Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: cleaner media for 16mm RTI Evaluator

This is topic cleaner media for 16mm RTI Evaluator in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-11-2002, 11:36 AM:

Does anyone know if it is available, and who might sell it?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-11-2002, 12:22 PM:

Got a picture or specs?

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-11-2002, 02:17 PM:

Well, I did more digging after my original post and found a few rolls of the media. They look quite old, but they are still sealed up in their plastic bags with a trusty RTi label. They are RTI catalog number 11422 - Treated Non-woven Fabric 1"x20'. (the fabric is wound on to a 1.5" cardboard core, fyi.) Also on the label was a phone number. Having not ever seen any new RTI equipment, I feared that the company had gone the way of the 8-track, but I called anyway. Sure enough, someone answered, but had no idea of what I was talking about. Luckily she put me in touch with someone who did. They don't stock the cleaner media regularly anymore, but make it when they get a large enough orders, or enough orders to make it worthwhile. Good to know.

From the RTI Website :
Today, The RTI Group encompasses RTI, the internationally known manufacturer of TapeChek professional videotape care equipment, DiscChek optical disc care equipment, and also includes Lipsner-Smith motion picture film cleaning machines and film laboratory products, BHP Inc. motion picture film printers, Calder Equipment Ltd. film processing equipment, and operates RTI-Tek Media, distributor of audio visual supplies.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 12-11-2002, 03:31 PM:

Here's links to RTI / Lipsner Smith :

http://www.lipsner.com

http://www.rtico.com/supplies.html

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-11-2002, 03:43 PM:

I can supply you with 1 inch cleaning media fabric if you need. Email me.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-12-2002, 01:51 AM:

Joe - you won't believe this, but I threw away a box of about 30 rolls of the stuff only last week. Otherwise it would have been yours for the cost of shipping. We were given one of those RTI 16mm cleaners (a big brown thing) from the cellar of a local education authority, which used to use it for servicing 16mm prints used in schools.

After persevering with it for a while I came to the conclusion that it was wholly unsuitable for use in an archive environment. It winds far too fast and far too violently with no fine speed control, the sprockets on the footage counter are of a very tight pitch and thus cannot be used with even slightly shrunken stock and the automatic torn perf/dodgy join detector keeps stopping for no reason and then failing to stop on a real problem. Furthermore, the media roll cleaner didn't work (one of the motor clutches had failed). All in all that thing was a liability and a waste of time.

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-13-2002, 09:25 AM:

That's too bad, Leo. I would have been happy to have them sent overseas. I should have spoken up sooner. Oh well. It seems that there are several variations on the RTI Evaluators. The manual I have indicates that the machines were somewhat modular in that they could be ordered with or without certain options; with or without a viewing screen, for instance. I have used two, and they differed slightly in their motor contol and speed options. The one we have here offers some fine adjustments on speed and allows the film to be taken up smoothly and gently. It's a bit finicky though, and it took some getting used to, but it serves our very limited purposes fairly well.