However, I do recall that a not-so-cool theatre supply house (now bankrupt) in the midwest was selling tubes of Lubri-Plate with a Century Gear Grease label. I thought it was kind of sleazy, personally.

Jason, I question the the theatre supply house's thoughts. I do not think you were getting official Century Gear grease. You might want to look for another supplier that will sell you the correct stuff.

Vasoline works, but not quite as well. However, I will use it in a pinch if needed. It doesn't adhere to the gears as well as Genuine Century Gear Lube.

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As for the grease (here we go again)...I'm being a good little boy by using the Lubriplate as per the (Westar) manufacturer's instruction. At this point, it is mainly because I have so much of it around.

I have heard that Vaseline® is okay and I've used it in an emergency. The machine survived just fine, but it's no fun cleaning that stuff off the gears.

Whatever I'm using, I remove the gears about every 3-6 months so I can clean away the old grease before adding fresh lube. It's become a very Zen experience for me.

~Manny (Over 1 billion served.)

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We carry spares for Westrex and Century gates and traps, so why would we complicate matters by carrying another line for these machines? Not that there's anything wrong with Kelmar stuff, I just don't see the need. Probably in the US there's a cost benefit, but by the time it reaches 'rip off Britain' there's likely little or no difference.

Use either Century Gear grease(which is Now Superlube with the Century label slapped on the tube), or just buy Superlube itself. I think its about a buck more than a tube of Lubriplate. Available at any Industral or bearing supply outlet. You won't be removing your gear train every 3 to 6 months to clean it off either. It will wipe right off even after 5 years.
Mark

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I was also taught to keep the gate open because doing so would keep the bands in a relaxed state. I was also taught to keep the pressure roller disengaged in the soundhead so that the drum doesn't form a "dent" in the rubber. In reality, I doubt that either of these issues have much basis in fact -- especially the spring thing. Do springs loose their flex tension by being kept in the taut position? Think about it. If they did, it probably isn't enough to be significant. Think of all the springs that remain flexed for years and years -- they don't somehow become less "springy;" it would seem this idea doesn't hold much merit. If it were true, we would be swapping out and replacing springs in everything.....continually. You can think of 100 things that have springs which are almost always in their flexed position -- they don't go bad and become unreliable with time.

As for the rubber "dent" thing, I would assume that if this were really a problem, these rollers would be the most replaced part ever, given how many times projectionists accidentally leave the roller in the closed position, pressing on the drum. I myself have done that and the projectors weren't used in months -- no dents, no thumping sound on the soundtrack as was the supposed result of such a transgression.

Maybe some projectionist decades ago thought up these ideas and they stuck and got propagated over and over until it became these mythical "facts."

I say, keep the gate any way you like, in either position a spring is going to be kept flexed; either the bands or the spring that keeps the gate closed will be taut. According to the theory, one or the other will eventually have no spring left. And keep the pressure roller against the drum -- it's not going to get a dent in it.

But I must say, it's kind of cool when you think about it -- some guy maybe almost a century ago thought up this stuff with nothing much really to test the theories yet they become the way all the projectionists around the world now do it.

As far as cleaning is concerned, n my experience as well as a toothbrush, a small paint brush is useful (i.e ½” size) for those hard to reach spots (if compressed air is not available). A Chief Projectionist in Wales also introduced me to that the best tool for cleaning gate runners/traps, pressure bands etc, which is a glass fiber brush (usually used for the leaning of circuit board tracks).

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Martin Dean

As for Westrex, I don't think that is the same as Westar...or is it?

~Manny (on time, everytime).

In the 80's ICECO bought Westrex's UK division and shortly afterwards moved it to the US

Pete, I don't use that stuff in Century, or Century knock-off's. I only use genuine Century Gear Lube in those machines, or Vasoline in an emergency pinch.

I might add this: If you have been using other crap (including Lubriplate) and you want to change to Century gear lube, you better clean all that old crap off the gears. Some of that stuff will not be happy with other types of lubricants.

The old Century "C" was using Century gear lube for a billion years, and it kept them happy. Need I say more?