Jump to content

Driving back a donated Steenbeck from Canada to the US: customs?


David Bendiksen

Recommended Posts

This coming weekend I'll be picking up a Steenbeck 6-plate in Toronto and driving it back to Amherst MA in a van, 8hrs each way. Thanks to a fantastic thread from a few years ago (https://cinematography.com/index.php?/forums/topic/77517-help-dismantling-a-steenbeck-for-moving/) I feel more prepared with good advice on how to go about the physical moving itself, but I'm hoping to tap into the well of knowledge/experience on the issue of bringing a piece of equipment like this back through customs. What should I expect? Will I owe import fees? Couldn't quite decide whether this question more appropriately belonged under "Editing" or "General Discussion," but since it might be answered by someone who's brought back a similar piece of hardware, I figured I'd put it here.

If it helps, no money is exchanging hands -- it's being donated to our university program by a very kind guy. But I don't actually know if that's pertinent in terms of coming back into the country with goods I didn't enter with. I can draw up something on university letterhead stating as much; or if need be, I can hand the guy a buck and state that it was sold for $1 to override potential overvaluation, etc.

Of course, if anyone state-side within about the same drive happens to have a spare Steenbeck and feels like saving me the trip... send me a message! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you have a team of guys to help you lift it, grab the metal framework to lift it, not the wooden deck or you may break the deck. The deck is made of early chipboard with a blue formica veneer on the upper surface. It is not as strong as it looks.

Do not transport the machine on its back. Oil will flow up a column from the drive transmission and leak out. 

Most of the plastic parts on the deck deteriorate with age and can be easily snapped. The light from the halogen lamp under the deck near the vision capstan causes the plastic parts associated with the optical path to discolour, become brittle and easy to damage.

The right-angle prism which redirects the lamp light into the optical path is particularly fragile. Avoid removing it as just doing that may see it off as the prism may drop out as you lift its enclosure and shatter. this prism is a combined right-angle prism and condenser element. It cannot be remade except at great cost and possibly only by the manufacturer.

It is a toss-up whether to leave the rear projection screen mounted or remove it and risk damage to the optics and mirrors by leaving them unprotected.

Tape over the sound pickup unit which is to right of the screen box, cover this with corrugated cardboard and tape that down. 

The screen box secures only with two small thumbscrews so can be dislodged if bumped during carrying or catching the wind if carried on the open bed of a pickup truck.

If you leave it attached, tape it down very securely to the deck with corrugated carboard around it and across the front of the groundglass screen. 

Remove the platters and stash them in a safe place. When they get bent they are hell frustrating to use and hell difficult to straighten out.

If you are transporting on an open tray bed or tub, tape over the platter hubs and friction faces so they cannot shake out, catch wind and get lost.

It may be best not to rely on the skinny metal legs and castors alone to support the machine during transport. You should make a sturdy wooden crate to go under the base of the machine's metal casework and carry its weight. 

The rotating prism is optical glass and easily chipped. Tape plenty of padding around it and corrugated carton cardboard over that again.

The little right-angle prism which directs light into the optical path is not firmly attached and gets chips in it just about as easily as if you look at it sideways. You should tape this securely in place and tape corrugated cardboard over that again. 

The rear metal cover is attached with fragile plastic dzus-style fasteners. These may fail in transport and allow the cover to fall open or blow off the back of a pick-up vehicle. So tape this to the casework securely.

There is a Steenbeck specialist in the US who stocks parts from disabled units and also has made some upgraded circuit boards for motor control and audio which are better than the originals. My PC with the contact info laid down a couple of years ago and I no longer have contact information. However a google search should find him. 

The cogbelts used in the Steenbeck are of a unique pitch and tooth depth. They also deteriorate into jello. The US specialist has them. 

If you find that the playback speed stutters, you can make it work for a while by momentarily paddling the control to fast-forward then back to the playback position. The motor will settle from fast to normal speed. It is a sign that the control board is failing and there will be smoke eventually.

Do not leave the machine unattended with the mains power plugged in and switched on. There have been instances where the machines have caught fire and burned down. Steenbeck recommends that people stop using their old machines and replace them. That may well be part of the business plan to sell new ones.

In the image below, the orange markers indicate the plastic bits which are easily injured. The inner capstan and rotating prism have been removed along with the optical path.

All the best with your endeavours.

STEENBECK.jpg

Edited by Robert Hart
error
  • Like 2
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, thanks for such a generously detailed write-up, Robert. Sounds like tape, cardboard, and plenty of care are requisite things for me to take on the trip.

Dennis, thanks for the warning on Sarnia -- fortunately I'm not bringing any film with me, just lugging back the deck. Hoping someone will be able to chime in with regard to magic words I should say (or avoid) when bringing it back through customs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Robert Hart said:

There is a Steenbeck specialist in the US

Dwight Cody

cutfilm.com

Last time I had mine shipped as a practical prop they sent a big van with a tail lift and a man with lots of foam and straps. You probably haven't got one of those.

159277511_2916580181996864_8143110709372

Before that, a couple of times in the back of a car (not recommended- very heavy) and before that, I drove it myself in a smaller van to Scotland (only 500 miles lol). Note the motorcycle ramps, with Dexion rails bolted on.

22829408_1945219662466259_91870519225007

Remember the weight, probably north of 200kg. for a 6-plate.

Shame you don't have a customs union with Canada. We used to have one of those with.....never mind.

Edited by Mark Dunn
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

The playback stutter can also be caused by the line voltage being out of tolerance- unfortunately the older Steenbecks have a lower control range than the permissible variation in line voltage here- I don't know about the US. There's a fairly complicated adjustment process to deal with it if you don't have a variac, but Dwight has a simple fix for that as well. 

Robert's right about the fire risk, it's because old Steenbecks are usually very dusty, the cooling fan no longer works and the deck is made of wood. You're going to be doing a lot of vacuuming, and get yourself some brake cleaner or similar stuff.

Dwight can help with any components that are already toasty, or come back here and I can share what I've learned, from him or on my own. Likely candidates for replacement are capacitors. Watch out for burnt patches on the circuit boards- when a capacitor fails it often takes a resistor with it. I replaced the fan with one from our old boiler.

A Steenbeck is a bit like a puppy- for life, not just for Christmas. Look after it. Besides being useful, it's a classic of industrial design. Incidentally, mine also puts food on the table.

Edited by Mark Dunn
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mark -- will definitely be in touch if I find anything toasty or untoward once this thing is at it's new home. I've recapped vintage audio equipment before and do have a power conditioner and Variac. I appreciate the heads up that they might be needed.

Dwight has been very kind on the phone this past year when I've called in to work out logistics. He was of course thrilled to hear anywhere was getting their analog film program back in gear. He services Hampshire's 6-plate units nearby as well, so once we scrounge the funds we're definitely having him come do maintenance.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Be nice if Dwight gets some work out of this, he shares so much freely.

If it's the one in the thread you referenced, I think it's the ST900.

Here's the manual and circuit diagram, if you don't have it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DIDLxsTPFdAW05pfkGWXmsNu4Uz8Afjj/view?usp=sharing

The ST1600 manual has more in English including the speed setting procedure. This is my 4-plate, but the procedure's very similar, and a lot of the circuit boards as well.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mj5fHrV5yfRikvn8GnACIOJoSdX-99D7/view?usp=sharing

Edited by Mark Dunn
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a footnote about strapping the machine down. It is very top heavy so make sure the upper part is firmly secured by more than a wrap just under the tabletop but also the bottom of the legs in case they skip out during a bounce and let the top drop down through its straps and land the machine on its back no longer secured. Also use diagonal ties like springlines on a boat across and just under the metal casework to stop the machine from working back and forth and stretching the main straps. The mid strapping of the machine into the corner of the van looks good to me. The only extra I would do would be add a strap through the legs under the chin of the metal casework up to the next higher rail in the van.

Edited by Robert Hart
error
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Robert Hart said:

 The mid strapping of the machine into the corner of the van looks good to me. The only extra I would do would be add a strap through the legs under the chin of the metal casework up to the next higher rail in the van.

I would agree with the larger machine with the furniture legs.. What the pix don't show it that the 1600 has box section legs which angle forwards so it would resist popping out. I should add that the prop master's van may have uprated suspension to keep the lurching to a minimum, which OP probably won't have. But then American vehicles are as soft as jelly compared with ours ;)

When in the back of the car the legs come off (not an option for OP's model) and it sits strapped down on the motorcycle ramp supported by a wooden box. That's for short distances in town though. I charge a lot for delivery because I don't really want to do it.☺️

Edited by Mark Dunn
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've reshared those links- hope it works now

ST600/900

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DIDLxsTPFdAW05pfkGWXmsNu4Uz8Afjj/view?usp=sharing

St1600

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mj5fHrV5yfRikvn8GnACIOJoSdX-99D7/view?usp=sharing

Robert- sent them separately in case I've got it wrong

Edited by Mark Dunn
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

David,

Contact Customs for information.

See if the current owner has paper work for its original entry into Canada.  (That will take some digging).

Have your University (on its letterhead)  indicate the transaction to present to U.S. officials if necessary.

You can leave Canada with it no problem, but entering the U.S.  could be a problem....  maybe.

Have phone numbers of people at the University that can be contacted by Customs if you are detained/ not allowed to continue into the country.

There is probably nothing to "declare" as the machine wasn't made in Canada.  (was it?)

So if that is true there probably wouldn't be any taxes required.  (I am not a lawyer).  If you contact Customs they will explain what is or is not taxable/declarable.

Just don't take home any other things that should be declared, forcing you to explain the machine in back.

I used to cross into Canada over a ten year period with equipment for Golf tournaments and the one time coming back to the U.S. I didn't have proper documents was the morning of 9/11.  Eight hours later I was allowed to drive away with the machines.

If you look like a dirtbag they will be tempted to search your vehicle, but if you look presentable and not worried there won't be (usually) any reason to detain you (unless you get the guy who is training a new man and decides that you are the perfect person for the trainee to do his first inspection as lead rather than as observer as happened in Montana, one lightly snowy morning coming  back from Vancouver, Canada).

If you are staying overnight, and you really should, as sixteen hours on the road is an extreme invitation for disaster, then by all means treat yourself to a glass or two of Alexander Keith's India pale ale with dinner.  I am forever grateful to the Canadians who tipped me to this beer, and always packed a large cooler with enough to last me a week or two after my return home.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Mark for such great resources, and thank you Robert for the further advice on the loading.

Eric, you're right -- I should just call and ask, but I'm also grateful for your similar scenario about the golf equipment; that's pretty much the kind of anecdote I was hoping to hear. And I totally agree: Alexander Keith's is great. My wife and I and some friends who have family up in Nova Scotia took a tour of their brewery a few years back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

David,

Yeah, go ahead and call them, the worry may be much ado about nothing 

.At least you'll have a better idea of how it should play out.

I'm glad you're familiar with Keith's,  I was afraid the quality might have gone downhill after the purchase by Anheuser Busch.

Good Luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/6/2022 at 12:04 AM, David Bendiksen said:

This coming weekend I'll be picking up a Steenbeck 6-plate in Toronto and driving it back to Amherst MA in a van, 8hrs each way. Thanks to a fantastic thread from a few years ago (https://cinematography.com/index.php?/forums/topic/77517-help-dismantling-a-steenbeck-for-moving/) I feel more prepared with good advice on how to go about the physical moving itself, but I'm hoping to tap into the well of knowledge/experience on the issue of bringing a piece of equipment like this back through customs. What should I expect? Will I owe import fees? Couldn't quite decide whether this question more appropriately belonged under "Editing" or "General Discussion," but since it might be answered by someone who's brought back a similar piece of hardware, I figured I'd put it here.

If it helps, no money is exchanging hands -- it's being donated to our university program by a very kind guy. But I don't actually know if that's pertinent in terms of coming back into the country with goods I didn't enter with. I can draw up something on university letterhead stating as much; or if need be, I can hand the guy a buck and state that it was sold for $1 to override potential overvaluation, etc.

Of course, if anyone state-side within about the same drive happens to have a spare Steenbeck and feels like saving me the trip... send me a message! 

 

Good for you!

When you get settled with it, make a film on it working.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Update for posterity: called CBP, they instructed me to call the specific border crossing station, which I did; they rerouted me to a line for customs questions, where the agent there replied that since the valuation is under $2500, I don't need to fill out a form, but that bringing something on letterhead saying it's being donated would be a good move, along with a printout of something like the price sheet from Cutfilm to show valuation. Wish me luck tomorrow! And if anyone's in Toronto and could lend a hand with the heavy lifting, shoot me a message since we could certainly use the help. Thanks everyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Cutfilm's lowest listed price for a 6-plate is $4000- has he valued it for you separately?

https://cutfilm.com/used.html

so watch out for that.

You are certainly going to need assistance even to push it through a doorway- chances are the castors will be very tired. And we've probably said this before but it's worth repeating- don't lift  the tabletop, only the case. The good news is Steenbeck are very robust, but it's also the bad news as most of that hardware is solid steel.

The machine probably won't have travelled as far as you're taking it since it came off the plane in about 1965 (I took one on an 1100-mile round trip a while back and that was quite a show) so we would all like an update. Good luck.

Edited by Mark Dunn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did it! And I made it back home safely. 1000 miles, just about 17 hours driving round-trip.

Attached are a couple cell phone pics (sorry for the low res) of how we got it in. We were just careful, moved slow, and it was really no trouble at all, one of us on each end of it. Three elements greatly eased the process:

1) Before I arrived the former owner removed the screen, the speaker+mount, and part of the top before we got there, allowed us to roll just the mainframe through the front door on its casters which were in good shape (had to pull off the door)

2) Motorcycle/atv/etc ramp kit. They're two Z-shaped 750lb-rated aluminum pieces that you bolt to the end of the longest board you can bring to make a ramp. I got mine for something like $25 and used them to load a 500lb 90s Honda Shadow into a truck back in 2015, so I knew it could take the weight. Here's a link to a nice set: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Erickson-12-in-x-12-in-Aluminum-Ramp-Plates-Kit-07300/312522399

3) For $5-10 when it goes on sale, pick up a 4-pack of ratcheting tie down straps from Horror Fright (https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-capacity-1-in-x-15-ft-ratcheting-tie-downs-4-pk-63094.html) or similar. We looped these around the legs/frame and anchored them into the very convenient steel lugs in the floor of my Chrysler Town & Country where the seats normally attach (they fold down and stow away leaving these anchor points free). Then we used bubble wrap and sheets of cardboard to protect things during transit. I stopped at several points on the drive home to see if anything needed tightening but the Steenbeck didn't shift at all.

No trouble at all going through customs at the border, either -- Mark, in answer to your question, I brought a printout of some completed eBay listing I'd saved in the past few years to show similar valuation under $2500 (especially in its "as is" state...), and combined with a simple write-up on letterhead saying it was being donated rather than purchased, it didn't take more than two minutes of waiting for them to send me on through.

A huge thank you to everyone in this thread who offered precautions and advice!

Now comes the fun of getting it cleaned up and refurbished because boy is it going to need it, so I'll make periodic updates in a new post as that gets underway. It's an ST900W at one time owned by CBC Canada. First order of business: it smells *strongly* of cat urine and smoke. My solution: get a bottle of Ozium from the auto parts store. I swear by this stuff -- cheaper than an ozone generator if you just have one or two projects. Sprayed half a can into the car when I got home, closed it up to sit and dissipate, and it's already much better after a few hours.

Steenbeck move 1.jpg

Steenbeck move 2.jpg

Steenbeck move 3.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/12/2022 at 4:09 PM, David Bendiksen said:

3) For $5-10 when it goes on sale, pick up a 4-pack of ratcheting tie down straps from Horror Fright (https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-capacity-1-in-x-15-ft-ratcheting-tie-downs-4-pk-63094.html) or similar. We looped these around the legs/frame and anchored them into the very convenient steel lugs in the floor of my Chrysler Town & Country where the seats normally attach (they fold down and stow away leaving these anchor points free).

Having moved quite a bit of furniture in the past I would say I never recommend ratchet straps. It's too easy to over-tighten and damage your goods, and tying down a load with regular straps or rope does not require tensioning tighter than a good hand-tighten (just make a loop to tension, hand tighten the loop and tie off the load). The tension straps are really designed for pallets on semi-trailers, not small loads, anyway well done for moving it safely!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/12/2022 at 7:46 AM, Robert Hart said:

If you are missing any of the nylon rings which the platters rest upon and cannot get hold of a replacement, a ring tidily cut from leather furry side up makes a fair substitute.

I used linoleum until I got the real thing from a 99p box of spares off eBay.

On 9/12/2022 at 7:09 AM, David Bendiksen said:

cat urine

That's a new and highly icky one.  Perhaps he liked it because it was warm?  Speaking of warm, remember the cooling fan.

You'll probably be bleaching any surface that can take it, but eeuw. As long as it's not in the fibreboard one hopes all will be well with a good clean.

First-class work! You asked for advice and acted on it. We like that round here. Good luck with the machine

As always Dwight is the steely-eyed missile man of choice, but I've had the back off a few of these in the last couple of years at the Cinema Museum so feel free to ask about anything.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
On 9/6/2022 at 12:47 PM, Mark Dunn said:

Last time I had mine shipped as a practical prop they sent a big van with a tail lift and a man with lots of foam and straps. You probably haven't got one of those.

Dwight Cody helped me move mine back in the 90s from one apartment to another. I learned about how to take it apart and move it down three twisty flights of stairs that day - things I wish I had known previously! By the time I moved out of my last place, I owned a 1971 VW camper van. I considered dismantling the Steenbeck as Dwight showed had me on the previous move, but on a hunch we slid the side door open and lo and behold, it was like that van was designed to move flatbed editors. Four people to lift it and it slipped  right in. Fit like a glove. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Perry Paolantonio said:

Dwight Cody helped me move mine back in the 90s from one apartment to another. I learned about how to take it apart and move it down three twisty flights of stairs that day - things I wish I had known previously! By the time I moved out of my last place, I owned a 1971 VW camper van. I considered dismantling the Steenbeck as Dwight showed had me on the previous move, but on a hunch we slid the side door open and lo and behold, it was like that van was designed to move flatbed editors. Four people to lift it and it slipped  right in. Fit like a glove. 

Well, I now have a pair of motorcycle ramps, bought by a show I worked on, with L-shaped storage rack supports as rails bolted on, and some great 3-inch double castor wheels. So I can get it in our large hatchback, legs off, but I prefer a small van rented by the show. The way I make this happen is by charging a lot for delivery. So the last two shows have sent a big prop van (big by European standards- search "luton van" because they used to be made in Luton, Bedfordshire -it's become a generic term).

But as you say the best way is really four strong grips who'll just grab it by the legs and carry it up and down steps.

Like this.

DSC08806-2.jpg

Still had to get it out of the car ourselves back home, though.

Edited by Mark Dunn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...