Film Winder

Super 8, Standard 8, double 8 and 16mm Film Winder
As I have previously mentioned I need to load the vision3 250D onto 2x 100ft 16mm camera reels from a 400ft film core. I then need to cut the 100ft camera reels into 2x 50ft reels that will then fit into the Lomo tank reel. To do this efficiently blind in the box I require a film winder, ideally a multifunctional one.
Once the double eight film is developed I also need to slit it length ways to make standard 8mm film. A winder that can hold a 16mm reel on one arm of double 8 and 2x standard 8 reels on the other to pick up the split film would be handy.

Mike suggested that I use one of the colleges 16mm film winders. Since it would need adapting slightly to suit all of my needs I took the one with the broken end. Upon operating it however I realised that it was gummed up with ancient hardened grease that was now doing the opposite of its original purpose and preventing free movement. I stripped it down to clean it up but once inside, whilst I cleaned out what I could, I realised that it was going to need a very strong degreaser to clean it properly, which I don’t have.
I abandoned this and moved on to plan B which is to remove the arms from my standard 8 editor, which can also accept super 8 reels with an adapter and remount them on a new base made to suit my needs. In tests the arms can also hold and turn a 16mm 100ft reel but the spindle is not quite long enough and the reels are not securely located, but it’s a start.

I drilled and shaped a piece of flat bar steel at either end to allow the location and fitting of the arms to it. I took this fabrication and mounted it on a new base large enough to suit my multiple needs of it and heavy enough to keep it stable whilst in use. I made a sliding lockable mount that locates over the flat bar base fixings that will accept and securely hold a 400ft film core with film in line with the two winders. On the winder arms I attached some Aluminium flat bar which holds the  16mm reels securely in place on the arms.

Wind down from 400ft to 100ft reels

 First things first

I needed to get my film stock which is on a 400ft core wound down to the 100ft reels to get my sample colour film footage in the Bolex, to expose and process.
Once wound off the film needs to be wound back onto another reel on the opposite arm to maintain the original film winding.
This was relatively easy operating blind with the ‘Dinky Dark Room’ box. I guessed 100ft on the first reel and put the remaining on a second reel and sealed them up.

It occurred to me that with so many boxes and tins of exposed and unexposed film lying around in varying lengths with multiple reels per original film and with all the containers labelled incorrectly, that some sort of order was needed.

Sample - Rank film stock label

 I have some scans of the Rank Film Organisation film can labels from the film studio. I referenced them for the information they collected and composed my own.

Buzzing ‘Full 50ft reel’ alarm
I had guessed the 100ft camera reel wind down, which couldn't cause problems in use, but the Lomo reel can only accept 50ft and I have to get 100ft of film split fairly accurately on to the 50ft Lomo reel… Some sort of film gauge would be really handy.

Working mock up 50ft winding alarm

 I nipped out to the local electrical component shop (Maplin) and picked up a battery operated buzzer, a battery terminal box and some wire, I figured I might be able to cobble something together to do the job.

Weighted runners and electrical contacts

Buzzer and battery box

I made a quick mock-up of a device which mounts in the 400ft core sliding mount which locks into the correct position for the device to run on the rim of the 100ft reel via an attached arm, it contains an electrical contact which is connected to the buzzer. There is a tilting arm attached to the main device arm that has an electrical contact which runs on top of the film also connected to the buzzer. The coin on other side is higher and just acts as a guide that runs along the inside of the reel to keep the contact coin running along the edge of the film and in line with the other circuit making contact. When the film reaches 50ft on the reel it pushes the contact coins together making a circuit and activating the buzzer. This was accurate to about a 6”, which initially I was disappointed with, but this is more accurate than I can guess by feel once in the Dinky Dark Room.

Device update
Since its successful initial use the hot glue used to attach the contact running on top of the film to the tongue depressor and add support has now shrunk back pulling the contact and guide out of true. It would need remanufacturing to be used again. I think that I would completely redesign it and would attach the device onto the receiving reel arm as the arms fold flat for storage and any movement of the arm alters where the contact is made. I would also make the gauge adaptable to be able to detect 100ft for when winding down from larger reels. Whilst the mock-up device was usable, any device that would be intended for use the long term would need manufacturing from better materials.

In Dinky Dark Room ready to wind off 100ft to 2x 50ft

Cineteq stock labels with rip off tabs