8mm Forum: Of Super 8mm and "Armour All"

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on October 10, 2008, 03:19 PM:

As Doug suggested, I thought I'd start a new post concerning applying "Armour all" to films, as it does interest me.

The questions are :

Are the ingredients to "Armour All" the same as we find in Film cleaners/conditioners?

Have those who have used "Armour All" on they're films, used it long enough to measure any potential bad side effects. A short time use of any film cleaner/conditioner may not show bad side effects, but, as we have found, some cleaners do not reveal thier bad properties until they have royally screwed up our film collections, whether that screw up is mag stripes coming off or color fade or complete dissolving of the film period.

So, the questions are out there. In my opinion, unless "Armour All and other like minded films are of the same compounds or ingredients as our average film cleaners (in the proper ratio) I see no problems with it. However, if not, I would rather err on the side of caution and stick with proper film cleaners, as they are specifically designed for film. I would hate to find, for instance, that using "Armour All" (or other cleaners with the same properties), would cause my L.P.P. prints to lose, perhaps, half of thier life due to use of these chemicals on them.

That's my two and three quarter cents opinion.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on October 10, 2008, 06:38 PM:

Hi Osi,
If you are happy using commercial film cleaners, then I would say to keep using them. I am probably overly safety conscious, and have a personal aversion to film cleaners because of the use of chemical solvents and the general lack of published safety information in the form of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Remember that Carbon Tetrachloride was widely used for decades as a cleaning solvent in many industrial applications, only to find out later that it is a very toxic carcinogen. Same thing with Asbestos, and Beryllium. One thing for sure, no one is going to take any responsibility if you get sick using anything - you are on your own to live with the consequences.
I don't want to be alarmist, but that is the way I feel, you just have to be extremely careful using any chemicals. That is the reason I use Armorall. It is a water based silicone emulsion, so when applied sparingly, the water causes slight swelling of the film base, which tends to close up minor scratches, and the silicone applies a lubricating film. I have had film which has been almost unprojectionable due to warpage and shrinkage, which now projects fine after a couple of applications of Armorall. It does a reasonable job of cleaning, reducing scratches, and smoothing the running of the film. Is it as good as a professinal film cleaner? - probably not. I have been using it now for about 8 years and have so far seen no adverse effects. Will I see anything bad in another 10 years - it's anybody's guess, but I would rather risk film than my own health.

Posted by Kevan Ellis (Member # 1232) on October 10, 2008, 07:18 PM:

I'm with you on this Paul
I can't see any reason not to use it. I wiped the film twice with Armour All and then buffed it the third time and it was smooth projecting after that. This film was so jumpy I thought it was going to break and it must be hard on the sprocket holes in the film.

Paul, I think you said once. "I would rather out live my film collection than the other way around" or something like that??Correct me if I'm wrong.

Kevan

Posted by Charles Bramlett (Member # 1246) on October 25, 2008, 12:20 AM:

Pardon my ignorance... but what is the best way to apply the Armor-all to the film?

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on October 27, 2008, 04:20 PM:

Get ArmorAll Protectant Wipes. Fold one over the film, and while holding it in place with a small amount of resistance created by pressure against your fingers, wind/rewind the film.

Be careful of tears and rough splices, which can snag, or fray lint onto the film.

If you don't want to wet the film but only want to dust it and add a little silicone, leave the wipe out in the open air until it's dry, then run film through it.

Posted by Charles Bramlett (Member # 1246) on October 27, 2008, 06:15 PM:

Bear with me (I'm new at this)... is a hand rewind required or can the same thing be done without one?

Posted by Kevan Ellis (Member # 1232) on October 27, 2008, 06:49 PM:

Hand rewinds would be best but I have appied silcon to film while rewinding a chattery film. Let it dry completly and replayed it through the projector and the film played like new.

Warning [Eek!]

This could be hard on the gears of the projector and would not do it often.

I made a pair of rewinds just the other day for this reason.

see pics

I tried to post pics but I saw an ugly face instead of the rewinds I had built. I thought I was holding the camera backwards or something. Oh well that was a complete waist of time.
Kevan

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