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Author
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Topic: Eiki/Elf spares availability in the UK
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Stephen Furley
Film God
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Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 09-26-2003 10:11 AM
Leo, re. Bell and Howell parts, there's a man in Ruislip who has a large stock, I can't remember his name at the moment, but he has a table at the BFCC at Ealing. I'm sure I will be able to either find, or remember his name, I'll let you know. I went to his house to get some mag heads a couple of years ago, and he had a large garage full of parts, including many for the old 'small lens barrel' ones.
I believe he has now run out of the worms for the newer machines though, and these ere one of the most common parts to go (and a real pain to replace.
I used to work on Elf machines when I was an A.V. tech in a school; the belts always seemed far too tight to me, I can't believe that much tension would do the bearings any good either.
All of my 'new' type Bell and Howell machines, a pair of marc 300 666s and a Magnaflex double band conversion of a TQ1, are manual thread, but all the auto thread ones I've seen can be manually laced as well; can your one not.
Elf machines are ok, I wouldn't say better, on good prints, but are not very happy on 'difficult' ones. My older Bell and Howells, 631, 609 etc., will run just about anything, even some of John Huntley's more difficlut prints.
Edit.
Gordon Ogbourne or Ogborne was the name. If he is your source that can't help, then I don't have any other suggestions at the moment.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
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Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 09-26-2003 10:40 AM
quote: but all the auto thread ones I've seen can be manually laced as well; can your one not.
Ours is a model no. 1692, which also has 'TQ III' on the lamphouse cover. You can manually lace it, but my real problem with autolacers in general and this one in particular is that all the film path components needed to guide the film through the mechanism make the thing a nightmare to clean, especially around the sprockets. This Eiki has a lot of space around all the major film path components, and, caveats about their sprocket pitch not being very tolerant of shrunken film notwithstanding, would run much less risk of the film rubbing against something it shouldn't in the film path. The feed loop on the B & H is also way too small for comfort, too - all you need is for the claw to miss one perf and you've lost it.
quote: If there are numbers on the belts it should be easy to match them.
No such luck, I'm afraid: when I said rotted I meant rotted! When I undid the take-up spool arm assembly a pile of crumbled fragments of rubber fell out, and it was a similar story with all but one of the others. Amazingly enough the intact one was the main drive belt, which, given the tension it's under, should have been the first to go, I'd have thought. Maybe it was replaced a lot more recently than any of the others.
quote: Gordon Ogbourne or Ogborne was the name. If he is your source that can't help, then I don't have any other suggestions at the moment.
No, it was Robinson's Cine Service in Ipswich that we get B & H bits from (the East Anglian Film Archive, which does a lot of 'outreach' shows using 16mm portables, put me onto them). I have another machine of a near identical model in the basement which is missing a sprocket and has a blown amplifier, but at least it does give us a spare worm drive should we need it.
I agree that belts are the major weak point with Eiki portables - it has six compared to one in the B & H!
Many thanks to all - I'll try contacting Eiki and seeing if they have any suggestions.
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