Bell & Howell Filmo 16 mm Movie Viewer, Rewinder, Editor: Excellent condition

Description

A new Favorite!
I'm a Retired News Film Editor.  Always have prefered the Zeiss Ikon Moviscop 16mm Viewer, Moviola or HFC Rewinds, and the Maier Hancock Hot Splicer.  My system of choice.
Now, everyone gives Kodak ALL the credit for Inventing and developing Movies.  However, Kodak made so many mistakes in Patenting them.  Kodak was Soooooo specific that it was too easy to avoid the patents.  Kodak Patented 35mm Film with 4 sprocket holes at 24 frames.  So all you had to do was make it 34 or 36mm film with 3 sprocket holes at 22 or 26 frames a second.  Kodak spent 20 years fighting constant Patent battles before abandoning the industry.  Bell & Howell did most of the actual research & development of the industry.
This Editing setup was incredible.  I used to think the Moviscop was the best viewer - and it probably still is.  But in checking out & cleaning Bell & Howell's, I discovered that the Film Movement is an almost identical design to the Moviscop with Prizm & Condenser lens.  In one respect, it is better than the Moviscop.  The B&H has a metal film slide path, while the Moviscop has a brittle Bakelite Plastic Slide path wear part that isn't available any more.  I rebuilt hundreds of Moviscops, but in the last few, the bakelite plate broke in shipping - so I don't do them any more.
This B&H set has some interesting features.  The Viewer has a BKR Bulb (29136), and  can be replaced by a round bulb with small screw base from your local Walmart.  The rewinds mount to the Viewer with 2 rails.  So you don't screw them to your bench - and you can easily store them.  The rewinds have a hand brake for tension, and also a 3 position speed control for Fast Rewind, Slow Viewing, and a neutral position for Freewheeling.  The reel shafts have a square section, so they won't work multiformat for 8 or super-8 - Just 16mm.  The rewinds hold up to a 16 inch reel - but you don't want to use large - Full Reels.   These are old, and have 1/4" thick gears about an inch in diameter.  Many of these you see on eBay have broken gears (make sure they are returnable.)  So these are ideal for 7" 400' reels up to 12" 1400' reels.  The industry standard Rewinds for professionals are Moviola, Ediquip, and HFC which have 1/2" thick gears 2" to 4" in diameter which accept up to the 2,000' reels, and heavy-duty cranking!  The B&H comes with a working splicer - but I don't like the design.  These were originally built for the Military for checking films of bombing runs.
Now - a couple of tips.  Most of the film that is still out there is brittle.  You don't want to use POWER Rewinds - as you will break the film easily.  You don't want to run the film FAST through a viewer - you will damage the sprocket holes.   You want to rewind the film through a light-weight cotton glove, holding it against the edge of the reel for a tight - even wind.  If the film is loose - it can cinch and scratch.  You don't store large reels of film horizontally because the weight can break off edges of the film.  Either buy a rack, or build one out of 2x2s held 6 inches apart by 1x2s on the end.  Watch out for Acetate Vinegar Syndrome - and it can be corrected by Vitafilm.
VITAFILM® is a special blend of highly refined oils and natural compounds designed to penetrate deep into the molecular structure of the film base. This enables VITAFILM®'s unique ability to restore and condition damaged motion picture film.
In most cases VITAFILM® will cure vinegar syndrome when used as directed - a standard cleaning.  If the film is severely damaged, you may need to put the reel in the wide side of the film can, and fill it with the liquid.