8mm Forum: Green Protect-A-Print Leader Super 8mm

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Topic: Green Protect-A-Print Leader Super 8mm

Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 09, 2012 12:16 AM

Does anyone know where I can find any Protect-A-Print Green Super 8mm film Leader?

Thanks,
RS

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Joe Balitzki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 529
From: Charleston, SC, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted October 09, 2012 02:46 AM

Roger, that leader is a poor substitute for cleaning the projector gate by hand. Its also somewhat abrasive. I used a roll to measure lengths of leader by its markings years ago. But if you don't find any, consider yourself better off without it. Its been years since it was manufactured...

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Movie Lovers Do It in the Dark

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 09, 2012 12:05 PM

Hey Joe,
Thanks for the heads up! I purchased a couple of shorts and they both came with the green protect-a-print leader. It seemed to be better than the standard white leader out there on the market.
Perhaps I'm just tired of the white leader and the green was a nice color change over the white. Can you get colored leader anywhere for Super 8mm?

RS

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Joe Balitzki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 529
From: Charleston, SC, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted October 09, 2012 01:33 PM

I know for certain Red & Green Leader is available from Wittner in Germany. Perhaps Steve Osborne carries some. I agree that Protect-A-Print Leader threads well due to its stiffness & thickness. But combined with its special coating, its abrasive! Stay far away from it! You can do a better cleaning job yourself.

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Movie Lovers Do It in the Dark

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted October 09, 2012 01:53 PM

I also bought a roll back in the late 70's and it was awful. It was rock hard and caused major mis-alignment problems in a nice CHINON 6000 that I owned. I had to discard the unit because the repair costs were equal to what my parents had paid for it. Eventually I saved enough $ to replace the projector, but vowed never to use any leader that was plastic or not just scrap film from another print I no longer cared to keep.

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 09, 2012 02:54 PM

Ok you all got me worried enough now so I will remove that awful leader off the two films that they are on. I already screened both films with the protect-a-print leader on so I hope I did not do any damage to my projector? [Mad]

Thanks for all your input!
RS

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Joe Balitzki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 529
From: Charleston, SC, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted October 09, 2012 03:20 PM

Anything to keep the man from "Happy Entertainment" Happy! [Big Grin]

*Dodges Whipped Cream Pie thrown by Roger* [Eek!]

You missed me!
[Razz]

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Movie Lovers Do It in the Dark

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted October 09, 2012 03:28 PM

I know P-A-P is not to be recommended for regular use but dare I admit that I do have some and like to use it VERY occasionally (maybe every year or two) on a Eumig which is otherwise so difficult to clean properly around the sound head that I can never be bothered to do it!

[ October 10, 2012, 10:21 PM: Message edited by: Adrian Winchester ]

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Adrian Winchester

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted October 09, 2012 04:10 PM

You can't even get to parts of an Eumig film path without significant disassembly, so P-A-P leader is indeed a terrific idea for that. Thanks for the suggestion.

Roger, don't throw it away. It's great stuff for what it is, won't damage anything (right away), but was better suited for back in the days of classroom films and so forth where you could depend on the projectors never ever being cleaned.

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Joe Taffis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1592
From: United States
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 09, 2012 04:32 PM

Personally I never had a problem using P-A-P. Brad, did you run a whole 50' reel upside down through there or what???? [Big Grin]

For anyone who has never used Protect-A-Print leader, one side (the under side) is perfectly smooth to clear the film path of dust or whatever, the other (top) side is a little rough, but I wouldn't call it abrasive. Just my 2 cents worth.

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Joe Taffis

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 09, 2012 06:09 PM

I think you all misunderstood my thread? I'm not using the protect-a-print leader to clean the film gate. It was spliced on my two films I purchased since there was no heads or tails on both films. [Confused]

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Bill Phelps
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1482
From: USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted October 09, 2012 06:40 PM

I think the whole purpose of the P-O-P leader is to clean the film path of debris before actual film gets there. I have it on one or two films but I can't remember which ones.

So every once in a while P-O-P gets run through the projector....I usually clean the film path myself before every reel with air and soft brush. I wouldn't worry about it too much...just leave it on those shorts and every once in a while it will clean out your film path!

Bill [Smile]

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 09, 2012 06:51 PM

OK Bill I think I will heed your advise on this one!
Thanks for your feedback!

And Joe quit clowning around it takes one to know one! [Smile]

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Joe Balitzki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 529
From: Charleston, SC, USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted October 10, 2012 01:15 AM

OK Roger, as long as you put that Seltzer Bottle down!
[Wink]

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Movie Lovers Do It in the Dark

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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003

posted October 10, 2012 05:51 AM

I used Protect-a-Print leader for a while in the 70's and 80's. It was o.k. and never hurt any of my equipment. It was good for me back then, because I never cleaned my film gates (I was not knowledgeable about going inside of projectors, and plus I was probably lazy too [Roll Eyes]

).

I think it doesn't hurt most well made equipment, but we must remember that all these bits and pieces inside the projector are getting older (like us), and are becoming more delicate in time, so I wouldn't recommend using it too much. I still have it on 3 or 4 of my digests.

James.

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 10, 2012 02:56 PM

OK James thanks for your feedback!

FYI Joe I don't do that gag anyway or the pies in the face either so you are safe on both accounts and besides people today are just too sue happy! [Eek!]

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Jim Schrader
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1628
From: Savage, MN, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 11, 2012 09:47 AM

super 8 movieman has yellow leader but this maybe plastic leader not acetate.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPER-8-LEADER-Yellow-NEW-/310393955352?pt=US_Film&hash= item4844ebe418

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jim schrader
"Let's see “do I have that title already?"

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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted October 11, 2012 12:41 PM

Ha Ha! PROTECT-A-PRINT!

Always rearing it's somewhat ugly head.

Basically, mild sand paper.

Absolute rubbish...although, like all things, did have advocates at the time.

Designed for the lazy projectionist of the 70's.

Why not just sand-paper your gate and sound-head...no? Thought not.

Chuck it in the bin.

Of course, no one will listen...

But then, I guess the original engineers never dreamt we'd be using it by now; projectors, films or WRECK-A-GATE, sorry, PROTECT-A-PRINT [Eek!]

Although, Adrian, with due consideration regarding the Eumig path, I do conceed I might have done the same! [Smile]

What a great hobby! [Big Grin]

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 11, 2012 08:02 PM

OK Jim thanks for the heads up! I will check it out.
Whoa I didn't realize I was opening a can of worms on the subject of Protect-A-Print Leader! I just received two films and printed on the leader were the words Protect-A-Print so I had no idea what that meant or exactly what it's purpose was but now thanks to the forum members I got more information than I needed on the subject? But thanks for all your input! [Big Grin]

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Dino Everette
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1535
From: Long Beach, CA USA
Registered: Dec 2008

posted October 14, 2012 11:48 PM

But just to re-open it...I have a reel with close to 800 feet of said leader if you really need any....

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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"

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Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted October 15, 2012 07:07 AM

Hi Roger. I always used to worry when the green bubbly protect a print leader came out that it was going to make its bubbly way over my super 8 projector sound head and wear the head out. [Eek!]

This was back in the 1970’s when many amateur film makers took to splicing it at the start of films entered into completions in the hope of assuring the projectionists gate was cleaned prior to their own film hitting the screen. However, when I projected at film festivals we always cleaned the gate by hand after each film and I guess everyone else did the same around the world at film fests.

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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God

Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012

posted October 15, 2012 08:32 AM

Just to open the can of worms even further, I have bought 16mm
prints with it on,and have found it a boon when using auto thread
no more foul ups threading up,success everytime.I don't think a
couple of feet of this stuff should do any harm.

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Roger Shunk
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 604
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Nov 2011

posted October 15, 2012 04:32 PM

Hey Dino,
Just sent you a PM

RS

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