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Any specific product suggestions for cleaning the build-up from my film guide rollers?

Naptha (lighter fluid) OR unleaded gasoline both work fine, but BE CAREFUL because both are highly flamable and have strong unpleasant odors (probably somewhat toxic)... Take only a small container into the booth, vent with a fan, and NO SMOKING!...

For plastic rollers, use either 99% rubbing alcohol or plain old lighter fluid. Novus #2 Plastic Polish is excellent, too.

Isopropyl alcohol is a pretty good solvent to use. It's basically a purer form of rubbing alcohol (less water in it). It IS flammable, so be careful. Naphtha (lighter fluid) also works well, but likewise is VERY flammable. Be careful not to get any solvent into your bearings/bushings, as it will wash out any lubricant.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: +1 585-477-5325 Cell: +1 585-781-4036 Fax: +1 585-722-7243
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

What you DON'T want to use is either Acetone, or Lacquer Thinner, both of which will dissolve many plastics quickly. Remember that almost all solvents are almost EXPLOSIVE in nature, and therefore you must be sure that any nearby surfaces are cool to the touch. Don't use gasoline if you can avoid it; it is more than 20 times more explosive than alcohol and the slightest accident can act like a bomb! It is for good reason that laws require that gasoline be stored underground. And, yes, the vapors of ALL solvents are TOXIC to varying degrees. Your fire department and poison control centers would have nothing nice to say about using volatiles, yet you may have no choice.

One sad memory as a child involved cleaning things with gasoline.

We lived across from a small gas station. One of the young attendants decided to clean some bicycle parts in a tray of gasoline near the cash register. The dense and extremely explosive fumes from the gasoline were ignited by the pilot light of a water heated, and the entire office area went up. The boy came running to our house on fire, and my family smothered the flames on his clothes. He survived, but was badly scarred.


NEVER use gasoline as a cleaning solvent.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: +1 585-477-5325 Cell: +1 585-781-4036 Fax: +1 585-722-7243
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