Details
Category: Multi-gauge Projectors

Triplico/Peerless

 

 

TRIPLICO/PEERLESS

This week's mystery object is:-

peerless b4_007a     peerless b4_020a     peerless b4019a 

I have given you several views to help. My own theory is that, if I can find a way of putting it together with the various bits shown in the pix below, I shall get a projector.

peerless b4_014      peerless b4001a     peerless b4005a     

 

And I was, of course, right. It is a Peerless 9.5. Almost exactly the same machine was also sold as the Triplico, in two models, the Junior for 9.5 only and the Senior for 8 & 16 as well. I have no decent pix  (true at the time of writing) of the tri-gauge Triplico, which seems to have a muchmore enclosed mechanism, but is otherwise the same. Any good pix or a decent copy/scan of instructions would be most welcome. Anyway, here is that pile of bits after re-assembly and a bit of tidying up.

 

peerless 002a     peerless 010a     Peerless 004     Peerless 005     peerless 006a     

I actually got it working finally, but it was a bit of a struggle, and the pic was poor and lacking focus. The mech would barely fit back into the body without jamming up and the pic was out of focus across the screen, both due I suspect to Mazac distortion. The other big problem was that only one of the sprockets had a rim. Whether I put the non-rimmed one top or bottom it caused problems as the film just wandered off the sprockets. The sprocket was actually about 14mm wide, and the film retaining rollers just sat on it, doing nothing to guide the film. Because of the width of the sprocket, washers would not work so I came up with the approach illustrated. The brass bits on the top sprocket fit round and over the edges of the sprocket. Being slightly greater diameter than the sprocket, they guide both the film and the retaining rollers and correct the problem. Framing is a bit by lever but the rest by rotating the bottom sprocket until the limited range of the lever can come into play. I have a lot more to say about this but I am, you will be glad to hear, keeping it for a special piece (see Detailing a Projector). You might care to note the generic motor, like ones used by Specto and others.

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At Argenteuil 2012, I had the chance to buy a Triplico to compare with my existing Peerless version.

 

 Triplico 11    Triplico 04     Triplico 09     Triplico 05     Triplico 06     Triplico 08

 

First is a small pic I acquired somewhere, showing a machine matching the one I just got. However, I had expected something more like the image in pic 3. So still some mystery to be solved. Much as I did with the Peerless, I have taken it apart (but not the mech) and cleaned it all. The main parts have had a very light topcoat of satin black Hammerite. The lamphouse I did with heat-resist barbecue paint, which comes in a choice of matt or matt. 

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Here are a sort of review from ACW for December 1936 and various ads etc.

Peerless0003    Peerless0001     Triplico 10     ACW0023

  

One ad also refers to the SP Wundatone, a 16mm sound machine with intermittent sprocket. I had part of one once, many, many years ago, but not the skill to do anything with it. Then another ad, from 1941, when the name had changed, and an extract from the general ACW review of 8mm projectors reproduced in the 8mm section.