Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » What Kind of Glue Was it?

   
Author Topic: What Kind of Glue Was it?
Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002


 - posted 01-20-2009 05:06 AM      Profile for Jack Ondracek   Author's Homepage   Email Jack Ondracek   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Back when DFS/ETS was National Film Service, they used some kind of water-based glue and a paint brush to attach the labels to the film cans. The stuff was brown, IIRC. Over here, they mixed it in half an old metal single-reel can, and the stuff seemed to last as long as they kept water in it.

Does anyone know what the stuff was?

On the same relative subject... how about the glue that billboard companies used on their paper rolls? It probably wasn't brown, but the application is roughly the same. Watered-down Elmer's?

 |  IP: Logged

Paul H. Rayton
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 210
From: Los Angeles, CA , USA
Registered: Aug 2003


 - posted 01-20-2009 12:30 PM      Profile for Paul H. Rayton     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi, Jack - I seem to recall hearing someone once call it "silicate", or something like that. Its color was virtually clear after they slathered a layer of it on the can, but you're right, it certainly kept those labels affixed, seemingly forever. Kind of like "rubber cement" they still sell in stationery stores, but not so smelly (and probably less toxic, and less intoxicating...)

I'm sure eventually someone will have the full info on it.

 |  IP: Logged

Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000


 - posted 01-20-2009 01:09 PM      Profile for Bill Enos   Email Bill Enos   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I'm betting the brown water based stuff was plain old hot or cold hide glue. It sets up fast, was cheap back then, non toxic. Used primarily in furniture making and organ and piano building. Contrary to what many believe it is very strong when used correctly.

 |  IP: Logged

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004


 - posted 01-20-2009 01:19 PM      Profile for Monte L Fullmer   Email Monte L Fullmer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Jack Ondracek
DFS/ETS was National Film Service, they used some kind of water-based glue
Crud, they still use the same stuff as back when NFS was still alive...

The many times I used to travel to NFS to deliver film back to the depot when I was a driver, and also when NFS and ETS were separate depots, both depots used the same goop (which is very water soluable - take a spray bottle of water and soak the label and label comes right off..) that was stored in a coffee can and the stuff was brushed on by a paintbrush...

..almost reminded me of flour paste....

-Monte

 |  IP: Logged

Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006


 - posted 01-20-2009 01:56 PM      Profile for Jim Cassedy   Email Jim Cassedy   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I always assumed it was good old-fashioned mucilage.

I'm not sure what it's made of but I'm pretty sure it's water based and was often used as a label paste.

My 2nd guess would be the hide glue as Bill Enos suggested.

 |  IP: Logged

Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-20-2009 05:38 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I was told it was called fishglue
http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v19/bp19-29.html

 |  IP: Logged

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 01-20-2009 05:42 PM      Profile for Tony Bandiera Jr   Email Tony Bandiera Jr   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Gordon McLeod
I was told it was called fishglue
http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v19/bp19-29.html

Ahhh, higher education, the future of America.....

They have the picture captions transposed. Duh......

 |  IP: Logged

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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


 - posted 01-20-2009 05:46 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Teaser topic title!

 |  IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-20-2009 05:54 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Jim Cassedy
I always assumed it was good old-fashioned mucilage.

Thats what I think it was too! It was real cheap... Made from parts of old horses [Eek!] .

Mark

 |  IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-20-2009 06:22 PM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our local DFS (ETS) depot uses 3M spray adheasive. It works fine when they use enough spray and apply it evenly (which is maybe half of the time).

 |  IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 01-24-2009 11:52 AM      Profile for Frank Angel   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Angel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The original 3M Spray Adhesive was a great product in that you could apply it to one surface and it would go on super fast, evenly and create a very strong hold. Applied to both surfaces would allow you a bit of repositioning time. Down side, they found it was carcinogenic -- your material would hold together indefinately, but you would be dead. 3M wisely reformulated it to get rid of the pesky toxins.

quote: Jim Cassedy
I always assumed it was good old-fashioned mucilage.
Isn't this a breakfast cereal? [Big Grin]

 |  IP: Logged

Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999


 - posted 01-24-2009 12:02 PM      Profile for Tim Reed   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Btw, what DID they used to use on billboards? I always figured it was the same stuff as used on film can labels.

 |  IP: Logged

Phil Blake
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 558
From: esperance western australia
Registered: Nov 2003


 - posted 01-25-2009 08:54 PM      Profile for Phil Blake   Author's Homepage   Email Phil Blake   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
he glue sounds like what we used over here. We used simple wallpaper paste , mixed it with water in a bucket , just kept thew water topped up used it for poster boards and sticking labels on film cans, it also used to go brown after a while.

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)  
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2

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.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.