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Topic: What is this "fin" for?

Neil Chue Hong
Film Handler

Posts: 19
From: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-05-2001 09:12 AM

Can anyone tell me what the thin fin on the end of this shutter (from a Westrex 7000A) is for? As you can see, it's suffered damage - is it a structural part?

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Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 11-05-2001 09:53 AM

I would bet it is a cooling fin. Simplex did the same thing with their super simplex projector, which had fins on the shutter in an attemp to get some air moving around the interior of the spot site box, and, if your lucky, help cool the apperature.

Josh

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 11-05-2001 10:14 AM

Maybe you can straighten it? I wonder if it is out of balance now?

Any idea what hit it?

Sheet metal bending tools are good for bending this fin back into its original shape.

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-05-2001 03:55 PM

It's a stiffening rib, being a short length of right angle. If I recall right it was put there to stop the side of the drum shutter distorting under heat from the lamp.

Be careful trying to repair it, parts for these machines are becoming very scarce now. About all we can get it sprockets, belts and cross box parts. Certainly no new shutter drums! We might have one from a scrap machine lieing around the workshop. Didn't EUFS have a spare mech at one time??

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Richard Fowler
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 11-05-2001 04:09 PM

Serial #9 and still running.........Parts maybe available from International Cinema in Miami, Florida since he bought Westrex in the early 1980's any many parts where part of the deal.
Richard Fowler
TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 11-05-2001 11:10 PM

Yes, I'm sure Pete is right.

But what is it, exactly? It can't be the actual shutter itself. Does the drum shutter go inside?

We used to call them barrel shutters.

Really, a low number like 9 of any projector is interesting...!

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-06-2001 02:05 AM

What you are looking at is the out side of the shutter drum. That whole assembly rotates, and when up to speed the shutter leaves inside (two) fly out into position. They are the source of the rattling noise characteristic to the Westrex 7000 as it runs down. I've seen quite a few of these shutters with the leaves jammed because of dirt, or worse, distortion of the outer casing.

How the heck did that happen to it?? Someone put the housing back on squint and not turn the mech by hand before running the motor??

Re: Shutter cooling. On many (most) Westrex 7000 there is a small fan located in the top of the shutter housing.
I'll check my books and see how early this machine. I can't remember if model 'A' is first or second generation. There is an easy way to spot a really early 7000, on the early machines the drive motor operated through a gear box, and was mounted parallel with the lens. Not many were made like that, as it was found that the gearbox was a source of vibration. The design was modified and the motor mounted transverse to the lens, and the belt pulleys altered to correct the speed. I'm pretty sure that this particular machine has the transverse motor.

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Neil Chue Hong
Film Handler

Posts: 19
From: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-06-2001 08:10 AM

Yes, this projector has a transverse motor and a top fan.
We also have a Westrex 7000A/2 shutter mechanism in our "spares" projector which doesn't have the structural fin.

Don't know what caused the damage, but I discovered it when removing the shutter cover to check the oil level. I have no real idea how long it's been like this

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 11-06-2001 10:39 AM

What's confusing me is the picture makes it look as if the drum shutter would hit either that vented plate at the bottom, or the casting (where the ser # sticker is.)

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-06-2001 10:56 AM

The serial # plate is the main frame of the machine and the shutter is in front of that. The cover below it is probably a case of distortion due to the persective of the photograph

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Neil Chue Hong
Film Handler

Posts: 19
From: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-06-2001 11:21 AM

Gordon's right - it's a perspective illusion. The other side of the shutter is about half an inch from the main frame of the projector.

Unfortunately our box is a bit cramped and there's only about 2 feet between the side of the projector and the wall - not brilliant for taking photos!

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-06-2001 02:11 PM

Check the oil level of what???!!! I've never had ot remove the shutter cover to check the intermittent oil level, which is the only oil level there is on the 7000. Anyway....

If it's not causing a problem, like say the picture exhibiting ghosting, which on the 7000 is often caused by the leaves of the shutter binding, I'd leave it alone. You have a spare shutter should anything untoward happen. Changing the shutter is easy enough, email me direct and I'll fill you in on the procedure.

Pete

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-06-2001 11:18 PM

I'm with Josh on this one.

Paul

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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 11-07-2001 02:15 AM

First off, how many Westrex 7000's made it ot the US? Were they ever made there? I'm just curious, as it was quite a popular machine here, but I've never heard any mention of it from the other side of the pond.

As far as I'm aware a 7000A with serial number 9 is, well the 9th model A built! Model A was, I think, the coding for the version with the transverse motor, as detailed above. There were other minor differences, that a wise man once told me about, but I've forgotten them now ( I don't recall that wise man saying anything about shutter cooling, other than they added the electric fan on the top of the shutter housing. A lot of 7000 machines were sold with the ORCON lamphouses, which had a di-chroic heat filter in the front. The shutter distortion would probably have become a problem when they were used with xenon conversions (Peerless Magnarc, AEI etc) and larger lamps. Later today I will be working with another wise man who is probably the UK's expert on the 7000, questions will be asked!

Neil, if you've only just found that damage, it's probably been like that for years, so I wouldn't worry about it. But like I said, you have a spare machine, so change the shutter if you're concerned.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-07-2001 08:50 AM

There were no 7000 exported to the US
Rumour has it some were shipped to Canada but I have never heard of them
The 2000 serries was fairly common and there were approx 10 of the 5000's over here of which I have 2 complete and about a dozen scrap heads for parts I imported

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