Your thoughts on this : POLYESTER IN DETONATION

[Jesse Crooks]

In the platter days, we mostly had Strong platter systems. Didn't love them. There was a clutch on the feed spindle that provided some drag, but I don't recall any externally visible adjustments for it and have no idea how precise it was. When breaking down a print you would disengage the motor so the drive tire no longer made contact with the deck, and the platter deck was completely freewheeling. You had to provide holdback tension with your hand, gently gripping the ends of the deck. I believe I recall reading a Film-Tech post back then by someone who had rigged up a friction clutch for one. It might have pressed a felt pad against the deck?

Kinotons, on the other hand, ran like a dream. They used a Hall sensor to detect the mass of film passing between the MUT and platter, and automatically regulated it to provide the perfect holdback tension.

[Frank Raia]

Jesse and Ryan, great info! Nothing I use have clutches. I am going to buy those gauges for sure. I'm sure right now I am rewinding to tight. The platter that I am rebuilding is the very much hated super platter.

[Randy Stankey]

When I was breaking down movies from my Strong/Potts platter, I would hold the film by the edges, just before the film goes onto the reel, and apply some pressure with my fingers.

It wouldn't, necessarily, give the recommended tension on the film but, at least, it would be relatively consistent.

The main reason I did that was to feel for splices and/or film damage so that I could stop the machine and check the film. (Gloved hand, of course!) Keeping even tension was mostly a desirable side effect.

Edit: I just remembered...

There is a set of spring-tensioned rollers before the film winds onto the reel. I would hold tension on the film BEFORE that little accumulator so that the sliding roller was at a certain spot in its travel. I used a marker to make a couple of marks on the stationary part of the slider.

I held enough tension on the film to keep the slider between the two marks.