Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: kelmar media cleaner trouble

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Posted by Jeff Else (Member # 4063) on 12-16-2008, 04:40 PM:

I am having extreme difficulty getting film-tech keys/cores (whatever they are called) on to and off one of the take up shafts on my kelmar media cleaner. Also, even when the thumbscrew is completely loose, i cannot spin the core so as to rewind the media. Its as if the rubber piece in the assembly is just too big. What can i do to remedy this?

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-16-2008, 04:48 PM:

Hi Jeff

The cores on the take up side are meant to be tight...sometimes they are too tight though.

I may be wrong, but I seem to recall a post somewhere here that said Brad would send you some of the older FT cores that had a larger diameter if you needed them. We have some from the early days of FG that we use as take-ups for this very reason.

Posted by Tyler Potts (Member # 4952) on 12-16-2008, 06:10 PM:

when I pulled our kelmar units out of the rubble of the spare parts room to start using FG again, they had cores stuck to the take up shafts. I would tape the new roll onto the old core, then have to pull off the media pads when it finished.

I got tired of this and used an x-acto knife to take off the cores, then to shave down the rubber in the middle of the shafts. I later removed the rubber entirely (which allowed new cores to slip on and off of the take up shaft) but then it wouldn't spin correctly and put new rubber middle back on.

If you're having a hard time, I'd suggest taping the media directly to the take up shaft. While the instructions note being able to reuse the media once its rolled entirely to take up, I've never had it roll properly after an entire use.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-16-2008, 06:46 PM:

Surely your media runs too slow by that method.

Posted by Tyler Potts (Member # 4952) on 12-16-2008, 07:19 PM:

How is it supposed to move faster? either it moves at the speed of the takeup (from being taped to it or the core being too tight against the takeup), or it doesn't move at all because the core isn't turning.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-16-2008, 07:35 PM:

Jeff, send me a private email with your address and I'll drop a couple of cores with a larger inner diameter in the mail to you. The other solution is to buy replacement rubber inserts (they DO wear out with time). Cardinal Sound has the best replacement inserts.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-16-2008, 07:45 PM:

quote: Tyler Potts
I'd suggest taping the media directly to the take up shaft

Perhaps I misunderstood...I read that you were taping directly to the shaft...sans core.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 12-16-2008, 09:01 PM:

I simply left the 'take-up' cardboard cores on the spindle, and unwound the used media.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-17-2008, 02:46 AM:

That's how you're supposed to do it...but for some reason people like to go through the extra effort of physically removing the core and then putting it back on. [Confused]

Posted by Jeff Else (Member # 4063) on 01-02-2009, 03:33 PM:

Got the larger cores and all is working well now!! Thanks much, Brad, and to all else who helped!