Why won't my 8mm film fit on to my Wards 8mm projector?

onlyrevolu

I have some reels from the sixties I'd like to watch but they won't fit on the arms of my projector. The film is 8mm and it's an 8mm projector so I don't know what the deal is.
Also, it's a "self threading" projector but I can't figure out how it works. It's a Wards 886.

Answer
It sounds like you have a Super 8mm projector and not a regular 8mm projector.. Some projectors were both, but you need to flip a lever somewhere on it to one or the other. You also need adapters to fit the spools of film on the arms or change spools all together. This was done so people would not try to intermix films in the projector.
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Regular 8mm has very small 'images' on the film and the images do not go into the sprocket holes of the film. Super 8mm has larger 'images' and the images DO go into the sprocket hole area. However, the sprocket holes are NOT the same between the two and feeding one type of movie film into the wrong projector can and will chop up your film because the holes do not line up right.
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Have you tried using Google..???

Where can I find a good 8mm film projector?

#

And how can I digitize my tapes? I have a Sony HDD video camera. If taping it against a white wall is the way to go, I have no problem with that.
They're not 8mm cassette tapes, but they're old film reels. They're really small. I think they're 8mm, anyway...

Answer
The "proper" way to digitize 8mm reels is to buy a rather expensive machine which projects the image directly onto a lens and then a CCD, providing the best possible quality.

However, using a white screen/wall, a dark room, a tripod and a decent video camera can yield good results too. You can find used 8mm projectors on ebay - aim for one made by one of the bigger brands such as Braun as bulbs may not otherwise be readily available.

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How to convert an 8mm projector to a super 8mm?

Tj Kong

So I bought this little Argus Showmaster 500 that plays 8mm film, but I have all super 8, and I read this article: http://www.ehow.com/how_7774363_convert-projectors-super-8mm-projectors.html
and it seems like all you would need to do is switch out the 8mm sprockets to super 8 sprockets. does this sound right?

Answer
The sprockets are only part of it.

You would also need to remove the aperture plate in the film gate
and enlarge its "window" to allow the larger image area of Super 8 film
to be entirely illuminated.

Got good, hard needle files? (Harbor Freight or other chinese-made ones
literally wouldn't cut it. You'd need Nicholson or other high-grade ones.)

Filing a small opening very precisely sounds like a long, tedious job to me.

Oh, and then there's the matter of aligning the lens
so that the Super 8 image would be centered in it.
That would require extensive major surgery to the projector,
and could actually prove to be impossible.


You can try converting it if you like, but you'd be far better served by acquiring
a dual-8 projector that has all the necessary adaptations in it to begin with.

What is a good 8mm sound projector?

Dan

I want to buy a good 8mm or super 8 mm projector with sound for my house. I use to be a projectionist at a movie theater but I know nothing about a good home projector, any suggestions?

Answer
I only use equipment that I inherited and haven't ventured outside of it.

I would suggest contacting these guys:

http://moviecraft.tripod.com/8mm.html

It's going to be important to buy from a shop like where they test projectors and probably repair them too. Buying from eBay is a crapshot. People often don't know anything about what they are selling much less if it works or not. It's easy to end up with neat-looking paperweights when buying vintage electrical gear from eBay.

At any rate, good luck! Sounds like a fun project and one that I also will be embarking on at some point.

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