Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cleaning Plastic Keepers/Rollers

This is topic Cleaning Plastic Keepers/Rollers in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Miller (Member # 1129) on 09-25-2004, 09:46 PM:

Hello,

What would be the best way to remove years of crud/build-up and stains from my white plastic keepers and rollers? In my case they are from Strong A5 Carbon Swith payouts. I have removed them all from the payouts for ease of cleaning but am not sure what kind of solvent/cleaner will not cause harm to them as they are plastic.

Thanks for your help!

Mike Miller

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 09-25-2004, 11:40 PM:

Spray them with Mean Green cleaner/degreaser and throw them all in a big bucket of hot water. Scrub with a toothbrush then rinse off with warm water. Then after they dry give 'em a final treatment with Novus #2 Plastic Polish.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 09-26-2004, 12:25 AM:

I've found that if you soak part of a rag with nail polish remover (acetone based, not non-acetone) a simple wiping taking care of all the grime without having to remove them from their mounts.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-26-2004, 02:28 AM:

Hmm, acetone and polymers, the perfect mix!

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 09-26-2004, 03:02 AM:

never had a deformed roller yet. The stuff evaporates almost instantly.

Obviously one wouldn't want to soak them in it, but using a rag soaked with it is harmless.

Posted by Bill Langfield (Member # 818) on 09-26-2004, 07:28 AM:

Hey Mike,

For the white rollers (for me Speco) let me know if any of the above ideas remove the dye stains, but I've a feeling there is no removing that.

In the '70's my father just used to clean anything and EVERYTHING with petrol(eum) and a paint brush!

Bill.

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 142) on 09-26-2004, 08:49 AM:

We simply used to have a complete set spare and take home the dirty ones and put them in the dishwasher. Always use the top shelf to protect them from heat and always relubricate the items when refitting them to the shafts. It worked fine with the grey Kinoton rollers.

David Kilderry

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-27-2004, 12:28 PM:

For most plastics, cleaners/degreasers using D-Limonene (e.g., Simple Green, Mean Green, "Citrus" degreasers, etc.) are usually quite effective in removing any greasy/oily dirt and debris. Most engineering plastics will withstand moderate heat, so the use of the top shelf of a dishwasher can also work well.

Avoid the use of strong solvents (especially acetone), as they can craze and even dissolve some plastics, or leach out plasticizers. Most solvents have some degree of toxicity or flammability as well.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-27-2004, 02:52 PM:

Since you have the old carbon pile type of control heads I have to wonder if they have the all metal ball bearings in the center as POH's fomr that era usually do.....??? If they do I wouldn't submerge them in anything. Best to just saturate a rag with Formula 409 and wipe them clean. Then apply a drop or two of LaVezzi oil in each bearing and they'll run just fine and will never become gummy. 409 is also an excellent deck cleaner but just don't leave it on anodized surfaces for a long time...spray on and wipe right off makes cleaning these parts effortless.

Mark @ CLACO
Live On Vacation!

Posted by Kris Brunton (Member # 432) on 09-27-2004, 03:40 PM:

I like isopropal achohol for cleaning rollers. Wiped on with a rag. If they are really dirty Fantastic works good to get them really clean.

quote:
Mark @ CLACO
Live On Vacation!

Mark is on vacation?? What is a vacation?? [Smile]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-27-2004, 05:28 PM:

quote: Kris Brunton
Mark is on vacation?? What is a vacation??

I can tell you want vacation is.... Its spending the whole darn day replacing the spare tire release cable in my KIA Sportage. What a KIA! I sould have gone to work... its far less frustrating than anything to do with the KIA.

At least tommrrow I can go up in the mountains and have some fun. Am planning on going to the Rail Museum in ELY, NV. on Wednesday and to the Lehman caves on Thursday... then I plan on hiding out in the Great Basin area where there is no cell phone coverage!!. Its the first vacation I've been able to get away for in two years!

http://nevadanorthernrailway.net/
http://www.nps.gov/grba/cavephotos.htm

Mark @ CLACO
Live On Vacation!!

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-27-2004, 05:53 PM:

quote: Mark, in the process of vacating the state
then I plan on hiding out in the Great Basin area where there is no cell phone coverage!!

Will you be on tape delay then?

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 09-27-2004, 05:57 PM:

No I think he will be cached til service resumes.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-27-2004, 10:38 PM:

You want tape delay.... I'll give you tape delay [Big Grin]

!!!

Caching would be way too boreing..... [sleep]

Mark @ CLACO
Live On Vacation!!

Posted by Mike Miller (Member # 1129) on 09-28-2004, 09:10 PM:

I used a Citris Cleaner on the rollers and it worked very well. I soaked all the plastic parts in it for an hour, then rinsed off in hot water and wiped clean. Parts with bearings in them were hand cleaned, not soaked. Didn't know that keepers could spin so freely on their cores.

Thanks for all the help!

Mike Miller

Posted by Edward Jurich (Member # 1787) on 09-29-2004, 09:49 AM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
You want tape delay.... I'll give you tape delay

Don't laugh, when I worked for CBS in Chicago, the FM did a midnight talk show running a tape delay between two Ampex 440's. Then while we (engineers) were on strike, the office girls now running the equipment ran the tape delay with the feed machine at 7.5 IPS and the takeup machine at 15 IPS, tape threaded through both pinch rollers. Those of you who know what this means will know how it sounded [Big Grin]

And for really hard caked on dirt, I use WD40 to get the dirt off then clean with simple green or the like and rinse with clean water. WD40 does a nice job of cutting through hard dirt but then you need to clean the WD40 off.

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 09-29-2004, 10:26 AM:

Rubbing alcohol & elbow grease works best for me. Try using a shop towel, like the ones that come in rolls from Scott or Brawny, I can do nearly a whole hallway of 8 platters with just one [thumbsup]

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 09-29-2004, 11:30 AM:

Isopropyl and cotton swabs over here.
There's a jug of mean green in or booth, but it's been there since I started at this place so I have no idea what they were using it for if at all.

Once a week each platter gets a thorough cleaning with cotton swab and alchohol, brushing out anywhere the swab can't do it's swabin' action.
We don't keep WD-40...Our tech would probably hog tie us if there was WD-40 up there for use on equipment.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 09-29-2004, 01:34 PM:

I've discovered that some plastics seem to discolor just by exposure to air and light. We have a number of different pieces of equipment made primarily of white plastic that start off pure white but in only a few years, wind up with the plastic taking on various shades of yellow. Seems that bright light exposure (especially sunlight) does a real number on some types of plastic. I've got some Hess truck toys that we keep near a window and they yellowed very badly only on the side that faces the window.

Also, some plastics seem to stain pretty easily and once stained, the stain seems to be quite permanent. Rather than fret over it and try a dozen types of cleaners that might actually harm the plastic, I just make sure there is no apparant foreign matter on the roller by cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol and then I consider it as clean as it's going to get if the surface is smooth, inspite of any embedded stains.

Posted by Samuel Hynds (Member # 2610) on 09-30-2004, 08:22 AM:

In the past I've used a foam type of tube/basin cleaner. Spray on the roller - wait about 30 seconds - then wipe off. [Cool]