Splicing Block Servicing (UK)

[Astrid Barker-Smith]

We have 2 old splicing blocks that have been sat unused for around 15 years, and are beginning to look at 35mm showings again. Having had our projector serviced (platter, belts, bulb, etc.) we are looking at doing a couple of trial film showings.

Each block is quite blunt after years of use, clogged up with the residue of Jacro tape etc., and the guillotine on the end just seems to fold the film instead of cutting it when I'm trying to cut out a burnt-through frame. Does anyone know where in the UK we could look at getting these cleaned, sharpened, and serviced? Do Omnex, Sound Associates, etc. deal with smaller things like this or should I look at finding a bladesmith here in Sheffield instead?

[Marco Giustini]

What brand of splicers are we talking about? Sometimes it just needs a little clean but be careful if you end up disassembling them as some will need some alignment or you'll damage them.

[Leo Enticknap]

Being the epicenter of the world's cutlery industry, there should be no problem finding a bladesmith in Sheffield!

I would almost be willing to place a bet that the splicers in question are CIRs, for the simple reason that I cannot recall ever having used any other brand of tape splicer during my projectionist days in the UK. At the cinemas I was responsible for ordering projection supplies at, I bought CIR parts from Jack Roe, who appear to be still in business and selling them.

My recollection is that CIR 35mm splicers are pretty easy to disassemble and reassemble, and that doing so, cleaning everything using a microfiber cloth andor toothbrush and rubbing alcohol - especially the blade and perforating block - could well improve the performance a lot. Test with some scrap film afterwards, and ensure that there is no edge damage to the film around the area where the splicing tape was guillotined, and no tape chads around the perforations. If you're doing it for the first time, though, take pictures as an aid to reassembly.

[Marco Giustini]

The trick with the CIR - if memory serves - was to be careful when re-assembling the tape blades (if removed). Reinstall them loose then carefully press on the handle to engage the blades around the base. The blades CAN hit the metal and get damaged so one needs to be careful there and make sure the blades slide around the metal base. Once that happens (it's even better if keeping the handle half-way through as to make sure the blades are frictioned in between the metal base) then one can tighten the screws. And before punching some tape, I'd still carefully engage the lever while looking closely to make sure the blades are not impacting with the metal.

For the film cutter - as Astrid mentioned - there is really not much "sharpness" there. You can take the lever apart, clean it and maybe sharpen it with some fine grain wet sandpaper (say 1000 grit or higher) against a flat surface.

But as Leo mentioned, removing the 15yo gunk might probably do the trick and you don't need to remove the blade for that.

[Leo Enticknap]

This is a long time ago now, but my memory is that we disassembled and cleaned every six months or so, and that a blade and perforating block were good for 18 months to two years (of regular, daily, multiplex-like use).

One thing that can happen is that gunk accumulates in the holes in the chassis into which the teeth of the perforating block insert after going through the tape. The result is degraded perforating action and tape chads sticking to the film around the perforations after the cut. Removing the plate on which the film sits and then pushing through the holes underneath with an alcohol-soaked object (a cotton bud/Q-tip will likely be too thick, but the shaft of a very thin artist's paintbrush would likely work) would likely be OK: clean the plate using a microfiber cloth and alcohol, then reassemble. If this is the more sophisticated model of CIR splicer that has adjustable pin registration at one end (very useful for avoiding perforation damage when splicing slightly shrunk acetate film, and also enables the choice between making a butt or overlap splice), be careful when lifting the plate away to avoid the spring for this mechanism jumping out from underneath and disappearing into the darkest corner of the booth, never to be seen again. But if it just has fixed pins at the right hand end of the plate, you don't have to worry about that.

[Astrid Barker-Smith]

Thanks for the advice everyone - particularly regarding the alignment. Leo, you were correct in your assumption that they are CIR blocks, sorry I neglected to mention that in the initial post. I will have a crack at it once I've sourced some cleaning supplies. Am I right to be worrying about static build-up in using microfibre clothes or is that only when dealing with the projector head and platter?

If I don't make another post about this then you can assume your advice worked. Thanks again.

[Randy Stankey]

Those splicers can be cleaned with 90% isopropyl alcohol. You don't need to worry about static if you work carefully.

Get some alcohol from the pharmacy. Find an old toothbrush. Get some cotton swabs, some lint-free wipes like "Kimwipes," some wooden toothpicks and some wooden Popsicle sticks to use as scrapers. Put an old, expendable, towel on the workbench to catch the drippings.

Take the bottom cover off, if there is one. Clean out all the leftover chads and as much of the leftover adhesive reside as you can, manually, before you start with the alcohol. Next, take your toothbrush and some alcohol and have at it. Just work carefully. You don't want to damage anything or knock it out of position.

Do I have to tell a grown adult to watch out for sharp edges?

Basically, just clean it really well, wipe off the dissolved adhesive "stickum" and, if you need to, use your wooden tools to dig out the punch holes and scrape off the pins. Clean it up, give it a little polish and it should be good to go.

90% of the time you do not need to disassemble anything, beyond taking off the bottom cover if it has one. Please DO NOT disassemble it if you don't absolutely have to! Those things can be a bear to get back together! Many of the parts only go back together one way and, if you try to force them, you can break them, permanently ruining the splicer.

Essentially, this: Use your common sense. Those things were designed to be easy to clean. That's why they were so popular in projection rooms.

[Marco Giustini]

as your first go, you can remove the blade GROUP from the CIR so you can clean everything properly. I would NOT remove the blade from the slider (two slotted screws at the top if I remember right). That will require alignment. Also, take note of which direction the blades are installed now and reinstall them in the same way.

I used to use White Spirit - you can bathe the whole thing and brush. Then lubricate appropriately when dry.

Randy, I feel the handle can be removed and the blade group removed along with the springs. As long as there is no further disassembling and the blades are reinstalled in the same direction, I don't see an issue.

But yes, once finished, before slamming on the handle, engage it carefully so make sure nothing clashes.

I found my old CIR maintenance document, I'm attaching some pictures. You can see I made a red dot on the blades to make sure I would reinstall it the right way round every time. With the red tube, it's where I'd recommend adding lubricant. I used to use silicone spray, something light which doesn't become gunk. PTFE might also work well.

[Mark Dunn]

I'm referring to my 16mm. splicer.
Specifically on the film cutter,you say it's folding the film. It's a scissor-type bypass blade that doesn't rely on razor sharpness, so I wonder if it is slightly loose or is bent so it doesn't make close contact. I note that mine are both (film and sepmag) slightly curved inwards towards the film channel so that they ride along it.
Maybe even a bit of hardened adhesive or tape could be pushing the blade out.
Worth a thought.

[Marco Giustini]

What Mark said - the 35mm is the same. A little cleaning might be all it takes. Make sure you're pushing the lever towards the block while engaging - just a bit to make sure it cuts.

[Randy Stankey]

Randy, I feel the handle can be removed and the blade group removed along with the springs.

I think you're right. If I was cleaning a splicer, I would partially disassemble it for ease of cleaning. But, when you don't know the person you're talking to or what their skill set is, it is wisest to give the most conservative advice until you know more.

I have gotten myself into trouble by over explaining things before I knew the other person.

[Marco Giustini]

Very good point, Randy.

That reminds me when I asked a "projectionist" to put their hand on the lamphouse and tell me if it was very hot and they told me they were about to put their hand on the LAMP...

[Leo Enticknap]

I used to use White Spirit.

Having emigrated to the US in 2012 and since gone native, I'd totally forgotten about that stuff! According to ChatGPT, it's called Mineral Spirit here. I can't remember ever seeing anything called that in Home Depot or Lowe's, though. The general rule of thumb seems to be isopropyl alcohol for light duty solvent cleaning, and acetone for heavy duty (but use with extreme care).

[Randy Stankey]

Very good point, Randy.

That reminds me when I asked a "projectionist" to put their hand on the lamphouse and tell me if it was very hot and they told me they were about to put their hand on the LAMP...

The incident that happened to me was when I was working in a shop where we had to take samples off the line, at the top of every hour, and measure them. We used a magnetic micrometer, thickness gauge.

olympus-thickness-gauge-e1355313828816.jpg

One of my shop mates was late on her checks. If you miss three checks, you get a write-up.
This woman had ten minutes to complete her checks but she couldn't find a ball bearing for her "Magna-Mike."
We looked and couldn't find one. The supervisor was on break and we only had a short time to get her checks into the computer before she would be late.

Thinking fast, I found an old bearing, laying on a workbench. I smacked it on the counter and popped out a couple of the balls.

I said to her, "You shouldn't do this unless it's an emergency! I said that the bearings that come with the machine are calibrated. If you use a non-calibrated ball, you have to calibrate the machine, before you use it, and you have to re-calibrate it when you get the right bearings. I did that for her. (You have to use about six, specially designed shims.)

I helped her get her checks one, literally, one minute before deadline! She was all thankful.

The next day, I got called over and was asked, "Why are you using regular ball bearings on the Magna-Mike?!"
I was like, "Uh... What?" The guy said that Susan told him that I said she could use a ball bearing from the work bench.

I told the guy what happened and his reply was, "Uh... Well... Just don't do that again!"

So, from that day on, I decided that I wouldn't tell people anything like that anymore. Thus, the reason my instructions were so brief.

[Marco Giustini]

Having emigrated to the US in 2012 and since gone native, I'd totally forgotten about that stuff! According to ChatGPT, it's called Mineral Spirit here. I can't remember ever seeing anything called that in Home Depot or Lowe's, though. The general rule of thumb seems to be isopropyl alcohol for light duty solvent cleaning, and acetone for heavy duty (but use with extreme care).

eheh
I like White Spirit because it's more effective than isopropyl, cheaper, won't melt plastic like acetone and leaves a lubricant layer behind (which will disappear quickly though). I used to disassemble all my projector parts, bathe them in a white spirit container and brush them clean.

Of course you need nitrile gloves and a proper mask (able to stop organic fumes). Or good ventilation. Used white spirit can then be bottled up again (BUT the residues at the bottom) and re-used next time.