8mm Forum: General guides to projecting and maintenance

This is topic General guides to projecting and maintenance in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=008046

Posted by Pete Richards (Member # 2203) on March 27, 2013, 02:55 PM:

Just wondering if there is a 'best practice' guide to looking after and projecting films. A guide to general projector maintenance would be great as well.
I hand inspect and clean my films before running them through the projector, check the claw and gate are clean, but what else should I be doing to ensure they stay in best possible condition?
Do people oil the gate or do any other procedures before screening a film?

Posted by Maurizio Di Cintio (Member # 144) on March 27, 2013, 03:49 PM:

Particles of dirt and dust may build up on the rubber surface of pinch rollers: if its surface has hardened and these particles are hard as well, chances are films get scratched with intermittent scratches. I regularly clean pinch rollers with a cotton swab soaked with film cleaner (I still have some supplies of Dreann Liquid Film Cleaner which is also very good for this purpose). Also the rest of the film path must be inspected.

Try to keep your reels (take up spolls) in such a way that the sides do not bend as this will cause noise when winding film and in the worst cases, even damages to film.

If you use your projector intensively, I suggest lubricating all inner moving parts regularly (once or twice a year) and check belt conditions: better replacing a belt approaching its end than having a print with a burnt frame caused by the film stopping with the shutter open due to a belt failure.... All the rest of your practices are absolutely OK.

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2