Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Film Cans lined with cardboard (rant)

This is topic Film Cans lined with cardboard (rant) in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 01-29-2005, 09:47 AM:

These ancient cans with the cardboard lining drive me nuts! [Mad]

I do everything I can to keep the booth (and the film) clean, then a print is shipped to me by ETS in one of those old film cans with the cardboard lining. ETS's standard practice seems to be to ship three reels in a four reel can, so after bouncing around in a heavy truck for 200 miles, the print is completely covered with cardboard dust that whips around the booth as soon as I start building up the print. They also usually weigh in at about 20 pounds empty which really increases my shipping cost. I guess the only advantage of these things is that they are usually not dented up to bad. Were the manufacturers of those cans thinking that the cardboard would actually protect the film!?

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 01-29-2005, 09:56 AM:

Those cans were designed to be used with the proper number of reels in them, and metal shipping reels which fit snuggly in the cans. The cardboard helped you get the reels in and out easier and protected the reels. These cans were not designed to be used with plastic reels, which are not as wide as the old metal shipping reels, and certainly not in a situation where 3 reels are being put in a 3 reel can.

Like most things, these cans worked well for what they were engineered for.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-29-2005, 01:03 PM:

I would like to know, why hasn't the inustry gone with PLASTIC cans (but still in the same shape as the current models).

- Lighter
- Won't get bent in shipping
- Easy to mold in something like a DTS disk case holder, trailer holder or similar
- Easy to add a nice, larger-diameter handle for carrying (could do that on the metal cans too)

Admittedly they might not wear as long as these 75-year-old behemoths we're used to, but they'd have to be better than those tin orange TES things that are a hazard of twisted metal shards after being shipped with too few reels a few times.

Posted by Chris Trainor (Member # 9) on 01-29-2005, 01:06 PM:

I've gotten films in plastic cans before. They were blue, and looked exactly like the regular ancient metal ones. Forget which film company sent them that way.... but it only happned twice.

--Chris

Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 01-29-2005, 05:17 PM:

I too have been receiving prints in old cardboard-lined cans. The level of filth all over the reels forces me to fire up the air compressor to blow the crap off. I'm quite disappointed in ETS's lack of quality control. The last print I got from them (new) was wound inside out and was "secured" with half-inch squares of masking tape. Needless to say the reels were a tangled mess when I opened the cans...

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-29-2005, 05:22 PM:

..or, how about those plastic corregated boxes that ETS sends us-one print in one box, up to a seven reel feature. ..and the plastic DVD case for the discs in the bottom of the box all busted up.

TECH just using those old Goldberg cans with the lining, after being painted orange to save grace.

We could go back to those infamous 6k plastic reels/cases of a few years back...yeech!

-Monte

Posted by Rich Ferrando (Member # 2056) on 01-30-2005, 08:28 PM:

When our ETS guy picked up a print of the wretched "What the Bleep" last week (it was in one of those huge grey cardboard containers that seem to be all-the-rage these days), I was shocked and dismayed when he literally dragged it down our concrete booth stairs. [Eek!]

He said "It's the only way you can get these damn things down." I just said to myslef, it's a damn good thing I blow through a lot of tape on those reels.

I'm a pathetic weakling, and even I can pick those suckers up and carry them down our winding stairway. It's laziness, pure and simple.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-30-2005, 08:34 PM:

quote: Rich Ferrando
I can pick those suckers up and carry them down our winding stairway.

...LOL -> unless it was "Gods and Generals", then you'd be hollering for help to carry those BIG boxes down stairs.

-Monte

Posted by Rich Ferrando (Member # 2056) on 01-30-2005, 08:42 PM:

True! 7 reels is about the most I can handle.

Posted by Thomas King (Member # 2745) on 01-31-2005, 07:18 AM:

I've never had anything arrive in any combination of metal boxes/cans (thank god), but occasionally we get indian films that come in big hemp boxes (I mean, who makes a box out of sacking) and have cardboard boxes instead of cans. These invariably have broken corners so that they're not boxes anymore, but flat and sorry pieces of card. The last one that came through I had to provide it with proper cans (and heads and tails, but that's a different rant).

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-31-2005, 03:12 PM:

Even though Kodak VISION Color Print film has a conductive anti-static layer that minimizes static attraction of dirt particles to the film, dirty packaging of prints is inexcusable. [thumbsdown]

If the shipping case is dirty, line the case with a clean polyethylene trash can liner, put the reels in, then seal the bag before closing the case. A few pennies for a clean bag will keep that thousand dollar print much cleaner. [thumbsup]

Even recycled (free) clean plastic grocery bags (usually more than large enough to cover a 15-inch diameter shipping reel) will help keep the film clean.