using 16mm 50ft magazines?

Hi.

I'm considering actually using one the old 16mm 50ft magazine cameras
produced by Bell&Howell, Kodak, Revere, etc.

The size and portability appeals to me along with the ease of swapping
cartridges.
Can someone tell me how difficult are these cartridges to re-load and
can I get instructions?
Alan Gordon charge $28.50 to load each cartridge (film not included).
Is it THAT difficult?

What is the image registration like? I assume that these cartridges
contain a pressure plate.

----
Yemi

"Yemi" <yemi DeleteThis @stanford.edu> wrote > Can someone tell me how difficult are
these cartridges to re-load and
> can I get instructions?

They are awkward to load. I used to have loading instructions and jigs but
these are long gone and I don't know where to get them again.

You need to be able to measure 51± feet in the dark and put it on a tiny
core. Basically you need a little light-tight box to put the cored roll of
film in (in the dark), while you are making the loops and attaching to the
takeup core in the magazine with dim light. You also should have little
wooden jigs made up the size of the film loops, though you can likely manage
without this. After the loops are made and the rollers are back in place,
you go back to total darkness again and put the full roll in the mag, and
attach the lid while holding the footage feeler arm in the fully compressed
position. Then you put the screws back in and tape around the edge.

The magazines can jam through no fault of the operator. You can only shoot
double perf in them. If the mag has been abused at all you are likely to get
footage that is out of focus. Because of manufacturing tolerances the
frameline shifts between mags. I personally don't care for them.

Clive Tobin
clive 5 att
cwnet
dott comm