8mm Forum: HELP! cleaning the sides of debris.

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Topic: HELP! cleaning the sides of debris.

Timothy Price
Master Film Handler

Posts: 335
From: Minneapolis, MN. USA
Registered: Nov 2009

posted December 21, 2009 08:13 AM

Hey all...

I have a great new projector, I just need to clean the debris off the sides of the frame. I don't think it's the lens itself (but, I don't really know)

When i watch a movie there's schmutz on the sides of the picture. Looks like maybe dust and hair.

Love some guidance on this! Thanks!!

Tim

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John Whittle
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 791
From: Northridge, CA USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 21, 2009 08:36 AM

Tim
Sound like dirt in the film gate. Perhaps if you mentioned the type of projector someone could give you directions for removing and cleaning the gate.

This is something you should do before every screening since dirt in the gate will lead to scratches on the film which will be permanent.

John

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 21, 2009 09:32 AM

I usualy spray canned air throughout the gate and this usually does the trick.

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted December 21, 2009 09:58 AM

Timothy,

Get thee to CVS and get a bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol.
You also want: a can of compressed air with the thin little 'straw' so you can reach in and spray.
See if anyone offers a bulk pack of these, as individually they get expensive these days.

For cleaning, I use chamois cloth, which doesn't "lint" on you, and which can be gotten in a sewing-supply store for fairly little (you do want white, so you can see the dirt [Smile]

)
Just buy a yard or two and cut a piece off when you need it.

You should clean after every reel; it is the one way you can help avoid that awful sinking feeling of seeing a scratch suddenly appear on a cherished film. It becomes a habit very quickly.

Open the gate, spray the whole film path with air, and give the gate and pressure plate a quick 'polish' with chamois/alcohol, then a blast of air in the gate area.

Run the lamp with no film, and rack your focus in to see if the light shows any hairs in the gate. 99% of the time, one go is all it takes.

Q-tips with alcohol are handy for cleaning guide parts or transport parts that could have emulsion or splice debris stuck in them, just always blast it with air afterwards, to counteract any 'fuzzies' left behind by the tips.

Claus.

--------------------
"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Timothy Price
Master Film Handler

Posts: 335
From: Minneapolis, MN. USA
Registered: Nov 2009

posted December 21, 2009 10:01 AM

It's a Bell & Howell 36SR.

I do have a can a compressed air. Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the gate?

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted December 21, 2009 11:12 AM

Timothy,

No need for forgiveness, we are all here to learn [Smile]

The gate is the heart of the machine, right behind the lens. It's the little open square cut out of a metal plate where the film stops for a split second and gets illuminated by the lamp.

Right in front of the gate is the pressure plate to hold the film in place, usually on springs (in this case, the pressure plate is mounted on the swing-out lens assembly to the left):

Depending on your machine, you can either slide the lens out ( perhaps by rotating your focus knob completely in one direction; the ways differ depending on brand) or swing the lens assembly open to get to the gate area.

Claus.

--------------------
"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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