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Author Topic: Life without film cleaners Carmine Occhino Film Handler Posts: 27 From: New york city Registered: May 2003 posted 07-31-2003 10:23 AM                     I am having no luck convincing management to order the film guard package, not even the bottle. All I have to use is Xecote which seems to help prevent hard buildup in the gate/trap. Given the fact that I run the shows only half of the time and the other guy has problems even brushing out the trap, how long can a new print be kept in acceptable condition ? Am I wasting my time doing all the cleaning and dusting on my shifts ?  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-31-2003 10:27 AM                    Just remember that xekote is a lubricant for gates and film not a cleaner. I would not suggest using it in the same manner as film guard. I would try and get a sample from Brad and demonstrate it's use for your theater. So long as you have a film cleaner that is. It is important to keep eveything clean and maintained. I have ran films for months and they stayed in acceptable condition. Minimal dirt few if any abraisions. Keep careing that is what is important.  |  IP: Logged Carmine Occhino Film Handler Posts: 27 From: New york city Registered: May 2003 posted 07-31-2003 10:31 AM                     Yes Darryl sorry if I was unclear that is what I use it for..to lubricate the trap and gate.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 10:33 AM                        IMHO, using an on-line film cleaner is one of the easiest and least expensive ways of improving presentation quality. A good investment in "Film Done Right".  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-31-2003 02:12 PM                        After seeing the amount of crap that is picked up by the film cleaner, I would never go without one. I was especially surprised by the amount of dust on new prints.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 04:05 PM                        The "dust" on new prints often comes from the well-worn and dirty shipping cases. But another factor is that the first few times through a projector, the sprockets and rollers scuff the perforations and edges of the film, generating some debris until the film becomes "burnished". Using a film cleaner removes this debris before it can become stuck to the film.  |  IP: Logged Jesse August Film Handler Posts: 58 From: Vancouver British Columbia Registered: Jul 2003 posted 07-31-2003 09:45 PM                     When you speak of film cleaner do you mean particle transfer rollers (P.T.R's).  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 09:58 PM                        Kodak's PTRs clean the film by simple contact adhesion with a specially finished polyurethane roller. So nothing is put on the film. They are especially useful in applications like IMAX projectors, cleaning raw stock, cleaning printing negatives, on telecines, etc. where nothing can be added to the film. The other popular on-line cleaner is the web cleaner, originally developed by 3M (and commercialized for motion picture projectors by Christie and Kelmar) as a dry web that captured dirt particles, and now often used with FilmGuard to also treat film prints with a proprietary formula that provides lubrication.  |  IP: Logged Jesse August Film Handler Posts: 58 From: Vancouver British Columbia Registered: Jul 2003 posted 07-31-2003 10:09 PM                     I am an IMAX projectionist. And we use PTRs and nothing else. That's why I was wondering what was being discussed. Thanks.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 10:25 PM                        I was the leader of the Kodak team that developed and commercialized PTRs for motion picture film cleaning, which just won this year's EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/awards/03winners.html http://millimeter.com/ar/video_kodak_receives_epa/  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-31-2003 10:54 PM                        Hey! Media cleaners don't damage the ozone! They need the award, too! Hmmm... my fingernail clippers also do more to protect the ozone than damage it. Another award required! Media cleaners might win if there were more corporate/political pull behind them. The next president of the US will see to that (we will purchase this president... don't think it can't be done!)  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-31-2003 11:00 PM                        quote: They need the award, too! Then why don't you submit an application to the EPA?: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/awards/02index.html http://www.epa.gov/ozone/awards/NominationForm_Ozone_2004.pdf  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-31-2003 11:46 PM                        Prolly 'cause I didn't invent it.  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 08-01-2003 01:22 AM                     I am a staunch supporter of Film Guard; it really keeps a print clean. I can attest to the fact that by using Film Guard, along with proper film handling, equipment cleaning and maintenance, a print can look just as good after months of use as it did on its initial showing! But I do have a question for John Pytlak and Joe Redifer. The booth of my old employer was vented directly to the outside with no filters or booth atmosphereic control. The projectors were the Christie package. What would happen is (even with the use of FG), a newer print would leave a rather heavy paste on the gate bands and rollers (especially on SRD Digital Soundheads).I never had any scratches or loss of sound due to this problem, but I would like to know if I could have done something within my realm to prevent this from happening? What do you think was causing this to happen?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-01-2003 01:58 AM                        When was this theater built? The older Christie trap/gate combo was pretty rough. I had a Christie theater that opened in early 1998 I believe. We had the same problem (multiplied by 24 since we didn't have Filmguard at the time). Christie actually recommended making a loop of fullcoat mag and running it in the projectors overnight to smooth things out. Then the next night I was to do the same thing again, only reverse the loops so they were rubbing against the gate instead of the trap bands. To my knowledge Christie has resolved this problem as I have not heard of it in the newer installations.  |  IP: Logged

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