Watch this space for news flashes from Steve updated in "REEL" time!...

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly!...

You May Already Be a WIENER!...

While supplies last we will be offering a real HOT DOG of a deal on our New Improved 2-Bladed Shutter that will provide 28% more light when installed on your Elmo ST-1200!

At The Reel Image we're setting inflation on its ear by knocking $30 OFF of our regular price to offer these at the ridiculously low price of just $69!

Yes, everybody's a winner by taking advantage of our current sale on these precision 2-Bladed Shutters! (See the ST-1200 shutter installation article further down the page for more info!)...

Recent Lab Testing Doesn't Come Off Without a HITCH...

The film lab in Germany was recently sent a very large batch of printing stock from Kodak. After running a few tests for quality control the lab found the results to be "unsteady" and contacted Kodak -- who is currently in the process of replacing the faulty film stock.

As a result the lab will be unable to strike any new positive prints for the next 4 weeks while they await the delivery of the replacement film stock order -- but the good news is that this will afford them the opportunity to finally get caught up doing all their backlogged negatives!...

TOMB it May Concern!...

If the interest is sufficient and we receive enough preorders, there might be the forthcoming release of an 11-12 minute cutdown of The Mummy's Hand on Super-8 sound!

There also exists the possibility of the same treatment for The Mummy's Curse!...

What do you say? Do you care enough for Kharis that we should put a pot of tanna leaves on the boil?? Or should we LEAF the "Old Boy" alone -- and just let sleeping Mummies be?...

If you would be interested in a print (either "Hand" or "Curse"), please contact us and let us know!

And that's a WRAP for this week's News Flash!...

Coming to The Reel Image this September – in plenty of time to fill your home movie screen with yuletide cheer!:

“Christmas Reel #5” in Stereo and Widescreen!

This 200-Ft. Reel is fully packed and runs 10½ minutes! It is a fantastic collection of the "12 Ads of Christmas" that are guaranteed to chase away all your holiday humbugs!

This reel features celebrity endorsements in Christmas themed ads with:

• Mariah Carey!
• Elton John!
• Michael Bublé!
• Wallace and Gromit!
• Minions!
• And -- even -- Alfred Hitchcock!-???

There are so many REEL Highlights to be found on this brand new European import!

The reviews are IN for "Christmas Ads #5"!...

• "A fun, colorful ride!" - Steve Osborne
• "Take it from me, content is fantastic!" - Lee Mannering

Please be advised to reserve your print today as “Christmas Reel #5” will be a very exclusive, limited run of imports made available for private home use through The Reel Image for film collectors and small film gauge hobbyists only! No rights are expressed or implied. 

Price is only $139.00!

May Your Day Be Merry -- and Your Screen BRIGHT!...

Contact Steve Osborne via email or call him anytime at 937-296-9036!

Everything began about 10 years ago when I bought a used Elmo ST1200 M/O. The seller declared problems with the projector so I kind of knew what to expect.

Once I received the projector I immediately understood the nature of its problems: apart from the melted belts, the rubber that surrounded the shutter was also melted (Editor's note: missing or damaged rubber on the shutter can be remedied with a Shutter Belt Replacement from The Reel Image!).

Clearly it was necessary to clean the projector and the shutter from all the melted rubber, but this is where the big problem arises: the profile of the shutter when the rubber is missing becomes tapered and it can no longer guarantee perfect adherence to the rubber wheels. This results in poor adherence that does not maintain correct speed of the projector. Moreover, this condition stresses the bearings to cause anomalous noise and wear!

At this point I tried to find a Type 2 shutter, but that's not an easy task. This led me to consider having the Type 2 shutter produced at a mechanical workshop to simply replace the old Type 1 shutter.

Since the processing would have been complex regarding the shutter's three windows, I thought to consider the option of two windows to reduce the difficulties of processing (since the projector would always be used at 24 frames/second.) That's how the 2-Bladed Shutter design for the Elmo ST1200 was born!

Normally the shutter of a projector is a coaxial plate disk to the cam of the claw which is powered by a belt. In the ST1200 series of projectors the shutter also has the fundamental task of transferring the motion of the rubber wheels to the whole mechanics of the projector!. Here then it must be much more robust and well done to avoid malfunctions of the projector!

Once I studied the case I created a 2-blade shutter using a CAD drawing program and then brought the design to a mechanical workshop whom I contracted to fabricate my 2-bladed shutters.

The result is an expert mechanical craftsman has made the finished component! You can see it on the right side of the picture below:

The benefits of this 2-Bladed Shutter design are these:

1. Increased screen brightness due to the two blade design!
2. The thickness of the blades is such as to produce a ventilation in front of the film plate!
3. Since the ventilation in front of the film plate is carried out by the thicker plates it is also possible to replace the original glass on the lamp cover. This is desirable because that original glass is heat-proofed and tinted blue, which impedes illumination on your screen! By replacing this original glass with a completely transparent, colorless glass all the possible light is transmitted to your screen!
4. The surface of the shutter has greater contact with the rubber wheels which guarantees greater traction!

The two-bladed shutter is seen installed in the photo below!

"IT'S INTERMISSION TIME!"...

Contact Steve Osborne via email or call him anytime at 937-296-9036!

Contact Steve Osborne via email or call him anytime at 937-296-9036!