Slide projector question

[ColeyS1]

I bought a slide projector at the boot sale this morning and have just got it working- fitted new plug and five amp fuse

It turns on and shines but it sounded a bit like there might be dust on the light bulb and it was crackling a bit.
I haven't the foggiest on how to look after it so have a few questions im hoping somebody might be able to answer.

Can I touch the bulb with my fingers, or do I need to make sure no moisture gets on it ? Also should I wait for it to cool down before moving it so the bulb doesn't break.

Last question is how far roughly off the wall/board should I be ?

I quite like the thought of having special photos made into slides but would like to know the right way to look after the projector first.

Any other tips most welcome

Coley

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[dickm]

That was a high quality professional beast in its day, which was probably 1950s or maybe even earlier. Difficult to tell the size - is it 35mm (2" square slide mounts) or larger?
WRT your specific queries, it's always best to handle bulbs with care and only to touch/move them when cold. Normal incandescent bulbs are OK being handled with fingers, but if they are Quartz Halogen (probably unlikely) then definitely no finger marks. So best to use a clean cloth to handle the bulb.
It's a nice idea having special photos made into slides, but likely to be expensive. As a one time 35mm photographer, always found that the problem was the faff involved in setting up the projector and handling the slides in a darkened room, especially with a projector like that where they had to be loaded one by one, rather than with a magazine. Result being that slides tended only to be seen on special occasions, which is a bit of a waste.
As a self-professed Luddite, hate to say this, but these days it's probably better to buy a good-ish digital projector to go with a digital camera and computer

 

[ColeyS1]

Thanks for the info, thats really helpful it takes 35 mm slides. I've only got 1 at the moment to try :lol: I tried it over the workshop (which is fairly dark) and couldn't even see the slide. Im thinking that the bulb might get brighter after its warmed up maybe........if it'll work im thinking it might come in handy for marking big patterns onto wood. Trace small outline from picture onto clear plastic, then draw it straight onto a sheet of wood...maybe. it does seem quite a lumpy beast. Its got 3 large lenses inside, im also wondering if these are in the right order. Pretty amazing something like that was made all those years ago and still looks like new.

Cheers

Coley

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[ColeyS1]

I'd say it works better as a heater then a slide viewer I must have got the wrong kind of slide cause I can hardly see the picture on the wall :roll: when I look into the end the picture looks great, but upside down :|
Edit- there's a piece of something white cardboard looking between lenses 1 and 2. Not sure what its there for

Last edit- took out that cardboard thingy and its amazing !! I wonder if its just a packer to keep the lenses apart in transit , it looks a bit melted
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[dickm]

No idea why the cardboard was in there, unless it was meant to be some sort of diffuser to give more uniform illumination. Also not sure that is the right bulb; from memory, they weren't usually opal bulbs but clear ones since the internal lenses gave the appropriate even spread of the light. But no idea what would be the right one, or even if it is available.
What does the label say, by the way? Can't quite read it, even with glasses

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Label says 'Kershaw Model 250 Strip Projector'

Blow up the screen using the button bottom right of the window :wink:

Regards Mick

 

[bugbear]

As a one time 35mm photographer, always found that the problem was the faff involved in setting up the projector and handling the slides in a darkened room, especially with a projector like that where they had to be loaded one by one, rather than with a magazine. Result being that slides tended only to be seen on special occasions, which is a bit of a waste.

yeah - you never wanted to hear "... and after dinner we can look at my holiday slides." :roll:

BugBear

 

[t8hants]

I give illustrated talks, and I bless the day I got rid of my slide projector. image manipulation on the 'puter, wonderful. Store the lot on a USB stick, joy. projector, lap-top, cables, and laser pointy thing, all in one little briefcase, heaven. Please preserve and cherish that old projector, as it reminds us how far we have come

 

[Rhossydd]

Also not sure that is the right bulb; from memory, they weren't usually opal bulbs but clear ones

The bulb is almost certainly clear and the white dome you can see is just a cover to prevent light spill from the ventilation slots on the top.

 

[ColeyS1]

Thanks for all the input guys it much appreciated. Im sure the novelty will wear off but at the moment im still fascinated by it. I did my first slideshow to my workmate last night. I only had the one slide so didn't take too long :lol: I bought 850 off ebay just so I've got some to look at, that'll be it then unless I do get a few made- couple quid each from what ive found so far.
Looking a bit closer at the cardboard thing ...

It appears to be a bit of glass with powdery stuff on each side :? The glass also has a frosted look to it which would agree with the diffuser idea. Next up might be automatic one, then digital then finish off viewing things on the tv :lol:
I also picked this thing up at the local tip for 2 quid.

Couldn't believe it when I put in 4 aa batteries and the thing started making machine gun noises ! (Ish) if I stuck on a barrel and a folding shoulder stock it'd make a great james bond style toy gun
Cheers
Coley

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[t8hants]

I would start looking for spare bulbs!

 

[Harbo]

I've still got my slide projector , screen and a few hundred slides - but most people digitise them to show by easier means. A job I've still to do!

If that's a Super 8 camera then you'll need a cine projector but I wouldn't bother - cameras have moved on?

Rod

 

[ColeyS1]

I would start looking for spare bulbs!

Do they burn out pretty quick then ? I must admit thats the only thing I dont like about it and did consider trying to convert it to a more modern and readily available bulb. Am I barking up the wrong tree by thinking it might have a 300 watt bulb inside causing the electric metre to spin rather alot ?

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[t8hants]

A few have gone by on the bay

 

[AndyT]

300 watts sounds about right for the bulb. It needed to be as bright as possible to throw a decent image across a long distance as a projector like that was probably meant for a hall or classroom so would have had a longer focal length than one meant for use at home. Does it have a cooling fan?

 

[Benchwayze]

If the image is upside down, the solution is obvious. Mine has an erector lens so I don't need to insert the slides upside down. But then it's probably a couple of years later than that one. It gets very hot, and unless you have glass mounts, the slides can buckle. So you don't leave them on display for long.

Yes these projectors do work well as a heater. I hasten to add I don't use mine these days, and have all my slides scanned onto the PC and on disc. (That was until I lost XP, and found out my scanner won't work and isn't upgradeable. )

I don't know if you can get the bulbs these days either.

But they were good in their day!

Best of British

John

 

[RogerP]

............. (That was until I lost XP, and found out my scanner won't work and isn't upgradeable. )

What OS are you now using? If it's a flavour of MS have you tried VueScan? http://www.hamrick.com/
... or running XP in a virtual machine in your current OS? (I don't use MS but assume that's a possibility).

 

[Benchwayze]

Roger.

I am using 7 Premium. There is a virtual XP facility, but I have just got used to a trouble-free PC, and I don't want to upset the apple-cart! Canon do no drivers for Windows 7, so I intend getting an old 32 bit PC with XP installed. I believe once I validate it, I can use it off line until it gives up the ghost.) No need for updates then. :?:

i've downloaded that program Roger so thanks for that and I'll let you know how it goes. If it saves me more expense good-oh!

 

[ColeyS1]

Does it have a cooling fan?

No it doesn't, just a small metal grill above the bulb to let the heat out. Thats what I love about this older technology im gradually starting to notice- everything seems so logical, simple and thought out.
Some new sample slides from 'digital slides' have arrived this morning so it'll be interesting to see old tech working with new tech.
I wonder if anyone has made a modern more efficient bulb for projectors. when it does finally give up I wonder if a 100 watt pointy candle bulb with some stove paint on the tip might chuck out enough light :?

Coley

P.s feel free to post some of your projector setups if you still have any.....please :lol:

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[AndyT]

You're making me feel old! But it's easy to forget that we haven't all grown up with this sort of thing at school.

AFAIK the older kit would have had a high wattage filament bulb which might have had an internal reflector or just a metal mirror behind it. The later models would have had a quartz halogen bulb which would have been physically smaller.

If you want something better I guess you could use an LED - there are some impressively bright ones around, sold as lights for night time mountain biking - but I do think it's an odd way to go if you haven't already got boxes of old transparencies you want to show.

Also, I notice that your projector says it's for film strips. This was a format using 35mm film in one long strip, not cut and mounted into individually framed images. You just turned a knob to wind on from one image to the next.

I remember it very clearly as it was the way we were taught French at school in the 60s/70s - endless scenes of stick figures asking the way to the baker's shop or the station, with a reel to reel tape providing the soundtrack.

You might need to find an accessory with a winder on it if you want to recreate all that fun!