1918/1919 The American Projectoscope 35mm movie projector

Become a Mobile Cinema Microplex!
This projector was sold June 2011 and shipped out to a museum in Italy.

Very Good condition and operational. Low serial number.

Description: A compact portable 35mm motion-picture projector by "American Projecting Co. Chicago U.S.A." model M, serial number 152. Runs smoothly. Has internally storable 5 inch GUNDLACH-MANHATTAN OPTICAL CO. No. 1 lens, one brass-plated film reel, 2 hand cranks - drive and take-up/rewind, with a rexine (early imitation leather) cover. Includes retractable aluminum chimney, original cord with standard lamp-socket (Edison 27) screw-in connection to power, 200w E27 bulb and a rewind edge guide roller. Removable leather handle with brass spring-lock clips. Contains no asbestos insulation - or any insulation - efficient design does not require it.  Very clean interior.

Mechanics: In the front of the machine, the gear train that accomplishes the patented flicker-free movement is encased in a surprisingly small curvaceous housing barely larger than the gears and shutter it contains. This gearbox has vent hole on feed side near the top, oiling points on top of each shaft bearing, with a screw-capped oil point on the main drive bearing for the gearbox and two grease fittings on the motor bearings. The "flicker-free" shutter is also open longer totaling 130 degrees of arc where most shutters are 180 degrees. (Shutter has a 90 vane, and two counterweighted 20 degree vanes for balance.)
Additionally, it does not use a claw and pin to advance and register the frame, rather it employs a specially geared sprocket roller that advances intermittently within the 90 degree arc of the shutter, twice as fast as most other machines.
The bulb is standard (Edison 27) thread, 120v, 200w. The larger crank operates the gear train and can be used instead of engaging the motor, but only going forward. The inching knob from the intermittent gear will move only to an open shutter position: it is not designed to advance frames, rather so that framing can be checked and adjusted if necessary. The motor is connected to the gearbox with a belt drive that appears to be leather, and may need replacement.
The film takes an interesting path both in projection and rewinding: a loop of film with a partial twist arcs over the gearbox. In rewinding, the film is threaded the same way, except it does not enter the gate, nor engage the intermittent gear. Instead, it arcs up and over in the same way, but in front of the gate, and with the edge of the film riding in the edge guide roller. The smaller hand crank is used to rewind.