Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: dirty equipment

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Posted by Stephen Jones (Member # 16) on 09-05-1999, 02:29 AM:

How many times have we all come across projectors and sound heads lamphouses full of used oil, dirt, dust and other grime. This is something that really annoys me.Over the years I have come across some equipment that has been neglected and not cared for by so called proffesional projectionists.I for one allways look after any equipment that I use.it dosent take much effort even in a multi screen but its the same old excus "I havent got time to worry about it or cant be bothered".When I train newbies its the one thing that is driven home always keep the equipment clean,and I often check up that they are doing it properly.At one cinema I worked at for a while early this year the projectors were covered with oil sound heads were the same the prints each time they went recieved a oil bath and in turn stuck together as the print payed out through the brain and of course the dust stuck to it.So I got to work cleaned everything soundheads the lot. The lens were cleaned and what a difference it made the the results to the image on the screen and also the optics in the soundhead were olso de- oiled and grime removed and test loop put trough them to to adjust the dolby level and the they were way out but after that they all suounded 100% better I also picked up a problem in the basement Digital reader where some leds were out.But after I left no doupt things were let go again. It dosent take much effort to keep clean.I notice that popcorn and candy bar operators keep the equipment in the candy bar clean, but as soon as they go up stairs to the projection room they some how forget what the word clean means and when asked why dont they clean up stairs they say "we have to in the candy bar as its part of our duties",they are soon told in certain terms that its part of their duties up here too.

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-05-1999, 11:08 AM:

Dirty equipment is about the biggest item I come accross that will gte me livid on a service call And it is one of the few things other than no oil in the movement that will get me rather vocal

Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 09-05-1999, 04:36 PM:

Yes, dirty equipment is unacceptable, and in my opinion there are no excuses. I run a 16 plex, and Thursday night is the only shift I don't work by myself. Even with all the projectors I have to get threaded and all the other duties I have to deal with, routine cleaning chores are always completed. And whenever any equipment is taken apart for any kind of maintainance, parts are always cleaned very carefully before the equipment is put back together.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 09-05-1999, 07:01 PM:

Buff those platters and get yourself some FilmGuard.

A few months back I tore apart an entire theater of Christie projectors and cleaned them up to the point they looked brand new (gear box). Sadly enough I went back into one to check the belt tension about a week later and just about fainted when I saw all the belt shavings! Joe Redifer and Sean from Christie has recommended Panef belt dressing for this problem and Christie has sent me some (but of course it's caught up in senseless politics and the theater won't see it for weeks at best).

Until the day that order comes in, it's awfully hard for anyone working that theater to give a flip. This nonsense seems to happen in many chains. My point here is if the theater owners don't care, even a top notch operator or engineer who continually keeps everything in tip top shape is going to get frustrated at some point and give up. Sad, but true.

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 09-05-1999, 10:25 PM:

I think that the old saying that "a clean booth runs better" is not true because the equipment is clean, but because the type of people that keep their equipment clean are also those that take the pride in their job to keep their equipment in good repair. Unfortunately, this also means that technicians will spend most of their time repairing dirty equipment.
A good example of this was a service call I had recently where a Century projector intermittent had been allowed to run out of oil, due to a slow leak, resulting in a broken cam pin. Need I say that I had to wipe away the dirt from around the oil-sight glass to check the level? After changing the intermittent, I checked for travel-ghost using a high-contrast loop (stolen from credits on an old trailer). Instead of a sharp contrast image, I was treated to a grey and very dark grey image.
I took the time to set up the Christie lamphouse controls, clean the lens and port-hole (reachable on both sides from floor level). Results, of course, were amazing.
I did nothing that the staff at this theatre couldn't have done themselves to improve the projected image. The question is, why didn't they? Are they just lazy, or are relations with theatre management such that they they aren't encouraged to do their best?

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 09-05-1999, 10:31 PM:

P.S. Let us pray that the wide-spread use of FilmGuard menas that I can go home with cleaner hands.

Posted by Tim Spencer (Member # 58) on 09-06-1999, 04:33 PM:

Most managers don't care if their movies get on the screen without breaking. I hate it when we get an audit with a perfect score in presentation and another one of our theaters gets the same score when the prints they are running are in very bad shape. That shows me the auditers and head office don't care either.

Posted by George Roher (Member # 91) on 09-07-1999, 12:19 AM:

It's probably difficult for many operators to not give up when they are not making enough money to live on, the public has no respect for them, and management is trying to grind them into dust. I'm afraid that the impending doom of E-cinema may make many more people slack off in the booth in the near or distant future.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 09-08-1999, 04:49 PM:

The number one thing that can ruin my day is to come to work in the morning after two days off and find that the projs. haven't been cleaned since the last time I closed!

We've got a new girl here, that I mentioned before, who cleans every night and that's because 1) she's new. and 2) because I trained her. (I expect she'll slack-off sooner or later, but I hope it will be later than sooner!) Sometimes I think that her and I are the only ones who clean!

AND I don't want to hear that line of bull... "There's not enough time... (whine) "

I can clean all 17 projectors by myself and be done with all the rest before the last one drops. I'm out the door 10 minutes after that -- AND I still had time to go outside and have a smoke!!!

PS: Is the Projectionist smoking like a chimney still a valid stereotype?

I understand that SOMETIMES you have to handle a last-minute problem or have some extra work to do and therefore, can't get them all clean every night. At least they could write a note in the log book and say, "Sorry, I was busy and couldn't clean projs. 10 and 11." -- or whatever.

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 09-08-1999, 05:20 PM:

The same appears in cinemas in the UK, I do some relief projection for a circuit cinema chain, some the equipment is terrible, either over oiled or no grease on gears or just dried up, some places never heard about Dolby Tone adjustments!.

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 09-13-1999, 12:25 AM:

Dolby tone adjustments? What are those? (just kidding)...

Posted by Alan Brandt (Member # 426) on 04-10-2000, 05:41 PM:

As the new guy here...I was just reading some of everybodies past posts. I particularly enjoyed the one regarding the cleaning of projectors. I would like to presume that there aren't that many film threaders or "projectionists" where you work??? if there were, cleaning them would be no issue because everyone would do their fair share and go home and drink or something.

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-11-2000, 07:00 AM:

Randy:

Sorry to hear that you still are hooked on tobacco, but at least you have the good sense to keep your smoking outside of the booth. IMHO, having butts and ashes around film is almost as great a "sin" as ruining an intermittent by letting it run dry.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-15-2000, 12:30 PM:

John I still smoke my pipe in the booth
sorry

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-17-2000, 06:28 AM:

Gordon:

Knowing that you care about film cleanliness, I'm sure you clean and fill your pipe far away from the film.

It's often impractical to leave the booth to have something to eat or drink, or to have a smoke (if local smoking regulations allow). The important thing is to keep these things at your desk, and not anywhere near the film. If you get your hands oily or sticky with food, wash up before you handle the film. Just use common sense, and the film will stay clean.

A full ashtray on the rewind bench, or a cup of Coke on the platter are obviously BAD practices. Having a cup of coffee at your desk, away from the film, is acceptable.

Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 04-17-2000, 09:23 PM:

I once saw a courtesy cup full of Mountain Dew wrapped in the middle of "Titanic" while it was playing! (on a platter system

) I think I cried that day.