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Topic: Sticky prints and near brain wraps

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-25-2011 01:20 AM

When "poly" film first came out, it was the worst compound to use for making prints since it would hold the positive charge to cause static electricity, to where it was a mandantory thing to run the print through a Kelmar using Film-Guard.

Others, purchased 'wrap detectors' to mount on the platters to sense film travel problems and shut down the projectors so brain wraps would be prevented.

But, as anything manufactured, the next versions bettered the original.. The compound to make the "poly" stock improved to where static electricity was drastically reduced to where static has become a rare thing.

The ideal booth humidity is close to the 50% range when running polyester film.

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Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

posted 09-25-2011 01:35 AM

I had a Kelmar cutter gadget on my platter that watched the film tension and would cut the film with a little guillotine blade if the tension got too high. It worked like a kind of spring-loaded scissor.

That gadget saved my butt twice, neither one due to static. Someone dropped a wad of old splicing tape in the middle of a reel and I didn't notice when I was making up the movie and it jammed real good when it got to that point during the first show. And on another occasion some really sticky goo was on the film at one point, also causing a real good jam during the first show.

For static I used to keep a humidifier running full time in my projection room. But a few years ago I got a high-efficiency boiler to replace my old standard boiler and I no longer have dry air in the theatre, so no more static.

The high efficiency boiler doesn't deplete your building humidity because it has an independent ventilation system. It sucks air directly in from outside, and exhausts it back outside. A standard boiler (or furnace) gets its intake air from the indoor atmosphere and blows that up and out of the chimney. So that air has to be replaced somehow and it comes in from the outside in the form of a draft under the door or around the windows or whatever. And the replacement air is dry. The high efficiency units avoid this; you aren't blowing your indoor atmosphere (and humidity) out of the chimney.

In addition to cutting your heating cost, a high efficiency boiler also makes a much nicer atmosphere to be in because it's not dry and there are no drafts or "cold corners".

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Andy Frodsham
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 238
From: Stoke on Trent, Staffs, UK
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 09-26-2011 04:13 AM

Thanks, once again, everyone!

Jen, I particularly appreciated your comments. You summed-up my fears and thoughts perfectly.

I should say that, despite a number of double-layer pull-offs,the Kinoton platter has always managed to sort-out any resulting loops without causing a brain-wrap!

I have given the splicer another thorough clean and replaced both the cutting blades.

Thanks for all your comments about humidity levels. I'm keeping a close eye on these!

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