my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » cleaning reflectors (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: cleaning reflectors William Dickson Film Handler Posts: 41 From: Riverside, Ca. USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-18-2000 12:00 PM                     I've read several lamphouse manuals and they all give different ways to clean the reflector. Some say use a dry cloth. Others say lens cleaner and lens tissue. Another says rubbing alcohol and a cotton cloth. What's best? I'd love to hear from John Pytlak on this.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-18-2000 12:02 PM                     The best and the safest is what the manufacturer recomends since all of the different coatings can be different  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-18-2000 01:00 PM                     One thing that I have found that works well on all types of reflectors in rubbing alcoholin a spray bottle and a soft lint free cloth, such as a cloth diaper. No matter how you clean it, 1st thing you should do is remove the bulb. then I lightly mist the reflector with the alcohol and in a circular motion start at the center and work my way out. then with a dry portion of the cloth and give it a once over removing any left over streaks.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-18-2000 04:28 PM                     One thing I have done many times that works well is to polish alumnized reflectors with Mothers Polish. Its available at your local auto parts store. Alumnizied reflectors are like the ones that come out of ORC lamp houses and consoles. This can make em like new except for the dings, dents and deep scratches. Ultra Flat also makes a reflector polish the works well. As far as doing dichroics, I would say thet it can't be done properly since the dichroic coating is only several molecules thick. Any polishing and or cleaning would probably change the filtering charasterics of the coating. These can be restored by Ultra Flat or simply replaced. Hope some of this helps. Mark  |  IP: Logged Pat Moore Master Film Handler Posts: 363 Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-18-2000 06:23 PM                     Normally the dichroic coating of a reflector should only require a gentle dusting with a soft lint-free cloth. DON'T use paper towels! Stains are best removed with a alcohol or windex if necessary, and use as little as possible. Be sure whatever you clean with leaves no film on the surface -- it will burn into the coating with the lamp running.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-19-2000 05:47 AM                        I agree with Pat Moore that gentle dusting is all that is usually needed. Any haze or "stains" should be removed by gentle wiping with a soft cloth dampened with isopropyl alcohol. Edmund Scientific sells special cleaners and cloths for cleaning delicate optical components. Never use cleaners containing abrasives or ammonia on delicate dichroic coatings. If the lamphouse cooling air intake has a filter, make sure it is clean and effective. Good housekeeping in the booth and a no smoking policy will do wonders to keep optics cleaner. ------------------ John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging Eastman Kodak Company Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419 Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243 E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 04-19-2000 06:19 AM                       I never will forget the old timer in KY who, after his first time doing maintenance on one of those new-fangled xenon lamphouses (a Lumex, I believe), said of the yellowish coating: "Well, it took me a couple hours and four boxes of Brillo pads, but I got it off!" ------------------ Better Projection Pays!  |  IP: Logged Mark Ogden Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 943 From: Little Falls, N.J. Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-20-2000 01:30 PM                     For a stained or VERY dirty reflector that does not have a dichroic coating, try this: soak a Handi Wipe in water and wring the hell out of it leaving it just slightly damp. Sprinkle a little Bon Ami cleanser on it (the cloth) and rub gently (and ONLY Bon Ami, don't try another powdered style cleanser, else much nashing of teeth and self-kicking of butt will result). Wipe off with another clean damp cloth, followed by dry cloth. This is for seriously munged-up-to-slightly pitted/scratched mirrors only, all else very light mist of lens cleaner on a lint free cloth.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-20-2000 01:45 PM                        Mark: I agree with you that Bon-Ami may be needed for really heavy deposits, but since it is mildly abrasive, it will wear away the dichroic coating with hard or prolonged use. Use it only as a last resort. I remember their trademark was a baby chick that had the caption: "It hasn't scratched yet". ------------------ John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging Eastman Kodak Company Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419 Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243 E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com  |  IP: Logged Pat Moore Master Film Handler Posts: 363 Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-20-2000 03:19 PM                     I'm absolutely with John on this one, but I would go so far as to say NEVER use Bon Ami or similar on a dichroich coated reflector. Bon Ami might be all right when carefully used on an enhanced aluminum or maybe even a rhodium-coated reflector. If a little alcohol and a soft cloth won't get a stain off a dichroic surface, you'r ein trouble. Pat  |  IP: Logged William Dickson Film Handler Posts: 41 From: Riverside, Ca. USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 04-20-2000 04:57 PM                     How can I tell what type of reflector is in each lamphouse? Our two theaters were hand me downs so there are several different types of lamphouses and we don't have the manuals for all of them.  |  IP: Logged Pat Moore Master Film Handler Posts: 363 Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-22-2000 09:08 AM                     William; A quick look at the surface of the reflector should tell you. If it's silver, it's most likely an enhanced aluminum, maybe rhodium. If it appears blue-ish or yellow-ish, it's a dichroic cold-coated reflector.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-21-2006 12:06 PM                 It has been 2281 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Iben Jimenez Film Handler Posts: 27 From: Cayey, PR, US Registered: Mar 2006 posted 07-21-2006 12:06 PM                     Men, A lot of questions... Well, What is exactly a dichroic mirror? What is the difference between hot, cold, and the different colors of the reflectors? Thanks  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-21-2006 12:46 PM                     Simplistically A cold reflector is the same as a dichroic reflector The Glass or Metal has a coating that only reflects visable light and the heat is passed through the coating and in the case of a glass reflector out throught the back into the lamphouse so the exhaust removes it. In the case of a metal reflector it is absorbed by the metal and the exhaust cools the metal down THe colour is the colour temperature of the reflected light which should be around 5400K  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.