8mm Forum: Cleaning 16mm film and how to go about it :)!!!

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Topic: Cleaning 16mm film and how to go about it :)!!!

Elyas Tesfaye
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 520
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Registered: Nov 2012

posted October 02, 2014 05:58 PM

Hello all,
a few of my features have some scratches on them and I remember seeing a thread on the subject of cleaning film and all the pulleys n such mechanisms to hook up to your machine to go about the feat. Could someone please tell me more on the same and thanks n advance, as always [Smile]

!!!

Best,
ET

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Doug Thompson
Junior
Posts: 20
From: Jacksonville, FL USA
Registered: Nov 2012

posted October 05, 2014 07:37 PM

Well, here's my two cents on it.

First, make sure all damage is repaired. If a torn sprocket or lifting splice goes through what ever cleaning media is used, a tear might result.

I don't have a proper film cleaning unit, so I use FilmGuard on a folded paper towel. I wind the film several times applying FG to the base side only, at rewind speed. I use a clean section of the paper towel on each pass. Since the projector hasn't much torque in forward, I only rewind. Some reel's spindle holes are square/round, so the wind going head to tail is emulsion in (assuming camera original or print with emulsion away from the lamp.) After I'm satisfied that the emulsion has some FG fairly well transferred to it from being wound next to the wetted film base, I gently sandwich the film between the paper towel with a little more FG and wind another time or two, the first time changing to an unused section every 200 or 300 feet. Yeah, I'm over-applying a bit, but I don't want to scratch the emulsion. You will be surprised how much brighter the picture from formerly dirty prints will be.

Should splicing be needed before the FilmGuard evaporates (a year or so), clean the area to be spliced with PEC-12 or alcohol on a paper towel. PEC-12 can be gently scrubbed A FEW times without damaging the emulsion. (According to the label, it stands for Photographic Emulsion Cleaner.) With alcohol, one wipe only with plenty of alcohol. A little PEC-12 on a magnetic track should be OK, but alcohol will thin it a bit.

PEC-12 is great for stubborn trash like hardened adhesive.
So, why don't I just use PEC-12? Because it's so darned expensive!

Alright then. LET THE CRITICISM BEGIN!!!

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Elyas Tesfaye
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 520
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Registered: Nov 2012

posted October 10, 2014 09:31 AM

Criticism? No... Kudos? Oh yes [Smile]

!!!

Thank you for the very specific tips and on that note, where can I get this film guard [Smile]

? Thanks again and hope you're having a great weekend [Smile]

!!!

Best,
ET

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted October 11, 2014 09:50 AM

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/FilmGuard-Film-Cleaner-Lubricant/dp/B0041XO5JE

--------------------
Maurice

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Doug Thompson
Junior
Posts: 20
From: Jacksonville, FL USA
Registered: Nov 2012

posted October 11, 2014 10:14 AM

Elyas,

The weekend has started very well, thank you.

I try not to take myself too seriously. The criticism remark was only to address folks who might reply "well the way I do it is better because..." (How many trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb? Five. One to do it, and four to say how much better they could have done it.) And I'm sure there are other, better ways to use the product if one is short a proper film cleaning unit. Come on, folks. Y'all can chime in too!

Here's a link to the page of distributors of FilmGuard:

http://www.film-tech.com/dealers.php

[Edit:]
Sorry, Maurice. I was lazily typing my reply, and you got in before I posted. I didn't even think of Amazon as a source. Good on you.

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Rob Smith
Junior
Posts: 4
From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Registered: Aug 2014

posted October 18, 2014 07:39 PM

Edwal Anti-Stat VS FilmRenew VS FilmGuard

I have been getting mixed suggestions about FilmGuard, my uncle tells me that its not a cleaner its a lubricant. Mainly used by projectionists for the very purpose of maintaining the films integrity by filling in scratches, given it was being run 3 times a day, everyday. FilmRenew is also a lubricant and not a cleaner. He said I should use Edwal Anti-Stat as cleaner, to wipe any trace of FilmRenew or FilmGuard that has not evaporated, to ensure no blotches are left behind. My films are in great shape, I store them in the right temperatures with no humidity. I am not in need of renewing any film though I am sure I will buy a crusty gem of a film at some garage sale and will need to give it some TLC.

So my question is, Edwal Anti-Stat; is it just as good as FilmGuard and FilmRenew as a cleaner? Is my Uncle wrong?

--------------------
Sir John Talbot: "All astronomers are amateurs. When it comes to the heavens, there's only one professional." ~The Wolf Man 1941

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Clinton Hunt
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 845
From: Waharoa,North Island,New Zealand
Registered: May 2010

posted October 18, 2014 09:04 PM

I use Filmguard and after I got it I read alot of comments both positive and negative, but it does what I want it to do and that is clean all the guages of film I own.To me it does a good job.
I think it is a simple case of what ever works for you is the right one for you.... [Smile]

--------------------
Cheers from me in New Zealand :-)

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Elyas Tesfaye
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 520
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Registered: Nov 2012

posted October 20, 2014 11:14 AM

WOW!!!

Thanks a ton, all [Smile]

!!! I'll be sure to get on this and back to you all on how I've fared n cheers [Big Grin]