Welcome to CINERDISTAN.

Contents - a new page to help you find stuff a bit easier.

SW&S - a new page bringing together (gradually) stuff I want or have for sale, suppliers where you can get

specialised stuff, and things like the Cinema Chez Soi DVD's that I can make available if needed.

What's New. I have made a new section where I will put new material

added to the site, instead of putting it into the various sections, which I

guess must make it hard for anyone who just wants to see what has changed

or been added. I will then shift it to the right place later. Click on

What's New to get there.

It occurs to me that there may be people viewing this site who have only recent experience of matters

electrical. Please BE WARNED - old projectors etc were not built to modern safety standards and can be

dangerous. 240v and 110v will kill if you let them. Electrical shorts can be explosive. I have had mains

shocks and was lucky to survive; it is most unpleasant.

Follow a few simple rules:-

-never plug anything in without checking it

-use a transformer wherever possible, not original resistances

-don't trust old wiring, it decays, gets brittle, breaks and causes short circuits

-add an earth - most old machines and transformers don't have one

-test by setting projector controls to ON then, without touching the machine, switch on mains from a

  safe distance, then:-

-get a mains tester screwdriver and use it before touching machines you are not certain of.

-use an RCD (Residual Current Detector), a safety device readily available from DIY stores

-if in doubt, get expert help

A request for help - does anyone have copies of Le Cinéma Chez Soi,

(French Pathescope Monthly), please?

I'm getting very cross about failure to pack stuff properly for shipping. See

Packing under Restoration  for a short rant.

CINERDISTAN is about:

Narrow gauge projectors (tho' occasionally 35mm), which are my

principal interest, so this is the main topic.

Film, i.e. cellulose acetate, celluloid, mylar, polyester or whatever

9.5mm               

17.5mm

28mm 

Some 8, 16, 35mm                              

Cine technology and history

Film Preservation

and anything else cine-related that catches my interest.   Links to other sites,

and my contact address, are in Miscellany.

This site is not for people who just want to watch films on DVD. Go away.

(There’s not really much about cameras/film-making either, tho' some

cameras are quite nice)

I have been collecting films and projectors since about 1965 or so. I just like

film  on any gauge, tho’ I don’t go for the really rare stuff like 22mm. My

special interests are dismantling old projectors and trying to make them

work again, and saving what I can of films on the rarer gauges. This is

supported by a metalworking shop in my garage. I have more projects of

various kinds than I shall ever be able to finish.

This site is about the stuff that interests me, things I have done, information

I have gathered etc., in the vague hope it might be of interest or help to

others, too. We cine people need to stick together and encourage new,

young nerds, because film is rapidly disappearing as a medium and the DVD

buffs are rampaging all over the place. I like watching DVD’s on my DLP

projector as much as the next person, but it’s only one tiny part of a much

wider and more diverse hobby.

Everything on this site is mine  (except where other authorship is noted) and

I assert my copyright therein, including the translations from the French but

not, of course, the originals.

The material may be used for non-commercial  purposes, subject to

acknowledgement of source; if anyone can come up  with a commercial use,

we should talk. I welcome, but may not always accept, things that might be

added to the site. I give a name-check to anyone who provides information

I use.

Martyn Stevens.