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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Kelmar Print Cleaner - Help
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Don Bruechert
Mmmmmmmmm, bird!
Posts: 340
From: Manitowoc, WI, USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 05-18-2003 01:04 PM
When I bought my first bottle of FG and went to use it I discovered that one of the rubber cores was missing from my Kelmar print cleaner. I sent an email to Kelmar and explained to them I was a new manager and everyone that knew anything was gone. I explained the problem and asked how to order the part. I got one in the mail a few days later - no charge. I have a great opinion of that company now, which is great, because we are using a lot of their automation equipment too.
The issue I have with FG, that I have been meaning to email to Brad but never get around to it, is that either no matter how much I soak the media, either there is very little FG getting on the print, or the lamp is drying it off before it ever gets to the takeup side of things. I have typically been running filmguard on a print for 4 or 5 plays and then moving on to another print. I only have one cleaner, but I have brackets on all the projectors except 2 of them. I don't know if there isn't enough back tension on the film or what... I have had a couple of times where I have seen "The liquid effect" during the first couple plays of a film, but it is very rare.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 05-18-2003 01:22 PM
A few things can influence that Don. First, what brand of media are you using? The Big Sky/Neumade/Filcro/Standard brands are not too effective in holding the FG on the roll. The Kelmar and Film-Tech media are the better choices, but all will work.
Big Sky/Standard brand media comes in a white corrugated box with a label on top denoting the brand name. Each pair of rolls is in a ziploc bag. The cardboard cores fit extremely tight and frequently cannot be used on the takeup shafts. Obviously you need to wind this media over to the coupling cores before use. We have found that the slitting on these brands is a bit substandard. Recently we have been playing with a sample box of each and the media required constant attention to keep it running straight on the cleaners. Obviously, if it starts to drift to the side, you will scratch your print. The other choices do not have slitting issues.
Neumade/Filcro comes in a lightweight brown cardboard box with no label. Each pair of rolls are shrinkwrapped. This is essentially the same media as Big Sky/Standard brand, just packaged differently and slit better. The cores are super tight as well.
Kelmar comes in white corrugated boxes with no label. Each pair of rolls are placed in a non-sealing bag and taped closed. These cardboard cores fit nicely.
Film-Tech media comes in white corrugated boxes that are clearly labeled. The rolls are placed directly into the box. Why no baggie? There is really no need and it helps to keep the price down. This is the only media that comes on plastic coupling cores. The plastic cores drive the manufacturing cost up for us noticeably, but we do have that recycling program where you can send them back for free FG and media. (I would rather "buy them back" from the customers than buy new ones from the manufacturer. This also helps to reduce the effective cost of the media to the end user.) The plastic cores fit loosely on the shafts so there is little drag during operation. Sometimes depending on your sample of rubber inserts for the takeup shafts, these cannot be used for takeup. We are working on a slight redesign of these cores to address a couple of requests.
Remember the film will not be dripping wet after a pass. The coating is very thin and light. Depending on the film stock and lab, some prints may appear to have liquid streak marks when you are physically holding the film up to a light and other films will appear to have a flat coating from edge to edge. Regardless, this does not affect projection or performance.
The liquid streaking is generally only noticeable on the first showing. It is important to remember that the brighter your projected picture is, the more clearly you will be able to see the streaking. If you are under SMPTE standards of 16fl, you may not be able to see the streaks at all. In both instances, the "first pass streaks" are generally only noticeable on bright scenes.
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Don Bruechert
Mmmmmmmmm, bird!
Posts: 340
From: Manitowoc, WI, USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 05-19-2003 09:23 AM
I'm pretty sure we have Kelmar media. It comes in a white corrugated box and I don't recall there being a label on it. The box contains plastic bags with 2 rolls of media and 2 extra cores in them. The bags are not ziplock and I don't recall them being taped - I think they are heat sealed. They do seem to have nice even edges and are easy to rewind with the edges lined up nice. I also don't notice any apparent drift while running. I ran one of our matrix prints through last night and it seems like it got coated well. My test for if it is coated is to take a clean finger and briefly touch the film where it comes out of the cleaner, looking for that "greasy" feel, and then another clean finger on the take-up platter. Sometimes the film seems dry coming right out of the cleaner and sometimes it is slippery coming out of the cleaner but dry on the take-up platter. I have wondered at times if there is different supply tension on the film early on, versus when you get closer to the end of the reel. Sometimes it seems like the first half or so of a print gets FG'd nicely, and the last half is lacking. I have tried to compensate for this a few times by not completely rewinding the media, so that the beginning that was FG'd gets the drier media, and later on we get into fresh stuff that is still saturated. This doesn't seem to make much of a difference either. When I look at the film that has been treated *across* a light source, it does not seem to have an even coating, but has a more splotchy appearance like there are some areas of the film that are repelling the compound.
I ran that matrix print through twice last night and it looks like it got coated pretty good. Of course the cleaner was practically dripping when I put it on there, but I got good results. I have to do the other one tonight because I noticed a static problem last night and don't feel like dealing with a potential brain wrap...
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