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Author Topic: Projector Age Rich Ferrando Film Handler Posts: 64 From: Royal Oak, MI Registered: Nov 2003 posted 10-04-2004 03:53 PM                       Is there a way to tell how old a particular projector is based on serial number? For instance, one of the Century JJ's that we have is serial #164, and seeing as how the JJ was introduced in 1960, leads me to believe that the projector is probably from that decade. But is there any way to know for sure? Any place on the projector that's stamped with a date of manufacture?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-04-2004 07:40 PM                     Your JJ is actually the 64th one built. They started at SN 100 for that machine. I used to own 100 and 101. Yours was more than likely built during the first few months of production. I was told by reliable sources close to the original Century company that any JJ under S/N 500 were the best made of all the units. That makes yours the thiird oldest one that I am aware of..... The oldest here in SLC is S/N 364 and 365. Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 10-04-2004 07:49 PM                     Out of curiosity, what changed after S/N 500 that made them not as good?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-04-2004 08:01 PM                        Mark -- s/n #118 is (or at least was, when I last worked there a couple of years ago) in cinema 1 at the Chestnut Hill Cinema in Chestnut Hill, MA. It gave a great picture. It was installed in the mid-90s after being moved from another theatre. There are a couple of shots of it in the picture gallery (under "GCC Chestnut Hill").  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-04-2004 08:24 PM                     Scott, that is an old one! I'm glad its still up and ruinning. After about SN 500 the company had some labor problems which resulted in alot of the jigs and tooling and such being discarded and re arranged so to say. This threw the tolerances off and later machines were very poor... you didn't know wjhat you were going to get... sort of like when ORC was building Centurys. Perhaps there is someone here that knows a bit more about what exactly happened at the factory... but I was told it was union related. Mark  |  IP: Logged Robert Throop Master Film Handler Posts: 412 From: Vernon, NY USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-05-2004 09:55 AM                     I once ran sn's 416 & 417 at the Kallet Cinema in Utica, NY. One is now in the Paris theatre in NYC and the other is in Loew's Village 7 also in NYC. I think that both have been converted to single shutter. Does anyone know when Century changed from the H type trap to the A type?  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 10-05-2004 10:09 AM                     Labor issues where noticeable when I visited the Century plant in the early 1970's to pick up some parts. The General manager had to plead to the stock person to open the stock cage since it was after 3 p.m. The original factory was in a industrial loft building with about 12 employees; the appearance of the place gave you the impression that the employees where not happy campers....20 + years and two owners to become part of Strong  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-05-2004 10:47 AM                     quote: Ken Lackner Out of curiosity, what changed after S/N 500 that made them not as good? Happens with EVERY product made. Why were Martin and Taylor guitars mae 20 years ago the best ones either company has ever made?  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-05-2004 10:50 AM                    quote: Mark Gulbrandsen I'm glad its still up and ruinning Ruinning? I know you're a Norelco partisan but no reason to diss a fine machine.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-05-2004 01:42 PM                        So how was the quality of Century machines circa 1970? I own a pair of model MSAs (s/n 952 and 953), which were originally delivered in 1970 (I have the delivery paperwork and invoices). They're a slightly different (lighter?) color of paint than most Centurys that I've seen. These machines put out a rock-steady picture (better than any other Centurys I've run), although that may have more to do with the fact that they're almost new (they spent their previous life in a little-used screening room) than the fact that they're built particularly well. The intermittents do leak a bit, which I assume is due to poor manufacturing tolerances and not over-use.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-05-2004 09:39 PM                     By 1970 it was alot better as I think that some other company had bought Century by then and straightened out all the labor issues they had with the machinist union. Century made it through a number of ups and downs with the biggest downs being during the machinist union problems, when they were at ORC. The present owners have not done justice to the Century very much either except to raise the price way above what it should be for such a simple mechanism. I guess thats why there is a Cinecitta and a Monee. Mark  |  IP: Logged Rich Ferrando Film Handler Posts: 64 From: Royal Oak, MI Registered: Nov 2003 posted 10-06-2004 01:19 AM                       The geek in me is now quite... well, geeked. :-) We may well have the fourth and fifth oldest JJ's still running (more may come forward, but I'll just turn off my ears and stay in my cloud of disillusionment.) The two JJ's we have are SN's 164 and 183. The theater used to be a single screen, built in 1944, but was expanded to a trio in the early 90's, so my guess is that the two projectors were originally in a changeover system in the big house, then separated when they built the addition and added platters. It kinda makes me curious as to how many of the original parts are still in them. (Had to replace the main drive assembly in #164 about two weeks ago. I hung the gnawed phenolic gear in a conspicuous place in the booth next to a sign that says "Grease is Good. This is Bad.") Our third Century is an SAW, #3279. Any ideas about the age of this one? The local Tech God who does our emergency maintenance says it's likely from the 1950's?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 10-06-2004 01:30 AM                        quote: Rich Ferrando I hung the gnawed phenolic gear in a conspicuous place in the booth next to a sign that says "Grease is Good. This is Bad." ... The local Tech God who does our emergency maintenance says it's likely from the 1950's? Sounds like he should do some preventative maintenance too!  |  IP: Logged Rich Ferrando Film Handler Posts: 64 From: Royal Oak, MI Registered: Nov 2003 posted 10-06-2004 01:52 AM                       He does, quarterly. But the gear had been going for a while. He had recommended it be changed out almost a year before it kaputted. But, you know these corporations. Money only appears after something breaks, never while it's breaking. There's been a regular monthly lube and oil schedule since before I started just over a year ago. Unfortunately, the previous managers had a neglectful mindset.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-06-2004 03:16 AM                        our jj is #281. i was talking to an old-timer (not that old, really) a couple months ago who thought he knew the theater it had been in before ours, but damned if i remember. carl  |  IP: Logged

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