Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Best Methods for Cleaning a Projector

This is topic Best Methods for Cleaning a Projector in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000325

Posted by Charles Lubner (Member # 157) on 10-22-1999, 05:53 PM:

What are some of the best ways to clean a projector/soundhead? I've used combinations of cotton swabs, WD-40, auto degreaser, windex (this was a really dirty machine). How often should one clean a projector, and what are the best methods?

Posted by Erika Hellgren (Member # 22) on 10-22-1999, 07:13 PM:

Well, I'll do my best on this one.

First, I was told never to use degreaser, but that was on my old Simplexes, so that may not apply to everyone.

I clean out my projectors after every show with a shop rag and, if necessary, compressed CO2. On a weekly basis, I think it's a good idea to go into the crevases with Q-tips and alcohol.

Posted by Christopher A Kerr (Member # 151) on 10-22-1999, 07:39 PM:

I use a rag, a toothbrush for cleaning the gate and and the intermittent, and a paintbrush for general dusting. Every once in a while I will go over everthing with rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth to remove any excess oil or crud that may have bonded itsel to the metal.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 10-22-1999, 11:44 PM:

What I teach new people:
Wash your hands esp. if you've been selling/handling popcorn.
Whipe up excess oil with paper towels. I point out the favorate leaking places of our Simplexs.
We use toothbrushes for the sprockets. I tell them to never ever turn on the projector- the toothbush could get caught in there.
Use a fingernail or something plastic to scrape out that hard stuff that stays on the gate/trap runners.
Then use a 1" wide paint brush to brush clean the film path only; don't use the paintbrush anywhere else.
Compressed air is OK (we don't use it) but you should remove or cap the lenses. Otherwise dirt and/or oil will get blown onto the lens.
The entire cleaning operation above takes about 30 sec. I tell them that doing a quick job every time is easier than letting it bulid up.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 10-22-1999, 11:45 PM:

What I teach new people:
Wash your hands esp. if you've been selling/handling popcorn.
Whipe up excess oil with paper towels. I point out the favorate leaking places of our Simplexs.
We use toothbrushes for the sprockets. I tell them to never ever turn on the projector- the toothbush could get caught in there.
Use a fingernail or something plastic to scrape out that hard stuff that stays on the gate/trap runners.
Then use a 1" wide paint brush to brush clean the film path only; don't use the paintbrush anywhere else.
Compressed air is OK (we don't use it) but you should remove or cap the lenses. Otherwise dirt and/or oil will get blown onto the lens.
The entire cleaning operation above takes about 30 sec. I tell them that doing a quick job every time is easier than letting it bulid up.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-23-1999, 03:47 AM:

Get FilmGuard, run it every show for the entire time the print is at your theatre (every print) and you will never have to clean your projectors, except for cosmetic reasons.

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-23-1999, 01:45 PM:

The projectionists in Ottawa turned me onto carburetor cleaner (spray can). It's great for cleaning timing gear teeth, projector interiors, ect.

Five warnings with this stuff:
1. Don't get it in your eyes.
2. Don't get it in a cut. (You'll know if you do!).
3. Don't get it on a lens element.
4. Be careful not to get it on the plastic oil-site windows such as those used on Century intermittents, or Simplex heads. (It'll fog them up).
5. Always try a test in an inconspicuous corner of something you want to clean to check for any adverse reaction. (It will take the (labels off the Speco platter switch covers).

This is a heavy-duty grease, oil and grime remover and, with a little bit of caution, is better than anything else I have found for really neglected projectors and sound-heads.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-24-1999, 02:49 AM:

Rick:

NONONONONOOOOOO!

You are inviting *DISASTER* if you get carbuertor cleaner into any sealed bearing assemblies (Century soundheads and projector head mainshafts come immediately to mind)... And it does a pretty good job of removing paint from the inside of a projector... If you MUST use a volatile cleaner, apply it to a rag or cloth and wipe the projector out that way, DON'T just start drenching the projector with the stuff...

Aaron

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 10-24-1999, 03:35 AM:

I have to agree wiht Joe. Since we have started using Film Guard, out projectors are staying extremely clean with very little effort on our part except running the film cleaners.

Also, one thing to be VERY weary of is spraying ANYTHING into a projector. Even chemicals as mild as rubbing alcohol can cause damage to the machine.

For example, the first theatre I was working at was running Prevost P-93's. They ran ok (considering they were POSs)until someone got the idea to drench them with alcohol when cleaning them. After a couple of months of this they started leaking oil really bad. The reason is that rubbing alcohol doesn't like rubber and the seals around the intermittent cracked and caused the oil leaks.

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-24-1999, 02:07 PM:

Aaron,

I agree with you that the stuff can be determental to oil seals and bearings, which is why I recommended caution to anyone who elects to use the stuff. I have used the cleaner (with due care) on Ballantyne, Simplex and Century interiors without stripping any paint. It particularly comes in handy when dis-assembling a projector or soundhead gear assembly.

On re-thinking this, I agree that this volatile stuff would be better left for technicians to use.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-24-1999, 02:48 PM:

Here's another tip: VMAP Naptha (available in the paint section of the local hardware store) is great to have around the booth. This is fairly strong stuff that acts as a grease solvent and is very effective in cleaning up spilled drops of oil or extraneous gear grease that might find its way onto the floor or projector casing.

One last thought, particularly important for those with reel-to-reel setups: _always_ clean the floor area under the take-up arm with a damp rag or mop before the first show of the day. There's no excuse for getting dirt and gunk all over the head and tail leaders of each reel. (And, platter people, please splice on an extra 50 feet or so of film to the tail of the last reel of each film before running it...I can't count the number of prints that I've run that have the last 20 feet or so of credits either dirty or chewed up or both).

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-25-1999, 03:03 AM:

Yes I agree Keep the volatiles to the techs that know the dangers.

I personally use Diesel fuel as a grease solvent when I rebuild projector heads for both soaking the parts as well as cleaning the built up grease deposits, it won't harm paint or nylon/fiber gears like 'carbueretor dip', or some other solvents, and the results are incredible! ( of course I have removed ALL sealed bearings and assemblies containing such)

Aaron

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-27-1999, 10:52 PM:

Basically, I tell people that work at my place(s) to take out the trap and shoe, then pretend you're a piece of film and use a paint brush and a shop rag and brush/wipe everything that you would touch. (If you were a piece of film.) Then I tell them to take a paper towel and wipe up the oil and gunk.

IF THE PROJ. HAS FILMGUARD, YOU ONLY NEED TO DO THAT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

To clean the traps I use a fingernail or one of those little plastic scrapers that you get from the lottery to scratch off instant tickets. Then I use a paintbrush to clean out the nooks and cranies, followed by a Q-Tip and Xe-Kote

AGAIN, IF THE PROJ. HAS FILM-GUARD, ALL I DO IS WIPE WITH A SHOP CLOTH AND GO. (YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO DO IT EVERY DAY.)

I stopped using a toothbrush 1) because it bends up the intermittent 'skis',etc. and 2) it takes too long and you can do just as good a job with a paint brush.

If I feel the need to use anything "stronger" to clean the proj., the only thing I'll use is alcohol. (I use alc. to clean almost everything)

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 10-28-1999, 01:02 PM:

You should only XeKote at night and not between shows.

I don't remember which side it eats but can cause more buildup on your gate bands.

Paul Konen

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-28-1999, 03:41 PM:

How about this:

Don't use XeKote at all.

I hate the stuff. Always have. Alcohol works just fine for cleaning a projector if you need to use some kind of liquid cleaner.

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 10-29-1999, 04:25 AM:

Paul,

If you are using Filmguard, don't use Xekote. Apparently the filmguard acts as some sort of catalyst and causes the Xekote to screw with the dyes.. Brad can explain it better...

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-29-1999, 04:55 AM:

I have never liked XeKote to begin with and I much prefer to use "LPS cleaner/degreaser" (although alcohol works pretty well) should a liquid cleaner be needed for an extremely dirty projector. The trick with the LPS product is not to go spraying it into the projector, but to spray it onto a rag and wipe the projector clean. For those who have never used it, you will be amazed.

XeKote over time tends to turn prints green, even if only applied on the edges of the film or just the projector. It isn't immediate and takes some time to show up, but it always seems to happen. It is probably a moot point now anyway, as I've heard it is being discontinued (but, that's not confirmed).

We don't recommend using XeKote with FilmGuard, but for that matter NOTHING is recommended to use with FilmGuard. As has been stated by some of our loyal users, when using FilmGuard, you won't need anything else. The projectors stay clean. A quick wipe with a shop cloth is more than adequate, and done daily is overkill.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 10-29-1999, 11:08 AM:

I wasn't saying to use XeKote on a projector that has a filmguard print on it. (Its clean anyway so I bypass that step).

Brad, you sent me a message one time that XeKote was eating the base side and that was contributing to shredding. I asked that because the tech said NOT to XeKote between every show.

Also, our last request of XeKote was shipped with something called Formula 141 from (I can't remember) (Bear Industries??). It is in a clear bottle and evaporates quickly.

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 10-29-1999, 01:50 PM:

According to what corporate told us, shipping companies were demending haz mat fees to ship Xekote, so it was discontinued...

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-29-1999, 03:04 PM:

Paul, yes one of the "to be" test theaters had this problem when using XeKote. I simply asked them to stop using it for one month to see what happened and the excessive problems went away for them. Then when they started to test FilmGuard, all shedding and static ceased. They had sent me some samples of XeKoted trailers and they were pretty bad. The colors had actually smeared off of the proper images in the film.

I also fill in occasionally at a theater with a XeKote happy operator and the prints are very "nasty", to be nice. Even the platter rollers have gooey, fuzzy XeKote residue all over them. That operator sprays the XeKote across the film.

To John Pytlak: if simple things like XeKote and projector oil are such a problem (and we all know they are) then why can't the film stocks be reformulated to accept such outside factors? (There are many booths that will always have projector oil leaks.) The triacetate stocks could take oil and XeKote and who knows what else without anything too severe happening as a result.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-29-1999, 03:40 PM:

I / We don't Xe-Kote during the day. Only at the end of the night. With FG we don't do it at all. (We mark which prints have been FG-ed on the marker board on the back of each proj.)

Without Xe-Kote (on the ones that DON'T use FG) the proj. doesn't seem to run right sometimes. We've never NOTICED a problem with it eating or discoloring prints but A) We nover thought to look. B) We're pretty stingy with it... We only use a Q-tip and put it ONLY on the film-bearing surfaces. (Gate Bands, Studio Guides and Int. Shoes)

Once we get into full-swing with FG, I don't expect we'll use Xe-Kote very much, if at all.

Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 10-29-1999, 05:55 PM:

Does anybody know what XeKote II is and whether it's an improvement over the original? That's what we have now. We also got that "Formula 141" as well, and it has the same ingredients as XeKote II. I have noticed some waxy crud on rollers left by prints lubricated with this stuff, but no other problems. And the XeKote does keep it from shedding.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-03-1999, 11:39 AM:

The chemicals that form the dyes in modern color films are known as "couplers". They are coated in the emulsion by dispersing them in an oil-like "coupler solvent". Even after processing, the dyes are somewhat soluble in certain oils and solvents, but are normally protected by a thin gelatin layer (SOC) coated on top of the emulsion.

If the protective top coating is scratched or abraded, oils and solvents can penetrate into the emulsion and may leach out some of the dye, or make it soluble enough to "migrate". Excessive radiant energy can aggravate this type of damage.

A classic case of this problem occured many years ago on color prints being used in southeast Asia. Projectionists routinely used oil to lubricate prints, and the dirty conditions in some of the theatres (sometimes just a projector on the back of a truck) caused dirt to be trapped on the oily film surface, abrading the film. The prints developed green-colored spots, where the oil had penetrated through the abraded protective layer and leached out the magenta dye. Oil wiped off the surface of the film was colored pink, from the magenta dye it leached out of the film.

Care should be used in choosing any material used to clean or lubricate film. Some of the "time tested" film cleaners and lubricants are no longer available, because their forumulas contained solvents (e.g., Freon or 1,1,1-trichloroethane) that are believed to harm the ozone layer. Other "film-safe" solvents have health or flammability concerns.

There are many proprietary film cleaners and film treatments on the market. Although Kodak cannot test all of them, it has published many technical papers on the subject of film cleaning and lubrication. One paper that evaluated many of the chemicals that might be considered for film cleaning and lubrication is "Practical Film Cleaning for Safety and Effectiveness" by D.W. Fassett, F.J. Kolb, and E.M. Weigel, published in the September 1958 SMPTE Journal. Another is "Lubrication of 35-mm Release Prints for Extended Projection Life" by Edward Mino and Rodney S. Perry, in the October 1983 SMPTE Journal.

Film manufacturers strive to make prints more "robust" and resistant to all forms of damage. Generally, a small amount of oil that accidently gets on a print doesn't cause a problem with the dyes. But a sticky oily surface may hold dirt particles or cause the film to stick together. Oil blotches on the film surface may also be visible on the screen as "mottle".

------------------
John Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Professional Motion Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243

Posted by Joshua Lott (Member # 240) on 03-31-2000, 06:17 AM:

I have been told that over time if you use Alcohol on cleaning metal surfaces they could begin to rust. I am not sure if they are getting Alcohol with it being watered down or not. I have been told that we should use wd-40 for cleaning the metal surfaces, and then use alcohol for rollers and platters. I have just started to use Film Guard. Will Film Guard and wd-40 have adverse reaction if a film-guarded print runs through a projector that has been cleaned with wd-40? I am kind of stuck with what the company will let me get.

Suggestions?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-31-2000, 06:56 AM:

Joshua:

WD-40 has a proprietary formula, but it is likely some sort of lubricant (e.g., mineral oil) dissolved in solvent. The solvent(s) in WD-40 provide the cleaning action, and a thin coating of oil is left behind. The oil provides some protection against rust.

Any similar solvent or degreaser could be used for cleaning the surfaces of a projector, as long as care is used to not get the solvent into bearings, where it could leach out the lubricant. But bare metal surfaces would not be protected against oxidation (rust or corrosion). If you find that rust is a persistent problem, be sure to keep the relative humidity less than about 60 percent.

Isopropyl alcohol is often used as a cleaning solvent. In pure form, it contains little water, so it shouldn't be causing rust. Many off-the-shelf "rubbing alcohol" formulas contain isopropyl alcohol in mixture with water, so this may be the source of the rust.

Pure isopropyl alcohol may be used to clean short areas of film (e.g, removing an oily fingerprint). But if there is water in the alcohol, it will be absorbed by the gelatin emulsion and soften it. Remember, isopropyl alcohol is very flammable. Never use other alcohols (e.g., methyl alcohol) on film.

WD-40 should NOT be used as a film cleaner or lubricant, as the oil it contains may leach out the oil-soluble color dyes in the film, or cause them to migrate. Any oil on the film may be visible as non-uniformity or "mottle", and its stickiness may hold dirt particles or cause the film to be sticky or wind unevenly. Too much lubricant may make the film roll loose and slippery.

------------------
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 Joshua Lott (Member # 240) on 03-31-2000, 12:42 PM:

John:

I am not planning on using it as a lubricant or a film cleaner.(I have Film Guard for that ) I simply want to use it to clean the projector. Are you saying that I can't use it in the film path? (gate, trap, shoes, and sprockets) Or are you saying that if I use it in the film path then I should be sure to completely wipe the area free of oily residue?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-31-2000, 01:08 PM:

WD-40 can be used to clean surfaces in the projector. Just be aware that you are leaving behind a thin film of oil. In most cases (i.e. protection of bare metal from rust or corrosion), this is an advantage over plain solvent or degreaser. But the oil may make surfaces more slippery (e.g., more slip of the film over the sound drum could increase wow and flutter). A slight residue of oil on film-contacting surfaces like the gate or rollers should cause no harm, but don't apply WD-40 or similar oil-based lubricants directly to the film.

I should add that a thin film of oil on optical components is NOT useful, so keep the WD-40 away from any optics, including the lens and sound reader optics.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 09-19-2001, 02:23 PM:

Alchohol of any kind has been banned from the booth by my company because apparently people have used it on the wrong parts in the past and have caused damage. I use WD-40l, sparingly and only when necessary, to clean my film path. I take it I should spray it onto a Q-Tip or rag, and not directly onto the projector? What could happen if I spray it on the projector?

Please forgive me, but I do not know what Xecote is. My company doesn't order it. What is it?

Why does a print need to be lubricated? I don't get it. thx.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 09-19-2001, 02:39 PM:

XeKote (for all intents and purposes now obsolete thanks to FilmGuard) is a solvent-based cleaner/lubricant which has a paraffin (?) oil lubricant dissolved in a trichloroethane (since replaced with a more environmentally friendly) solvent. You would coat the gate rails and such with the stuff and it would supposedlty make things run smoother.

Why lubricate a print?

Have you had prints that shed so much that after one show you are scooping out shovels full of white dust? Theres the reason.

Aaron

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-19-2001, 02:56 PM:

SMPTE Recommended Practice RP151 specifies that 35mm release prints should be properly lubricated. In the past, this was usually done by the film laboratory by coating the edges ("edge waxing") of the film with a solvent containing a hard wax like paraffin or carnauba. Kodak's processing specifications recommend proper print lubrication:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/processing/h242/h2402_04.shtml#164364
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/support/processing/h249/h2409_03.shtml

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 09-19-2001, 03:15 PM:

Make sure your hands are clean.

I use a clean rag and alcohol to clean the gate and trap, sound drums and metal rollers. Alcohol disolves any deposited film emulation and evaporates leaving no residue.

I use Q-Tips and alcohol to clean sprockets. It is very possible to accidently get a toothbrush bristle cought in the intermittent resulting in a badly scratched print--even if you clean the machine correctly by turning it over by hand!

409 or a mild soap solution followed by a clean water rinse and thourough drying to clean plastic rollers and platter decks.

Clear silicon bicycle chain lube to lube rollers such as on the AW-3 that do not use roller bearings on the rollers.

When cleaning painted surfaces, be careful of what you use, as solvents can attack and remove the finish! I like to use something like STP Silicon and NOT Armor All--which contains alcohol and can ruin finishes over the long haul!

No to carburator cleaner for reasons already stated!

No to compressed air, as you do nothing but blow crap around, and in a worse case situation can damage equipment by blowing dirt into places where it can cause damage. Using compressed air to clean machines in a machine shop enviornment is one of the deadly sins! Shop vac is much better! Compressed air is needed to blow out motor brush carbon dust--but take the motor off the platter and do this outside!

I have my own ways of cleaning bearing surfaces and cast iron (to remove rust), and am a little hesitant about discussing it for fear of an inexperienced person having an accident and or ruining the machine.

New clean oil can be a good method of desolving hard built up grease deposites.

Posted by Rich Landry (Member # 1000) on 09-19-2001, 08:07 PM:

The use of brushes and WD=40 in the cleaning is great.
The use if any solvents and compressed air is a real NO NO!!!
Compressed air puts dust and dirt where you don't want it, into
the bearings.
Solvent, on plain bearing machines, has the ability to remove the
protective oil on startup, and with 'OILITE' type bearings will strip
the bearing of its lubricating qualities, destroying it prematurely.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 09-19-2001, 09:04 PM:

For cleaning off ancient baked on oil and stains, on the old Norelco, I use "Goof Off" on a Q-Tip. I wouldn't advise using it around any sensitive parts though. It's pretty agressive.

------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-23-2002, 06:31 PM:

Aaron: When you use diesel for cleaning gears, do you use anything to remove the diesel from the parts before re-lubricating them?

Unless there are serious objections to its use, I am attracted to the idea of using diesel because of all the products mentioned here (for degreasing) diesel is the most readily available here.

Is anybody else using diesel for cleaning?

Brad: Is there a comparable product to substitute LPS Cleaner/Degreaser? There is a NAPA parts store here and they carry the LPS brand, but not that product. The main ingredient in the NAPA degreaser is kerosene.

And, while we're on the subject, is there anything that will safely remove these purple-ish stains from the projector?

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 03-23-2002, 10:00 PM:

Manny, are you referring to the film gates and bands being stained purple to a degree that you cant even scrape that crap off?
If that is the problem, then it will all disappear after a few weeks of running filmguard.
Somehow, it just dissolves the stuff or washes it away somehow.
I know because it happened to me

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-23-2002, 11:02 PM:

The purple pigment is on the film bands and it is also discoloring the paint job on the interior of some machines.

I am only using FilmGuard for edges at the moment, so I don't think I'll reap that benefit just yet.

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 03-23-2002, 11:32 PM:

Manny:

I use diesel as a parts degreaser when rebuilding projectors, not to clean operating machinery (i guess the projectors would smell like a truck stop if you were to do so) and mainly because it is readily available, safe for almost anything you can stick into it (don't use it to clean roller bearings for example), and cheap when compared to many other commercial degreasing solvents.

Once the parts are cleaned, some get simply wiped dry with a shop rag, others (head castings, shutter housing castings, large pulleys, etc.) get washed in hot soapy water then immediately towel dried.

-Aaron

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-23-2002, 11:50 PM:

Thanks Aaron for the speedy reply.

I am required to "rebuild" each of these Century's (poss Monee copy) about once every 4-6 weeks. Essentially, the whole thing gets torn down, inspected and remounted. It may seem like overkill, but the problems go away when this fanatical approach is used. It's good in a way because I have found quite a few screws that vibrated loose as well as the occasional gear that is showing signs of wear.

The heavy-duty techs have to fly in from the U.S. and after 9/11 they aren't too willing to get on an airplane...or into an airport. I hear it's hell trying to get on an international flight. Anyway, we have generally managed to limit their involvement to installation and electrical maintenance/repairs.

Also, I am down to the last two tubes of LUBRIPLATE and I'm wondering if anybody has ideas about gear lubricants. Is it really true that Vaseline Petrolium Jelly is the spec. lube for the gears in these?

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 03-24-2002, 05:09 AM:

Lubriplate...ugh...then they need the constant strip down. Loose gear screws can be a problem especially on Century type with syncronous motors....our fix on our projects is to use invertor drive motors for 2 - 3 second start up. Technicians afraid of air travel.....I have them usually complaining not enough since they love the frequent flier miles.

....or as a former technician, to get away from his wife.

Richard Fowler
TVP-Theatre & Video Products Inc. www.tvpmiami.com

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 03-24-2002, 12:05 PM:

The greases I recommend for Century/Westrex/Cinecita/Monee gear trains are:

1. Genuine Century gear grease (the orange stuff)

2. Permatex 'SuperLube' grease (CPI and others re-label this as 'Century Gear Grease')

3. Vaseline (only if none of the other lubricants are available)

Don't use:

1. Lubriplate or any other 'white grease': All it will do is harden up and become a huge mess.

2. 'Wheel Bearing' grease: While it will do a satisfactory job of lubing the gears and doesn't harden (and can be used as a last resort if none of the other recommended lubes are available), it is VERY messy and difficult to clean out of the housing because it is very thick and sticky. This grease is very good for use on platter disc bearings however...

-Aaron

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-25-2002, 09:36 PM:

I've done a quick search within this site and I'd like to verify the following before ordering.

The orange Century grease...sold by Strong?...product number is TU-380?

Richard: Does TVP sell this stuff?

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-25-2002, 09:40 PM:

I use Molidnium disulphite grease on all century's and the clones
This was the specified greese on Westar/Westrex

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 03-25-2002, 11:46 PM:

Thanks, Gordon. I remember you posting this info recently, but I had no luck finding it.

Sorry if this is a dumb question...but Is that the same thing as Molybdenum Disulphide grease? If so, then do you have a specific product to recommend? I ask because there are all sorts of different grease products containing Moly.

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-26-2002, 09:26 AM:

That is the stuff and I usually get the thick stuff that comes in a tube

Posted by Michael Rourke (Member # 1142) on 04-21-2002, 01:12 PM:

Bringing this back to the top.

Manny you can order Molybdium Disulphide Multi purpose grease on line at MrMoly.com.

I used to use Rheolube (the brownish-purplish) petroleum based stuff that would come when I ordered TU-380. Then one day I ordered TU-380 and this terrible white grease showed up apparently I was the only one to make a fuss about the change. I have been using a Mobil One synthetic and am glad to hear that they have changed the Century grease TU-380 back to something suitable.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 04-22-2002, 02:22 PM:

Thanks for all the help, gentlemen...I'll be sure to let you know how it goes...I intend to start with a trial of the orange Century grease.

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

Posted by Jan Hackett (Member # 1231) on 04-22-2002, 06:32 PM:

Hi thought I would add my two cents worth. I use camel hair brushes not nylon as my projector head gets quite warm. (7000 kw lamp) I do use compressed air as my projector head runs off compressed air, I don't see the harm and I use a clean dry rag. I clean after every show. Have to. My booth is beginning to resemble a "clean room". We mop floors twice a day. dust platters and equipment twice a day and have sticky mats at entrance. BTW I have an elevator directly to my booth and a 35000$ HVAC that keeps humidity at 55% and temp 73degrees 24 hours a day. We even graph our climate controls.