16 mm film must be loaded correctly to avoid an unwanted pile on the projection floor.
Film or movie projectors were produced in several different formats. Home movies were typically 8 mm or Super-8. School use projectors used 16 mm, and movie theaters were typically 35 mm and 70 mm formats. This article will focus upon loading the manual thread and automatic feed 16 mm projectors used in schools and corporate settings from the 1950s to the 1990s. The 16 mm film had an overall width of 16 millimeters and was packaged for distribution on a metal reel nestled in a covered circular metal box. The film itself had tiny square sprocket holes on one edge and a sound track strip on the opposing edge.
Instructions
Loading Manual Feed 16 mm Film Projectors
1. Ensure that the upper arm, also known as the supply or feed arm of the projector, is in the upright position. Depress the button near the base of the arm and move the arm in a counterclockwise direction until the arm clicks into position.
2. Prepare the take-up arm to receive the film. Depress the button near the base of the arm and and move the take-up arm in a clockwise direction until a click is heard and the arm forms a 90-degree angle with the back edge of the projector.
3. Place the empty take-up reel on the take-up arm of the projector. A hole with slots on the reel should be lined up with slots on the take-up arm and pushed onto the arm until a click is heard.
4. Place the loaded supply reel on the top arm of the projector. Click into place just as you did with the take-up reel. The reel has been loaded correctly if the film comes off the reel at the top as the wheel is moved in a clockwise direction, and the sprocket holes are closest to the opened feed side of the projector.
5. Grasp the lens arm and pull it towards you. This will reveal the film gate.
6. Pull about 3 feet of film down from the feed arm. Look for the feed guide inside the projector that indicates the loading path.
7. Place the film around the sprocket wheel , ensuring that the tabs on the wheel engage with the sprocket holes on the film. Follow the film guide to thread the film through the film gate and around the indicated spindles and guides.
8. Insert the leading edge of the film into the slot on the take-up reel and turn the wheel in a clockwise direction until you hear a click. Close the lens arm. Turn the projector run switch to stage one to activate the take-up wheel and stage two to turn on the projection bulb. Focus using the mechanism on the side of the projector. Turn on the sound by turning the volume knob in a clockwise direction. Adjust as required.
Tags: clockwise direction, direction until, sprocket holes, take-up reel, base move, button near, button near base