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Topic: Source for 11mm carbons?

John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-27-2002 08:02 PM

I have been asked for a source for 11mm carbons from a friend using Ashcrafts. He says he usually got carbons from Marble, who got them from Union Carbide. They have given him a "last call order" notice.

Has anyone heard of this?

Also, I'm a little confused on the Union Carbide/Lorriane relationship. I thought Union Carbide bought Lorriane many years ago, then sold off the whole thing to a Japanese company in the early 1980's. Is that what happened?

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-27-2002 08:56 PM

Union carbide sold off alot to Societie du Carbone Lorraine
They also bought Morganite and Stackpole there big market is carbon brushes

Marble makes carbon in Japan Double Eagle brand as does Ibagawwa under the brand Sunny
There is an Indian carbon company
here

and a chineese one called SeaGull

I don't know what happened to the Ringsdorf group that made Diamond carbons

As for National the projector division was closed down and it has lost all the people who knew what they were doing so it is iffy what they will produce

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Glenda Cockrum
Film Handler

Posts: 58
From: Monaca, PA, USA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-27-2002 10:00 PM

Well I received this on Oct.18th, National is closing down all carbon rod operations

>Dear customer, National Electric caron Products has been in the carbon arc business since 1892. We were pioneers in the industry and we received an Oscar in 1956 for providing true "outdoor" lighting on an inside movie set. Arc carbon at one time, was onr of out highest output product lines with hundreds of customers and a growing stable market. As time has evolved, technology has changed the need for these products. We have seen steadily declining salesfor the last five years as the markets have moved to other technologies available.
As such, we will be discontinuing production for Carbon Arc at the end of 2002. We will accept orders up to December 31,2002. We are offering several options to meet your needs.<
The letter goes on to describe various plans for purchasing remaining stock,prices etc. So I guess it is time for me to bite the bullet and get some lamphouses! But I will miss the light of the arc.
If anyone needs a full copy of the letter feel free to e-mail me.

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 10-27-2002 10:13 PM

Funny, but I just check National Specialty Products' website and it didn't mention anything about discontinuing Arc Carbons. Here is their email address if anyone wants to ask: NSP@mamat.com

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-28-2002 02:02 AM

In the UK, here supplies carbon rods. An arthouse cinema near me, the Tyneside in Newcastle, runs carbons in both its screens and AFAIK has never had a problem getting hold of rods from Jack Roe.

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Gordon Bachlund
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 696
From: Monrovia, CA, USA
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 10-28-2002 05:10 PM

Try here Steve Krams lists carbons, including 11mm, in his catalog.

I have purchased carbons from Jack Roe without difficulty.

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 10-28-2002 08:00 PM

Just a note for everyone:

According to the City of Tucson, AZ, the EPA has put a nation-wide ban on the indoor use of carbons.

The Tucson Convention Center (Tucson Parks and Recreation) used to have some nice Strong Super Trooper Follow Spots that were removed because of this "ban". These units are now occosionally used for outdoor events. The City of Tucson "stage handlers and sound crews" are so well trained that they are using welding carbons in these units! They have no idea what projection carbons are...and those that they had on hand were pretty well beat up! I tried to tell the City of Tucson people that their info was incorrect, but of course you cant get anywhere when speaking with political boneheads. I also tried to speak with them about the correct operation of these units, and of course they are clueless.I also asked them to present me with the EPA regulation banning the use of carbons, and of course they were unable to do so. I have not checked the EPA regs...but I understand this "ban" to be nothing less than a well circulated rumor. Any comments anyone?

There is a local "art house cinema"...if one can even call it that. Anyhow, the owner of this "theater" managed to save a pair of Supers/SH1000s and Magnarcs from the Tucson "Temple of Music and Art". Those boneheads where clueless as to what this equipment is and were preparing to haul it all off to the dump. Anyhow, I offered to to the install for this "arthouse"...a 16mm "art house". The owner said that the City of Tucson would not permit him to run carbons indoors. This owner is one of the many boneheads that I spent much time consulting with...and was nothing less than a waste of time. I offered to get him some Xenon so that he could run 35mm...no response from the yutz.

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Wes Hughes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 10-28-2002 10:05 PM

they are probably speaking of burning carbons unvented indoors...which i have heard rumors is now illegal in some municipalities.

does anyone use seagull carbons? i heard some first hand accounts about how much they sucked, but i have used them a bit in the past few months with no problems.

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 10-29-2002 06:27 PM

Wes,

I did try to explain to the City of Tucson about the need to vent both carbons and Xenon. Needless to say that I got no where with these boneheads. They insist that the indoor use of carbons has been banned by the E.P.A. period and end of sentence!

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-30-2002 02:03 AM

...but presumably using unvented xenons in a lightweight, thin sheet metal lamphouse which were installed by someone wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts is just fine!

Back in my student days we showed a rereleased new print of The Big Sleep. About two days before the show I got a call from the University's health and safety officer telling me that 'old cinema films' were a fire risk and that we couldn't show it. I patiently explained that this was a copy on modern, non-inflammable stock and that nitrate prints have not gone anywhere near any cinemas for almost half a century (apart from one or two specially licensed ones). But he wouldn't believe me, and in the end it took a 'phone call from the distributor to get him off my back.

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Ray Derrick
Master Film Handler

Posts: 310
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 10-30-2002 07:15 AM

Murphy's Law No 695 (sounds like a nice number) dictates that where ever technology exists there will be an over-abundance of technology illiterate boneheads. Evolution suggests you have two alternatives, fight or flight. If you fight, you take on the establishment and risk losing your credibility and your livelihood (because the establishment is bigger and stronger than you are). If you choose flight, you go out and buy a new lamphouse and everybody is happy (except maybe your bank manager, but have you ever seen him happy anyway?).

------------------
Ray Derrick
President/Chief Engineer
Panalogic Corporation Sydney, Australia
Phone: 61 (0)2 9894 6655 Fax: 61 (0)2 9894 6935

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 10-30-2002 08:28 AM

True, but no way was I going to let some anal moron keep Bogie & Bacall off my screen, so the only option in this case was to fight!

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 10-30-2002 01:44 PM

Kodak still gets regular requests to provide documentation that today's prints are made on SAFETY FILM, and that Kodak discontinued making nitrate print film over 50 years ago:
here Nitrate Film Publication
here Storage and Handling of Nitrate Film
here Is Film Combustible?

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 10-31-2002 02:50 PM

I have a reprint of an old Monogram film laying around, on Kodak stock from 1950, clearly marked Safety Film on the edge, yet when I cut a small piece off for a burn test, it burned quite nicely. Is it or is it not Safety?

/Mitchell

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 10-31-2002 03:10 PM

Mitchell, I can't imagine it being nitrate if it says safety. I've seen nitrate legends printed-through when later prints were struck onto safety-base stock, but not the other way around.

Note, safety will burn, just slowly. Nitrate goes up in a big orange flame with a slight "whoosh" sound.

------------------
Better Projection Pays!

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