This is topic Name That Chemical in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 05-06-2001, 08:34 PM:
So I'm finally going through the boxes of stuff we have from closed theatres. Can anyone tell me what the following chemicals would be good for in a first run theatre that only shows polyester film and uses tape splices?1) Rubber Cement Thinner
2) Paint Thinner
3) Turpentine
4) Gum Turpentine
5) Neumade Removex
6) First Run (made by Big Sky)
If any of these can do me any good, could someone describe how they are used? Thanks.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-06-2001, 09:42 PM:
Rubber cement thinner: Thinning rubber cement... really.
When our theatre first opened we used to get our "ad slicks" in the mail. When we wanted to put an ad in the newspaper we would have to "paste them up" and send them to the newspaper. They used rubber cement to do tha pasting. Of course with all that rubber cement hanging around and sticking to everything in site (and getting hard as a rock) you needed to have something to remove it (or soften it up again). Nowadays they just FAX the ads in. There is no need for them to paste them up because the newspaper downloads the camera art by computer or something like that.Pain thinner, Turpentine: Thinning paint.
Have you ever had to repaint the stalls in the bathroom because some idiot scraped filthy words into them with a pocket knife? Where there's paint, you must have thinner, right?
Renovex? Don't they use that to kill rats and things? 
For the most part, I don't see why you need all those chemicals in the booth. Sometimes people who clean out the closets and things downstairs have a tendancy not to want to throw things out like they ought to. Instead they stash things up in the booth. If you don't have a use for any of these things I'd just toss them. (Or take them to the community recycling center)
Old chemicals just present a hazard.
Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 05-06-2001, 09:58 PM:
My thoughts exactly Randy. And yes, i know that Rubber Cement Thinner and Paint Thinner are used to thin rubber cement and paint 
. I thought that they might have some other 'special' use, oh well. We use acrylic paints instead of oil based, so the thinner is pretty useless (and yes, I've had to paint many a stall and door).I'm mostly curious about the Remoxex and First Run (the can of First Run is almost full, does that mean they just got it or that its useless?).
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-06-2001, 10:13 PM:
First Run is basically the same thing as Renovex, only not as toxic. When Bob Maar invented Renovex, he made it as toxic and lethal as possible. You can use First Run to clean dirty film and stuff like that, but it is not as good as FilmGuard, nor does it offer the protection that FilmGuard does. You can use First Run to clean up gunky splicers and stuff like that, though.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-06-2001, 10:14 PM:
You people use rubber cement to put ads together? Yuck. A much better method (though one that's more expensive) involves using heated wax in order to adhere stuff to the paper. The nice thing about this method is that it doesn't get gummy stuff all over the place and it allows easy repositioning of items on the page. Every print shop and the newspaper office should have a waxer (the machine that heats the wax and applies it to the stuff you want to stick down) and you could probably get a used one fairly inexpensively.
Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 05-06-2001, 10:21 PM:
Randy is right - just get rid of that stuff.
Posted by Joe Schmidt (Member # 822) on 05-06-2001, 11:54 PM:
YES... and don't forget all the trouble they had with that chemical in those tanks in "Return of the Living Dead" which were made by the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers.Jimmy Karen gave it a whack... and KAVOOOOM!
Reel 1 of that movie is one of the funniest things ever made, but after that it goes downhill fast... into the ground, one might say.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-07-2001, 12:30 AM:
I know some kids who made little "skeletons" by cutting up Q-TipsŪ and sticking them together with rubber cement. I never really liked using rubber cement to do paste-ups but that's what they wanted to do. I always told them that there must be a better way but who's going to listen to me?
If the film cleaner isn't too old I might think about stashing it away someplace safe for "emergency use". I'd have to think about it for a while, though. Just the thought of having this closet full of odd chemicals gives me flashbacks of Jack Nicholson as The Joker in the first Batman movie.
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-07-2001, 06:43 AM:
You can usually contact the manufacturer, and ask for a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that provides information on the safe handling, storage and disposal of the chemical. Many MSDS's are available on-line. All of the chemicals you mention are solvents, and need to be disposed of properly --- most communities have an environmental facility that accepts used solvents for disposal. Keep them in their original containers.------------------
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 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 05-07-2001, 07:46 AM:
Dustin, RenovexII - New and improved film cleaning solution to keep film fresh for sharper pictures and clearer sound. It is non-toxic and environmentally safe. RenovexII, renders film anti-static, dust won't adhere. It puts new life in old film, reduces film damage and lengthens film life. Safe to use anywhere. It dries instantly. Since, my friend (Joe "the nose" Redifer) thinks that it is one of my many inventions,
let's not tell him that I wish that were true. However I only sell "RenovexII".
Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 05-07-2001, 09:03 AM:
Save the paint thinner for cleaning/degreasing metal projector & soundhead parts. You never know when an RCA gearbox might slam and you need to cleanup those gears and bearings.I cleanup the squirrel cage blower on Super Lume-x lamphouses with either paint thinner or mineral spirits. Cleans 'em right up.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-07-2001, 01:29 PM:
Oh yeah! I forgot about Renovex II, the sequel. This version is not toxic. Although I wouldn't recommend sitting around and sniffing an open can for hours!
Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 05-07-2001, 02:01 PM:
Joe, Please remember the size of your nose. What may be dangerous for you to sniff is probably safe for the rest of mankind.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-07-2001, 03:29 PM:
You're right, Bob! I forgot to take that into account. Every time I ordered Renovex they (MTS West) sent me First Run instead! I guess I've been sniffing that too long.
Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 05-08-2001, 01:35 AM:
quote:
1) Rubber Cement Thinner
2) Paint Thinner
3) Turpentine
4) Gum Turpentine
5) Neumade Removex
6) First Run (made by Big Sky)
Actually, it looks like a list of things
the projectionist was snorting in bored
moments. Did he have equilibrium problems?
Posted by John Schulien (Member # 215) on 05-08-2001, 11:49 AM:
The first thing I thought of was Lloyd Bridges in the control tower in _Airplane_."Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."
Posted by Michael Cunningham (Member # 210) on 05-08-2001, 06:11 PM:
Actually, I too have an ancient can of the original Renovex (I assume this is what you have and not Re 'M' ovex, as you said or Renovex II). I keep it on hand for special cases. While Film-guard is wonderful stuff, I find that this toxic cleaning bath works wonders on the occasional original release Acetate films we get. These things are in horrible shape after so many years (ran an original release of Butch Casidy & the Sundance Kid last month that was covered in scratches and grit) and Renovex cleans them right up. If you don't do these kinds of special showings though there is no reason to keep this stuff.-Mike