Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: White Dust in the Holmes

This is topic White Dust in the Holmes in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 10-04-1999, 01:35 PM:

This is probably too easy to answer.

I have a couple of 30, and 28 year old IB features that have tons of white shoe polish on the heads and tails of each reel. It amazingly doesent show on screen, but after the reel runs out, I have to clean chunks of polish off the gate, and all the guide rollers, not to mention the inside of the access door. You should see the snowstorm when the polish runs through. I dont want the polish to wedge on anything and scratch the film.

Any ideas how to get this junk off the film? My film cleaners dont seem to cut it, although, they do cut all the splicing tape residue.

Thanks

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-04-1999, 05:40 PM:

FilmGuard will stop that dusting and after a bit of time will pull off the shoe polish.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-06-1999, 11:50 PM:

I went to the camera store and bought a couple of bottles of film cleaner that they sell there.

When you get prints like I get sometimes, it takes you a half hour at every reel just to get the stick-umm from the masking tape off the film. If I don't, I risk brain wraps at the changeovers. Even on a Potts! Three feet of stick-umm is too much for any platter to handle! If used carefully, the film cleaner ("Edwahl" ??) gets off almost everything including the white gunk at the end of the reel. You just have to work an inch at a time and use a light touch. Otherwise you'll not only scratch the film but you'll have a big puddle of half-dissolved GOO all over your work table!

If you read the ingredients on the bottle, you'll see that most film cleaners are just 100% alcohol with a few additives like 'surfactants' and 'anti-static agents'

(If they aren't on the bottle, call the company and 'excercise your legal right to have an MSDS mailed to you'.)

Anyway, couldn't you 'make' your own film cleaner by taking some 100% alcohol and mixing in a small amount of Kodak Photo-Flo??
You can get a quart of alcohol from the camera store for about $5 and a small bottle of Photo-Flo lasts FOREVER 'cuz you use so little of it. It ought to be better than $10 for a 3-oz bottle! -- I've been thinking of trying this for a while but I've been waiting for 'advice' before I try it.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-06-1999, 11:58 PM:

Randy, one pass of FilmGuard will take off that adhesive. I know of no other cleaner that does.

As to your home brew...better test it for yourself on junk prints first and you had better keep them in testing for several years to make sure there is no adverse side effects down the road! I had FilmGuard in testing for 10 years before it's release.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-12-1999, 05:30 PM:

You're right on that. FG does take care of most of the grunge at the end of the reels.

I don't know what other people get but a few of the prints I get are pretty fouled up, sometimes. (Most of them are from New Yorker Films) The idea of home brewing the film cleaner is mostly just an emotional reaction that happens when you first open the can.

You've all experienced it.....
Rattle-Rattle..... "Stupid Can!"......
BAM!!! BAM!!! .... "Stupid can!!!"...
jerk -- pull.... "OUCH!"....
CREEEEEak!..... "Finally, It's open!"
... Rustle ... rustle... "Aw S***!!!... Who's the idiot that did this?!!!"

I was just thinking that there should be something I could use to get the bulk of the popcorn grease and other junk off the film before I try to build it up.

I can't wait for the day when I open up a can and i am greeted by the 'distinctive fragrance' of FilmGuard! (Aah! Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy just THINKING about it!!! )

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 10-12-1999, 09:55 PM:

I have a quart of Film-Guard that is due to arrive on 10/14. I have 9 35mm features that are gonna "get it" when it arrives, starting with a vinegar 1969 feature. I will report my findings as soon as I clean the film!

I ran the previously mentioned IB films tonight for an audience of 15. At each reel change, the snow was terrible. They are features #2, and #3 to be treated.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-29-2000, 02:23 PM:

I posted this over at HIAC, and maybe you guys would like to see it, too.

These are pictures of my running Holmes, so if you've never seen one, here's your chance. All captures were taken with an old video camera. The machine looks better than this.
http://community.webtv.net/fiascofilmsco/Holmes8