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Author Topic: Proper/Improper use of FilmGuard John-Layton Jenkins Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Carrollton, Tx, USA Registered: Dec 2003 posted 06-16-2006 04:35 PM                     At the Galaxy, I could never get #6 to focus properly without overloading it with FG. I would spray down the pads before the first screening, and if I didn't put enough, I would usually have to run back upstairs 2-4 times during the show to lubricate them more. The only way to get a good picture on that projector was to use FG. Not sure what its like now there, but when I left, the booth needed some work.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-16-2006 10:18 PM                     Okay, so, what kind of projector was "Old #6"? Did it have a really big lamp, like a 6,000 watter? Projectors that need refocused more than just a "touch up" every now and then have serious problems. Often it's heat related. Larger lamps make the projector get hotter faster. FilmGuard may just be treating the symptoms. This is just a complete, off-the-wall spitball, here: If the projector has a large lamp and if the heat is causing the film to buckle in the gate, causing "focus flutter", the FilmGuard may be helping because it makes the film just a bit more tolerant to heat before it starts to buckle. The real solution you (they) need to apply is to check the lamp alignment/focus to see that it's not overheating the film and readjust as necessary until the problem goes away.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 06-17-2006 02:14 AM                     quote: Randy Stankey what kind of projector was "Old #6"? ..is it a flat trap variety of a projector? focus problems with big bulbs on flat trap machines is what you get.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-17-2006 05:20 AM                     If he is talking about the UA Galaxy in Dallas, then #6 is a P35GPS with a 4K lamp behind it and no heat filter. I don't ever recall having any sort of focus problems with that particular screen back when I worked there, but I always ran FilmGuard on every show so it's possible it was covering up a problem that entire time.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-17-2006 10:34 AM                     I guess until John comes back and talks some more, it's all just conjecture... ...But it would help to know whether the picture drifts out of focus over a period of time or if it "jumps" out of focus. The question of whether it happens on one or both formats (flat/scope) is also in play. A 4K lamp isn't an exceptionally large lamp but, if it's out of alignment, that's one possible cause. Does the projector have that damned "Auto Focus" feature for the lamp? (Why did they name it that? Why didn't they name it "Alignment Offset" or something that wouldn't give idiot operators the idea they could "Set it and forget it"?!) Also, we have yet to eliminate all sorts of misalignment/adjustment problems in the gate and things like that. Is the projector kept clean? I know... I know... People think that, when you use FG you don't need to clean the projector. That's complete BS. You STILL have to clean the projectors. FG just reduces the amount of cleaning you have to do but you STILL have to clean them. Many Christies are notorious for misbehaving when they aren't kept clean... even with FG. Yes, yes, FG dramatically reduces the amount of cleaning necessary. This is a great boon to people who use Christies that have this problem but you still need to wipe them down every so often... once per day... a couple-few times per week. I don't know. That's up to you to decide. But, clean them, you must. Okay... I'm done ranting... bye, now.  |  IP: Logged Matt Fields Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 545 From: Ohio, United States Registered: Jun 2005 posted 06-17-2006 11:47 AM                     Back on the over-filmguarding topic... It says in the instructions that 1 oz. of FG is all that is needed for a typical 2 hr movie. About how many squirts is that out of the sprayer bottle? People could then use that as a rough guess as to how much to put in the pads.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-17-2006 03:00 PM                     The nozzles aren't accurate enough to judge that number by squirts. It also depends on how long the pads are. If you use the rolls as they come, they are WAY longer than needed, and as such to evenly saturate (not submerge) them it will use up more FilmGuard. This is why we recommend to cut them in halves or thirds.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 06-17-2006 06:22 PM                        quote: If you use the rolls as they come, they are WAY longer than needed, They're great for double features, though.  |  IP: Logged Kevin Murphree Film Handler Posts: 2 From: Katy, Texas, USA Registered: Jul 2006 posted 08-17-2006 02:59 AM                     Ok, does anyone know where I can find some online instructions on how to set it up to use the film guard and the roller unit for our Millenium projectors? I have the units but have no idea on how to set it up to where the film is going through it or even how to set it up period. I have never used it before but we have a print that is in desperate need and need to figure it out quick. The previous booth manager can't tell me where the instruction manual is so.....yeah....  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-17-2006 03:09 AM                     The FilmGuard kits come with instruction sheets. If you need instructions on how to thread the media cleaner, the manual is here.  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 08-17-2006 09:48 AM                        I think we use "Standard" pads on our Kelmar cleaner. Just a soft cottony roll, no embossing. Has enough for 3 real short movies, or 2 normal length ones. We only have the 1 unit for all 6 projectors, so I usually do 2 movies/day, or 1/set which I work. After 3 days, I'm done. I just spray the pads untill they look evenly saturated, then I let them sit for 15-30 while I do my other opening procedures to soak it in better. I'll run 2 movies, flip the pads over, run 2, and if they come out clean enopugh, I may flip them back to the first side and do the last 2. We has some other pads that were embossed, may have been Film-tech pads, didn't like them as much, but we only had the 2 rolls, so I didn't get much time to work with them. I'll add more later, and now it's off to work. Yay.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-18-2006 09:22 PM                        Is it really necessary to cut and re-roll the FG pads? What I do is, saturate the whole roll; run that roll (rewinding for each showing, of course). Then when the next movie comes in (or the media is sufficiently dirty), I take a magic marker and put a mark across the media at the end of the "dirty" part, then continue to use the same roll, rewinding back to the mark after each show.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-18-2006 10:05 PM                     Mike your way will work but consume more media. Since the speed of the media is dependant on the diameter of the take up spool + media...by not cutting the media down first, the second usage gets a more liberal amount of media/FG than the first usage.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-18-2006 11:11 PM                     It also uses up more FilmGuard than cutting the pads in half (or thirds) in the first place because you are saturating the latter part of the rolls that end up being resaturated when the time comes you are about to use them. Of course we tried selling pads in a more suitable length from the get-go, but the feedback was sternly against it. Now we pack more on a roll than any of the competitors.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-21-2006 09:54 AM                        quote: Jack Ondracek They're great for double features, though. That's just what I plan on doing with mine. I normally build both features and the intermission clock all on the same platter. I just bought a Kelmar Media Cleaner and my first bottle of Film-Guard and box of Film-Tech media pads. One of my many weeknight projects this week is to drill and tap the platter columns to mount my cleaners on. We manually applied some FG to one of our prints last week to see if we'd notice any results right away. I have already found that my old Brenkert BX-60 in booth #2 doesn't chatter as much and the cleaning is alot easier - less shedding residue in the bottom of the projector. On the topic of drilling and tapping my platter columns to mount the bracket... does anybody know a "SAFE" place on a Strong AP-3 to drill into the column without drilling thru the internal wiring harness?  |  IP: Logged

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