second largest manufacturer of small movie cameras in the United States. In order to grow that business further the company took over their primary lens and shutter supplier, New Jersey-based Wollensak Optical Co. The Revere brand name had become synonymous with budget cameras; soon after the take-over Wollensak models appeared that were mechanically almost-identical to the standard Revere models but had better lenses, more stylish casing, and sold for a premium price.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revere_Camera_Company

The Revere Camera Company never fully escaped the shadow of its Chicago rival Bell & Howell, and as a result, its role in the early home movie industry has largely been forgotten. For a brief period of time, however, this upstart firm—launched by former radiator repairman Samuel Briskin in 1939—became America's preferred producer of budget-priced 8mm movie equipment, including the Model 88 camera and Model 85 projector in our museum collection.

Link: https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/...vere-camera-co

[Paul Adsett]

Ed, thanks so much for posting that great read about the Revere Company in Chicago. Had no idea that there was such a colorful history behind this Company. On the same web page you can also find the grand history of Bell & Howell, an Iconic American movie Company who's name is so sadly now relegated to cheap Chinese flashlight's ( 2 for $19,95 if you call within the next 10 minutes) on TV.

[Rodrigo Lueje]

I am sending you a link with information. The model P-18 I think it is from 1954.

[Rodrigo Lueje]

https://alphaxbetax.com/wp-content/u...rs-catalog.pdf

[Thomas Dafnides]

My first 8mm camera was a second hand Revere , I believe it was manufactured around 1958. The camera produced images comparable to the Bolex P1 and still functions perfectly, to this day..the construction is rock solid. Revere also made much of the 8mm equipment sold by Sears under the Tower brand.

[Simon Wyss]

The 1954 Wollensak P-18 is the continuation of the Revere P-90 which appeared in 1949. You have the light-dark ratio of around 1.25:1. There was a battle for 8-mm. customers once Eastman-Kodak had launched the Double-Eight system. Bell & Howell reigned through patent protection but also by careful design and practicality. Here and there they fibbed, for example that the light-dark ratio was so and so high. The Filmo 8 was on the market for five years, putting the early Kodascopes Eight into a dark corner, then came competing products, blow after blow, the mechanically well made Kodascope Eight 70 (light-dark ratio 1:1), the excellent Ampro-8, the Revere P-80, and the Keystone A-8 as first American 8-mm. projector to take 750 Watt lamps. WWII halted civilian sales. After the war Bell & Howell introduced the underslung concept with 8-mm. projectors (Picture Master) and continually cashed money from dozens of licencees.

The 8-mm. projector with the highest light-dark ratio of all was made in Europe, a Bell & Howell licence, too. The French EMEL P. 73 has 2:1 and is extremely robust, also a Filmo 8 derivative.