Wolverine Advance is Seizing

[Hunter Lohse]

Hello All,

I posted a thread yesterday in search of a fix for issues with my Magnasonic FS81 and Wolverine MovieMaker Pro. My Magnasonic is no longer keeping frames in frame in the advance for Super 8, leading to an incoherent and unstable transfer. My Wolverine is now freezing and seizing when transferring as well, at first I thought it was the film but apparently not, as it did it when I tested it with no film (see attached video), itll then give me a "check your films place" notice when clearly it is not the film's issue if it is doing this empty.

My previous thread mentions my being in the market for a better machine, currently wanting to look into a secondhand Tobin, but need some advice on better fixes to keep transferring going while I look for a more permanent upgrade solution.

Thank you all for any advice and assistance you can provide!

[Stan Jelavic]

I have seen this issue. Looks like the cam is getting stuck. How old is the machine?
Open up the back cover and undo the small screws holding the front bezel.
You may need to pop out the front buttons cover in order to remove the bezel.
Then look under the gate. The claw engages two small optocouplers. One is used as a camera trigger and the other one is for the R8/S8 switch. Run the machine and check if anything is binding there. If not, you may have to open up the claw assembly and remove the claw stopper.
Check these posts:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/vbb/f...839#post116839
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/vbb/f...0644#post30644

[Hunter Lohse]

Hello Stan,

The machine is fairly new, it was purchased last year and the previous owner used it for their films and then sold it on, I bought it when my Magnasonic started having framing issues in Super 8mm mode as a back up (still trying to fix that issue as well).

[Stan Jelavic]

Sent you a message with the instructions on how to open up the claw assembly. Removing the stopper may fix the issue but not in all cases. Also once open you can check for anything binding. You can also manually operate the cam and check if it binds. You will have to press on the cam anchor with one hand and turn it with the other hand. The operation should be smooth without any jamming or binding.

[Paul Adsett]

The Wolverine Scanners, and all the various clone brands, have now been around for several years. Have any improvements of the design been made at all, or is a 2025 scanner just the same as 5 years ago, and stuck with the same problems?

[Allan Reizman]

Interesting post, good timing as I was having the identical issue with my Wolverine Pro. In my case the WP had been packed away for 5 years and I just took it out. Scanned a few 4" rolls and then it started seizing. Not sure how I fixed it but here is what I did. I took the back off to expose the guts. Then I used a miniature Phillips screwdriver to remove the front bezel. I used dust spray to clean all the exposed gears, especially where the advance cam mech was. I used a tiny drop of sewing machine oil administered with a toothpick on the vertical cam located under the lens. Used my mini screwdriver to carefully tighten any small screws in the mech that may have worked loose. Attached power and ran the mech for about 10 minutes to test. Then I left the bezel off and slid the back back on. Held it together with a piece of tape and scanned another film. Everything worked. Scanned a couple of more rolls and put everything back together and so far so good.
I'll say this for Wolverine, unlike other products, they built the scanner to be serviced. As long as you have a miniature screwdriver set and are handy you take the WP apart and get it working it seems.