Info needed on this kelmar

[Frank Raia]

IMG_8965.jpg IMG_8967.jpg IMG_8968.jpg IMG_8973.jpg Does anyone have any info on this kelmar rewinder thing? Usefulness?

[Frank Raia]

Any info, description, usefulness, etc is greatly appreciated

[Phillip Grace]

I'm prepared to have a guess!

Possibly the powered end of a motorized film rewinder - most useful when handling large diameter spools of film. The box would mount at the front right hand edge of the rewind bench so that a spool of large diameter will overhang the edge. The large disc at bottom right would hold an interchangeable spool spindle. The machine has two operating modes. One is continuous winding with auto cut-off at the end of the film so it can be left to rewind a large spool unattended. The other is a manual stop/start mode for use in making up and breaking down film from exchange reels. The bowden cables probably connected to foot pedals placed on the floor under the bench - to control the motor and perhaps a brake. The assembly at top left would have held a swing arm with film guide rollers, for use in automatic mode, and arranged to cut off power to the motor as the end of the film runs out.

There ya go! Waters muddied at no additional charge.

(Have not seen one in real life myself, but there will be plenty of people on this site who have used one and know exactly how it works).

Here is a link to a Kelmar catalogue page which shows a later model:

https://www.kelmarsystems.com/Sections/7fhea/index.html

[Tj Hopland]

I wonder if its a special model perhaps made for film distribution locations? It doesn't really have a lab look to it. The underside view it looks like there are 2 bowden cables. Perhaps for a foot control and or a brake? Maybe when you put it in inspection mode you get variable speed from the foot pedal? I remember Neumade had a model with a variable speed foot pedal control so it would be reasonable to assume Kelmar had a competing product? The current bench isn't much different than the version of it that came out in the early 1970's, there are differences but at a glance you would think they are the same so I don't think its just their first model but I suppose it could be?

What makes me think this is old/older is the hub/spindle arrangement, It looks like what was on a AW3 mut. Likely had a 2 ended spindle you could flip around depending on if you needed 5/16" or 1/2" then there would be a dog/stud you could thread into which ever of those larger holes aligned with the holes in the hub of the reel. What is a bit curious is those 4 holes around the center hole. They look like they could be the standard dog locations for 1/2" reels but how did they attach? And why does it look like there are wear/scratch marks around it as if when installing the shaft or the reel some sort of pin rubbed till it was rotated to the position to drop in the hole? There doesn't look to be that much wear on the larger dog holes so it doesn't seem like that option was used much if at all on this particular unit.

The auto start section looks the same as the RTV tables had its just that one is missing the arm and roller at the end of the arm. That arm/roller being positioned up high is another thing that makes me think this was aimed at inspection rather than your regular daily use rewind. If you set that unit up on a normal height bench and there were rollers that brought the film to the top that would get the film a lot closer to eye level than where its at with the RTV style.

[Jesse Crooks]

Looks ancient compared to the Kelmar tables I'm familiar with, but they're still in business. Just ask them!

kelmarsystems@gmail.com