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Author Topic: Christie AW3R Drive Wheel Deterioration Thomas Dieter Expert Film Handler Posts: 234 From: Yakima, WA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 07-30-2005 12:42 AM                     With this being my first time dealing with Christie AW platters at all, in the six months that I've been using them a number of the Drive Wheels have gone bad. Now I know that the wheels should be replaced every so often so to help with proper take up and feed out. But, I've been having problems with them breaking down and having the break down of the wheel on the platter. What would be the best way to clean this off, and how can I prevent this? This evening, I was cleaning one of the platters and I had to use a razor blade to scrape off the excess rubber. The rubber was so sticky, like a Glue Rat Trap, that I had to use Denatured Alcohol to aid in cleaning the razor blade. I also used the denatured alcohol and a green scrub pad to get the residue off. I can't say that that was the best way to clean it, but with what I had to work with to get the job done, it worked nicely. Now I just need to go through and put the motor back on, and clean the residue off the motor.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-30-2005 02:56 AM                        The best way to clean the mess off? Graffiti remover. How can you prevent this? Kinoton platters.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-30-2005 03:59 AM                     Return them to Christie. They have had a bazillion bad ones over the last 5 years and they are aware of it. I've never known them to not take care of their customers, so I doubt it's any big issue to get them swapped out. Or you could buy the ones from Wolk that have no record of turning into silly putty.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 07-30-2005 04:21 AM                     Magic answer machien to the rescue! I HATE those bad rollers. They were a nightmare. The good news is that you can get the goop off with some FilmGuard and a scotch-brite pad. Happy scrubbing.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-30-2005 04:56 AM                     ..just make sure that you have a good stock of "motor pucks" on store. Just don't mess with them - they get gooey, change them out. True, CHR did have a bad batch of pucks at one time, but last I heard that they have made, or bought a better material to make their pucks out of, not get gooey and "thump-thump-thump" quite so often. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-30-2005 08:11 AM                     In the past several years...there have been more bad batches than good ones. The Wolk rubber rollers seem to be doing the trick. I would not say that Christie only had a batch of bad ones.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-30-2005 08:34 AM                     I agree with Steve completely.... over the years there have been MANY batches of bad rollers with some literally turning to goo in a short period of time. I don't even mess with Christies rollers any more I just use the Wolk rollers, even for in warranty situations. A warranty service call costs a dealer alot more time and money than what the rollers cost, same goes when the customer is paying for the call. Never had a bad Wolk roller nor have I had one deteriorate. Never having problems and not having to keep spares around makes for happy customers! Mark  |  IP: Logged Thomas Dieter Expert Film Handler Posts: 234 From: Yakima, WA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 07-30-2005 10:36 AM                     Thanks Guys. I'll be sure to mention this to my GM and make sure that we get some good ones, that's if she doesn't read this before hand.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-30-2005 10:48 AM                        The Wolk rollers are the black ones. The last batch of Christie rollers that I've seen were white (which were also good). The orange-y Christies are the worst ones--you can tell that they are starting to deteriorate by looking at the center, where the rubber-like material meets the metal core. If you can see the material starting to ooze there, the roller should be replaced. I don't understand why Christie has so much trouble with these things. The ones that they were making in the 1980s were fine and many are still in daily use. By contrast, I know of a theatre built new in 1998, where all of the original drive pucks have been changed out with either newer Christies or Wolk rollers.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 07-30-2005 12:28 PM                     The biggest problem we've had at our theater with the Christie rollers is that they develop a flat spot. We've only had a couple turn to mush meanwhile about 10 of them have developed flat spots and require changing.  |  IP: Logged Matthew Bailey Master Film Handler Posts: 461 From: Port Arthur,TX Registered: Sep 2000 posted 07-30-2005 07:42 PM                     I was thinking about the Christie drive wheels. Figure out how to remove the rubber part from the metal center of the wheel & use sections of rubber hose usually found at hardware stores.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Dieter Expert Film Handler Posts: 234 From: Yakima, WA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 07-31-2005 12:02 AM                     Hey Guys, Thanks for the tips, the vandel remover worked wonders on the platters. Makes the platters look like they just came from the factory.  |  IP: Logged Carey Barber Expert Film Handler Posts: 143 From: Newport News, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 08-09-2005 07:11 PM                     I also have had a lot of problems with the whitish colored drive wheels for the AW3R. The sticky residue that they leave on the platter is an even bigger problem than the mishapen-ness that is caused to the drive wheel itself. Strangely enough, when I received two platter motors to replace two that had gone bad, they both had the black drive wheels attached. They are clearly made of a better material. I will be calling NCS or Christie to see if I can get these black drive wheels instead of the ones I normally get when I place an order for replacement drive wheels - which is very frequently thanks to their poor quality!!!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-09-2005 07:16 PM                     I just replaced 18 drive wheels in a theatre today in which 5 had turned to goo. Tye best bet is to remove ANY white drove rollers and replace with Wolks rollers. Cleaning that goo off the rim is a pain in the you know what. Mark  |  IP: Logged Carey Barber Expert Film Handler Posts: 143 From: Newport News, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-07-2005 02:08 PM                     I just received my first batch of the superior black drive wheels. For anyone interested, these are the item numbers: Old, whitish drive wheels - 192826-001 Avoid these at all costs!!! New, black drive wheels - 598931-923 These are far superior (and cheaper I believe)  |  IP: Logged

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