Late 1930’s Bell And Howell Filmo Master 8mm projector
We found this projector at a secondhand store in Mesa, Arizona
for $20.00. When we got it home the light did not work and the motor was not
spinning the drive wheels. Fortunately all was repairable.
The first thing to test and or repair was the light. Taking the bulb out, then cleaning and sanding all connections with wet dry sand
paper was all that was needed to bring it back to life.
The non working drive wheels were a different story. Below is
what we found after taking the rear plate off the drive assembly.
Having never worked on a projector like this before but with
many years of experience restoring anything old that has died over the years, I
did what any good restorer does. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned and
labeled every part, applied white lithium grease to all moving parts and reassembled.
Here is a shot of the cleaned housing with all the gears and drive mechanisms
back together.
After reassembly and our first test we were surprised to
find out that the70 year old grease was just the tip of the iceberg. The drive
wheels still were not turning. We needed to dig deeper. We removed the rear of
the projector just behind the gear assembly to reveal the main drive assembly.There
we found three main drive wheels. The wheel off the motor is the one that when put in gear drives
a cork wheel that drives the gear assembly previously repaired. Here is a shot of the 70 year old cork wheel.
The problem was the 70 year old cork wheel had dried over the
years and when put into gear to drive the main gears it was unable to make a
solid connection to spin the drive wheel. After searching the internet there
are no parts available for these projectors. Knowing that later models switched to rubber wheels, we
started trying to find a replacement rubber wheel. We came up with this.
We were able to retro fit a wire grommet it took a little
shaving on the edges to fit into the housing but the end product was a good
solution.
Hello Gerry,
ReplyDeleteWe recently acquired a similar, if not the same, filmo master projector from someone cleaning out their attic. However, the bulb doesn't work and we cannot find the type labeled anywhere on it. Is it labeled on yours? If so, could you let me know and maybe where to find one? We're dying to try it out!
Much appreciated,
Jovan
Remove the bulb and try sanding the contacts first. Let me know, if no go I will look at mine.
ReplyDeleteThe bulb comes out from the bottom. Tilt the projector forward using the height adjust knob. .when the bulb is out lightly sand the brass contact on the base of the lg screw. Bulb type is = DAR, 500/W 115-120V. You can find them online.
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