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Okay..I have been in this business for awhile but there are a few things that I just dont understand, maybe some of you could shed some light on some issues that I am curious about...

1. What is the correct way to use Xecote, and what exactly is it supposed to do?

2. What is the best way to clean a projector? I have been told to use alcohol, others have said just wipe the projector out and others have used some type of a spray cleaner.

3. Should you use a magnetic holder to hold the film tail in place or should you just tuck them underneath?

4. When rewinding, should the soundtrack be up or down? I have been told by several 'profesional' booth techs, that doing it either way would cause soundtrack damage...I have done it both ways and have never had a problem.

I was just curious what others thought....

1. XeCote is intended for cleaning and lubricating film-contacting components in the projector and cleaning/lubricating SHORT lengths of film. It contains a lubricant dissolved in a fast-evaporating solvent. It can be used to remove deposits from the gate rails, and oily dirt (like fingerprints, splicing tape residue, and oil) from small sections of prints. Because it evaporates quickly, it is difficult to clean long lengths of film. Be careful not to get it into bearings. For cleaning entire prints during projection, many now use Particle Transfer Roller (PTR) film cleaners. Web cleaners like the Christie or Kelmar dampened with FilmGuard are also widely used. Here are links to information about PTR cleaning:
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/newsletters/reel/june99/speco.shtml
http://www.fpcfilm.com/US/en/motion/FPC/fpc/ptr_main.html

Here is a link to information about FilmGuard:
http://www.film-tech.com

2. Isopropyl alcohol and other mild degreasing cleaners can be used to clean painted metal surfaces, but be sure NEVER to get them into bearings. Usually a simple wipe-out is sufficient to remove dirt or a bit of oil. Clean deposits on gate rails, pad rollers, sprockets, etc. with a stiff toothbrush. NEVER clean the projector while it is running --- catching a cloth or toothbrush in a moving projector is dangerous to you, and will cause serious damage to the projector. Avoid the temptation of "blowing out" the dirt with compressed air --- you will simply "stir up" the dirt and deposit it elsewhere.

3. "Tail tucks" work if the platter is perfectly timed, such that the print will never be "thrown". Many prefer the security of sticky/magnetic/suction pucks around the outside of the print, or even a "hoola hoop" type retaining ring so the print cannot ever get off-center or be thrown. There has been quite a bit of discussion on this on the Film-Tech Film Handlers Forum.

4. Most prefer soundtrack side down. Depending on the humidity (curl of the film), changing winding orientation can help reduce the risk of "static cling" pulling multiple laps into the platter "brain".

Here is a links to an article that I wrote covering these subjects:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/reel/september99/pointers.shtml

The Film-Tech site also has a wealth of information and discussion, including "Tips", and "Film Cleaning" information:
http://www.film-tech.com

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

How can I add to that? I can't! John is the man! All I know about cleaning is that a clean dry rag will clean most projectors and sound heads pretty danged perfectly. The actual film readers we would use alky on it but not much. With our oil bath Brenkerts bearings are bathed.

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

Thanks Guys Now I know!!!

John, In my experience, most theatres prefer soundtrack up. Most projectionist in the Film-Tech forum prefer soundtrack up as well.

Oops! The soundtrack down was a flashback to the days of triacetate, which does benefit from an emulsion-in winding, as outlined in SMPTE Recommended Practice RP39. As my article states, with polyester prints, use the orientation that transports the best with the humidity conditions in your theatre.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

just to rock the boat I have found that estar prints ar better off played emulsion in like triacate.

Gordon --- what is the measured relative humidity in the projection room? Polyester's curl behavior is different than triacetate, as it tends to have more "positive" curl at very low humidity. But in the recommended midrange of 50 to 60 percent RH, it usually has only a slight positive curl, like triacetate.

Bottom line, use whatever works best for transport and focus stability under your conditions.

---

John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion