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Topic: Best way to stop platter squeak?

Masao Garcia
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Lancaster, CA, USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-31-1999 02:45 AM

I'd appreciate any solutions to stop Christie AW3R platter squeaks. I've been told by different people that you should never use something like WD-40 to lubricate anything on a projector/platter system. Would Lubriplate be okay? Also solns to roller squeaks would be helpful too. Thanks.

--MG

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-31-1999 02:50 AM

A quick shot of WD-40 on the center shaft of each offending roller will shut that thing up for months.

What other squeeks are you having?

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Masao Garcia
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Lancaster, CA, USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-31-1999 03:36 AM

So it is okay to use WD-40 on the rollers? Cool. There's this one platter, which kinda wobbles a bit (it's 9 years old) and at a certain part of the rotation, it gives out a squeak. I never have a problem with the squeak, but all my Usher B's thread funky-like and cause the squeak to rear it's ugly head. In the past, I found that if I pressed down on the middle of the platter, the squeak would subside until the next Usher B came along and did their thing. I know the platters were greased up when they were assembled, but I dunno if they've been re-greased since then.

--MG

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-31-1999 04:21 AM

Try this:

Take the platter deck off and flip the bearings upside down. After many years of use, a notch can develop in the axle of the platter and flipping the bearings will help smooth operation. Before replacing the deck, wipe the axle and bearings clean and relubricate with a high speed brake lubricant. It'll run smooth for many years without attention. Lubriplate can be used, but I prefer the brake lube.

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Scott Shepard
Film Handler

Posts: 8
From: Los Angeles, California, usa
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 10-31-1999 09:54 AM

I have found that WD40 will cause rust and give you an even bigger problem later. I tell all operators I come into contact with never use wd40. I know one tech that would throw it out as soon as he found it in booths. I had a bunch of lateral guide rollers sieze on Simplex Five Star heads because somebody used WD40 to free them up. It causes the shafts to rust. On AW3's, if a roller is squeaky I remove it clean the grime off the shaft and apply a light coating of Xecote and it works great after that.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 10-31-1999 01:07 PM

Scott, perhaps humidity is playing a factor?

(Also, to clear any confusion, I'm not recommending WD-40 for anything but Christie platter rollers.)

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 10-31-1999 04:06 PM

I had some of my UB's use WD-40 to stop rollers from squeaking.. They were fine for about 2 weeks until they started siezing up. From my experience, Scott is right, a little Xekote is all the lubricant you need (if you need any at all, sometimes they just need cleaned.)

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 10-31-1999 07:38 PM

FilmGuard makes a great lubricant. Much better than XeKote because it doesn't dry up as quickly. Your rollers will really spin smoothly! Just be sure to clean off any grime from the spindles that may already be there. If you are lazy, the FG should take care of it after a while.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-01-1999 04:00 AM

Hmmm, dumb as this may sound, I've never thought to try that, Joe. Next roller that speaks up, I'll attack it with a squirt of FilmGuard.

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Anthony Matarazzo
Film Handler

Posts: 30
From: Brisbane Australia
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-01-1999 04:41 AM

We use Cinemeccanica CNR platters. We never use and lubricants such as WD-40. We get very fine sand paper and sand the shaft ( just a few turns and not hard ) of the roller and sometimes rub in some graphite powder. Works well.

Also we have a spring from the platter body to the lever where the motor is. This makes the roller, from the motor to the platter run flat against each other. The rollers last longer as well.

Anthony Matarazzo
tony_matarazzo@hotmail.com

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-02-1999 10:47 AM

Pretty much the only thing I use WD-40 for (In the booth) is to clean the guide rods for the yo-yo on the Speco platters.

I spray it on a paper towel (away from the projector) and wipe it up and down the rods. Then wipe it with another clean paper towel till it's 'dry'. It will leave a little film on the rods but it won't get sticky, etc IF you wipe it dry.

It keeps my yo-yo's sliding nicely for months. I only have to do it a couple times per year.

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