Super Simplex intermittent oil level

[John Altonen]

I've been working on getting some old equipment up and running.

See it here

Picked all the pieces up off the sidewalk when they were turning the Biograph Theatre in downtown Richmond VA into a noodle bar.

Super Simplex head on a SH-1000 sound mechanism. Besides the sound head leaking oil out almost as fast as I put it in, everything is working pretty good, but the sight glass on the intermittent is fogged up. I would be happy to drain out all the oil and fill it with the proper amount every time I used the machine but I cannot find what the proper amount of oil in a Super Simplex intermittent should be. Anyone know?

[Gordon McLeod]

Centre of the sight glass for the intermitent and at the fill mark on the soundhead if it is level if on a steep down angle it has to be lower as it will leak out around the motor bearings. It in effect needs to imerse the bottom area of the lower brass gear
You may have to replace the seal gaskets

[John Eickhof]

actually, on the super first frame it so the two small windows are level, ( note some replacement movements had a single glass and had a line machined for oil level if the axis is level) then fill to half way on the windows while machine is stopped, if you over fill oil it will automatically be ejected from a small vent on the gear side, as for the sh-1000, fill to bottom third of slit windows, any more and it will leak out along the lower sprocket shaft. i always replaced the simplex sight with a gits sight glass as they are way easier to fill and see the level, its the .type rca used on their soundheads i still may have one in stock, if you are interested pm me. also, the simplex sight glass was susceptible to air lock, as oil would coat the fill cap and the sight would give a false reading, to solve this cut a notch in the fill cup to allow air through when cap is down.

[John Altonen]

Thanks guys. However, I was looking for a measurement of volume. Like, an intermittent should have X ml of oil in it. The sight glass isn't really see thorough anymore.

[John Eickhof]

i would put about 3 oz in as i said before the excess will automatically be ejected. i have the sight windows and gaskets but if you have not worked on an intermittent i would recommend having someone with experience replace the windows... im certain that if the glass is obscured, there is a lot of damaging material inside and the intermittent should be serviced. they are very high tolorance items, dirt and metal residue can destroy one in a hurry. im pretty sure gordon or i could tackle that for you. once done use synthetic 10w oil or 7wt wax free projector oil.

[John Altonen]

Getting into an intermittent is something that I would be interested in. I have 3 other heads with intermittents so I would work on one of them. Is there any kind of documentation out there on a rebuild procedure?

Shifting gears a little, I have a freshly rebuilt head that I bought from an estate about 20 years ago. After sitting so long it was kind of reluctant to move, the shutter speed knob, the lens focusing assembly, the frame knob. So initially I was reluctant to use it. But I gave everything a liberal spray with some AeroKroil and now thing are moving nicely. So im now inclined to put that head on my setup.
Any tips for putting a fresh/dry head into service?

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Don't forget the almighty drip pan! Often it's just a baking sheet with cheap kitty litter...? If the projector sits there a number of months, it will be dripping oil.

[John Eickhof]

simplex recommended dis assembly clean up with kerosene to remove dried oil and dirt, kroil is a high solvent penetrating fluid, it is it is not a good lubricant, but if the head is really free turning, oil it up heavily to make sure the kroil is flushed out keresene wash is best as it contains oil thus it will lubricate as the projector oil gets worked in, the super was designed to be lubricated every 4 hrs of operation, thus they get messy and require daily cleaning, like mark said, there was a drip pan that went between the proj and sh that would direct excess oil into the square collector on the sh flywheel cover. to break in use simplex projector oil then later after a 200 hours or so you can start using synthetic oil, make sure the kroil is flushed out goo or a bind up may occur after the head is run a while! mark is correct, the super was designed to have oil un-off inherently, you will have a puddle of oil in the soundhead, fold up a paper towel and lay it in the bottom of the soundhead also suggest an oven baking pan under the machine on the floor to pick up lost oil, some operators used to use a tampex or kotex napkin to absorb the extra oil, the old machines take a little more care to prevent oil on the film and breakdowns! as for intermittent repair, print out the operation manual and the parts list for the super simplex, it describes procedures very well, thats how i took my first super down way back when i was 14 years old! if you need help, contact me, also i have lots of new parts in stock for the old machines. you wont find a more quiet and smooth running machine then a well maintained super! john

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

John,
I saw very few of the drip pans that went between the proj bottom and the sound head over the years. The last Supers I pulled out were in Powell and they were missing those center drip plates. Otherwise, they ran fine... He just wanted a pair of XL's.

[John Eickhof]

they were optional with standards and e7s too! i probably have a box with a dozen or so! they only worked good on downward tilts of 5 degrees or more i even have a few western electric drip pans with a catch bottle on the front end! rca was the smartest, the projector mounting plate had oil galleys built in and would drain down into the gits bottle from any forward or reverse tilt angle, funny though, brenkerts rarely leaked oil!. Thats funny about powell! i tried to sell him the XLs from the DI in cody, but alan loved his supers! even running on the old sword system!!yuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Actually left one X-L in for Alan when I converted him to digital and he still has the Double edged Sword. I believe his son in law owns and runs the theater now...

[John Altonen]

you think this oil is good for my intermittent ? It's old, but it looks good.

IMG-0236.jpg


Is this the Simplex oil you recommend?

https://strong-tech.com/shop/project...oil-one-quart/

Kind of pricey.

[John Eickhof]

pricey? thats highway robbery! anyway, the cpi oil is fine for the intermittent as well as the projector head if thats what you have, if you want a quart of simplex oil, i have a few left at $9.50/ qt plus shipping (same price it sold for 20 years ago!) I also have cpi oil at 7.50/qt as well as soundhead oil at 7.50/qt, all plus shipping, the main thing is that proj intermittent oil is clear, and 7-10wt ( wax free) if its yellowed it going bad, also, dont use it in the soundhead as its too light, Soundhead oil (30-40wt) will be slightly yellow as it is parafin (wax) based. anyway, if you tear into the int and need parts, let me know, i sell parts at year 2000 prices. john

[John Altonen]

How much oil goes in the ball cap on the outer intermittent bearing. Operators manual is not specific.

[Gordon McLeod]

One drop daily