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

This is topic Green Protect-A-Print Leader Super 8mm in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on October 09, 2012, 12:16 AM:

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

Thanks,
RS

Posted by Joe Balitzki (Member # 438) on 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...

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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

Posted by Joe Balitzki (Member # 438) on 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.

Posted by Brad Kimball (Member # 5) on 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.

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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

Posted by Joe Balitzki (Member # 438) on 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]

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on 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 ]

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on 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.

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on 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.

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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]

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on 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]

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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]

Posted by Joe Balitzki (Member # 438) on October 10, 2012, 01:15 AM:

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

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on 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.

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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!]

Posted by Jim Schrader (Member # 9) on 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

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on 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]

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on 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]

Posted by Dino Everette (Member # 1378) on 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....

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on 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.

Posted by Hugh Thompson Scott (Member # 2922) on 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.

Posted by Roger Shunk (Member # 2836) on October 15, 2012, 04:32 PM:

Hey Dino,
Just sent you a PM

RS

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