Videos of the Pailard Bolex Factory. The films are in what I believe is French but even if you don’t understand what’s being said it is really interesting to see inside the factory with all the machines.

Videos were posted by Bolex Digital on Vimeo.

From Hobbies Weekly May 16th 1956. Vol. 122, Number 3159.

Make it yourself

Entertain your friends at home — with this 16mm. MOVIE PROJECTOR
Says F. G. Rayer

Finised Projector

This projector can be made without any particular difficulty, and will give very good results. Quite a number of different mechanisms for transporting the film are found in ready-made projectors, but some are very difficult indeed to build at home, due to the complicated nature of the parts required.

For a steady picture, the transport mechanism is very important, while undue noise is undesirable, and very likely to arise with some home-built mechanisms, especially those of the Maltese Cross type. Because of these points, a claw transport system is used, and this is quite silent, even when running rapidly. Provided the important dimensions are measured correctly, the mechanism will work satisfactorily, and it has the great advantage of very few moving parts.

Though the projector is intended for 16mm. film, it would be possible to use 35mm., 8mm., or 9-5mm. films, by modifying the dimensions of movement and gate (the aperture where the film is illuminated). Read more »

Reproduced from Practical Mechanics April, 1962

Original scans below.

A Sound Synchronising Unit for 8mm Cine

By J.M.Turner

A Sound Synchronising Unit for 8mm Cine

With the ever increasing popularity of 8mm cine photography many amateurs will have wished for a sound track to accompany their films.

For satisfactory results it is essential that the tape recorder and projector be synchronised.
The method given here was finally chosen after much experimenting as being by far the simplest and most efficient for amateur construction.

The degree of synchronisation obtained is extremely good. After a three-quarter-hour continuous run which is about the longest possible with standard equipment, the synchronisation at the end is still excellent.

The cost of the unit to be described should not be more than a pound if everything is purchased, but most of the material can be found in the junk box.

Some projectors may be designed in such a manner that it will be practically impossible to add such a unit, but this must be determined by inspecting the existing layout. Read more »

Finished Projector

Making a 9.5mm Cine Projector

From Newnes Practical Mechanics
December, 1956

The film projector was constructed for experimental purposes to project films at 16 and 24 frames per second. The general arrangement of the machine is shown at Fig. 1.

The projector is of conventional design, with an intermittent frame shift by a claw shuttle and a continuous film feed by sprockets. A similar frame shift mechanism may be designed for 8 mm. or 16 mm. film from the film dimensions set out in British Standards Specification 677 : 1942. Read more »

Super 8 Sound Inc Circa 1973 from Phil Vigeant on Vimeo. Interesting film made by Kodak about Super 8 sound.

Reproduced from Practical Mechanics, April 1962.

Shoot Under Water Pic’s this Summer

A “Snorkel” Diver’s’ Camera case for less than 15s.

Fig. 1.—The complete assembly

With the increasing popularity of “Snorkel” diving, more and more people are seeing for the first time the unexpected beauty in our shallow coastal waters and quite naturally the desire to photograph this watery wonderland arises in many of us. The ability to do this is presented to us in two ways. In the use of a special watertight camera or the enclosure of a normal camera within a watertight housing. Both these methods can prove expensive but unless the intention is to visit deep water with the aid of breathing apparatus, the cost of a suitable housing for most 8mm. and 35mm. cameras need be no more than 15s. and the effort of one evening’s work. The components are shown in Fig. 2.

The housing is basically a rubber envelope with a perspex window, the camera is mounted inside in such a way that with few if any improvisations, all controls are available to the operator and remain effective in water down to ten feet and below. My own housing was used successfully with a Bolex C8 cine camera Paxette IIM and Ilford Sportsman 35mm. Cameras. Read more »

This has been digitised from a handwritten WWII notebook by the R.O.A.C. Yorks. circa. 20-25/10/1940.

Two of the images have been digitally remade and the last has been enhanced.

The B.T.H. Sound Projector

By R.A.O.C. York. Circa. 20-25/10/1940

Twenty-four pictures per second. Sound or silent with (Non-electric.) Forward & Reverse action.

The mute sound head:

The lamp. Is air cooled, 100v. 300w. Coiled coil pre-focus type. The lamp is inside a housing which has a rectangular opening in the front. A reflector is fitted to the reel of the lamp & is adjustable, but should not be adjusted unless absolutely necessary. In the front of lamp housing is a condenser lens. To the rear of the gate are two tandem condenser lenses. The gate is not sprung. Perforations of the film must be placed on the pull-down claws. The gate is in front of the condenser lenses. The rear gate aperture can be raised or lowered to centralise picture. Read more »

This is from a hand written WWII notebook by the R.A.O.C. York. Written 20-25/10/40.

This chapter is about the Bell & Howell Sound Projector. All the hand drawn diagrams have been digitally remade as close to the originals as possible.

The Bell & Howell Sound Projector.

By R.A.O.C. York. Circa 20-25/10/40

The B. & H. Sound Projector is divided into two parts. The mute head in which the picture is reproduced. The sound head in which the sound is reproduced.

The mute head. No belts, everything is driven from the motor. The motor is universally wound & the speed is fixed. A switch can change the speed from 24 pictures p.s. (Sound) to 16 pictures p.s. (Silent.) Motor takes D.C. or A.C. Voltage. 110v. 1/24 HP. Read more »

I found a small notebook from WWII which has handwritten instructions by the R.A.O.C York for a few projectors and some extra information. Slowly all the information from the botebook will be added to the site. This is information on 16mm sound films.

Sound films

By R.A.O.C. York. Circa. 20-25/10/40

Sound films are easily recognisable from silent, as 16 m.m. Sound films have one set of perforations only. Sound films must not be projected from a Kodascope or other silent projectors. The sound track of the film is of two types. 1. Variable density. 2. Variable area. Read more »