Actually I do the opposite. I lube the projector and clean both the film and projector. I use a cleaner and lubricant for the projector and just Isopropyl alcohol on a lint free cloth for the films. I never have problems with scratching.
Hi BolexPlusx,
Thanks, i can see myself getting to grips with this technology at some stage.
How do you clean the newly bevelled film -compressed air?
Also, do you 'lube' your film - how is this done, please?
thanks again,
[img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]
ric
Actually I do the opposite. I lube the projector and clean both the film and projector. I use a cleaner and lubricant for the projector and just Isopropyl alcohol on a lint free cloth for the films. I never have problems with scratching.
Film Cement? I use Kodak CAT#101 0669, 1/2 Fl Oz.
Cement splicing and tape splicing are a little like politics: people tend to take sides and get very emotional about it. I have to splice with tape myself at times. I'm also a film collector and the polyester based stocks commercial films are printed on just don't cooperate with splicing cement!
However, cement splices when done correctly are as permanent as the film itself, and someday when I have the time, I'm going to have to take several of my earliest films (25 years old) and re-splice them because the tape is giving up the ghost and the splices are spreading and breaking.
The important part of the equation is the splicer itself. There are a lot of conventional (overlap) splicers out there that will provide a perfectly usable splice, but to get it really flat you have to go to a beveled splicer.
As I said, the Bolex splicer is a bear to learn. It reminds me of the days when I first got a car with a manual transmission and had to learn to deal with a clutch and a stick shift. With one I stalled at lights for a while, with the other I made a few bad practice splices, but at this point I'm not giving up either!
One thing: The beveled splicer generates a lot of emulsion dust, so cleaning the film once you are finished editing is critical: it looks really awful if you don't!
There is usually at least one of these lurking on E-bay (that's where I got mine.)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
I too recommend the Bolex bevel splicer. Its an art form unto itself and rewards the user with nice clean splices that float by the projector gate. I use the same cement as Bolexplusx mentioned. Of course being cement it only works on acetate based film. Fuji single 8 stocks require tape splicing.
I clean film with ECCO anti static film cleaner. I got some rewinds and use flannel cleaning cloth which I buy in rolls. Cut the cloth to small pieces that are big enough to wrap around the film. Put some cleaner on the cloth, wrap in around the film and start winding. The Ecco is fast drying so I can wind pretty fast (rewinds about 3 ft apart). I use a new cloth piece every 25 ft approx, I also use the same cleaner and lube the film path of the projector with it once or twice a year. Clean dust from the projector gate area after every projection with a brush. Do all this and you won't scratch film even if projecting a film many times.
hi BolexPlusx and cameraguy,
of course my main nightmare is receiving scratched film before i even view it, but still -
you both obviously only clean the non-emulsion side of the film. how do you ensure the dampened flannel cleaning cloth doesn't smudge the film emulsion side, please?
the splicer sounds cool.
is there no way round taping the Single 8? Has there never been a way to do this, even in Single 8's heyday?
really appreciate this advice!
[img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]
I clean both sides, and haven't ever had a problem.
The key to it is having the right kind of cloth. Anything with stiff fibers can scratch (Worst: Paper Towels!!) anything with lint can leave it behind. I buy lint free film cleaning cloth to do it.
The problem with cement splicing Single-8 is the polyester base. Splicing cement will not liquefy polyester the way it does acetate, so the two ends will not weld together. All that being said, the polyester base is much stronger than acetate, so the splicing problem does come with some compensations. BTW, splicing super and single-8 together can make life interesting: Single-8 is thinner so when you go from one stock to the other you may lose projector focus!
General Announcement: My first two films to be sound striped are on their way to the striper right now. As James T. Kirk put it "May Fortune favor the foolish!"
hi BolexPlus,
ok - lint-free cloth, sounds good.
i'm going to read up on Single 8 - i cannot believe that this gauge was introduced without a cement-splicing facility, but it could well be, i suppose?
yes, i'd read about the focus 'jump' from super to single 8, will have to cross this bridge when i encounter it . . .
the sound stripe/s sound intriguing. my problem with recording is that analogue recorders record there own motors whirring away, and detached microphones are not as efficient as the built in ones i have found - i have an old-fashioned dual plug stereo mic, but unless i can rig it up to the single jack input portable cassette, it's off to digital audio land, i guess; shame though, i would like to stick with analogue technology up to a point.
good luck with the sound stripes!
thanks again -
[img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]
Hi BolexPlusx,
You are absolutely correct - there is no splicing cement for Fuji film...
But what about - dare i say it - Super Glue?
[img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
lol
[img]graemlins/film.gif[/img]
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Projectors that have a lamp side pressure plate should not have this problem. Unfortunately not many do. The Beaulieu 708 does and also the Bolex 18-5 projectors have it. There may be a few others but I'm not sure.Originally posted by megalith6:
yes, i'd read about the focus 'jump' from super to single 8, will have to cross this bridge when i encounter it . . .
I have a friend in the UK I correspond with who was running experiments involving splicing polyester based film with a Loctite adhesive he stumbled upon. I'll have to ask him what long term conclusions he's reached.
Remember though, there are a lot of folks out there that are dedicated fans of tape splicing that wouldn't think the inability to splice with cement is a big deal at all! There is a very good book titled "the Super-8 Book" by Lenny Lipton (actually the same guy who wrote the song "Puff the Magic Dragon") which comes down heavily on the side of tape, mainly due to the fact that cement splicing destroys a frame each time a splice is made. Personally, I've always gotten a good vibe from the obvious strength of a cement splice. (Besides, it's a cheesy song! Little Jackie Paper indeed!)
All due respect to the tape splice fans of course! Rebuttals are welcome and you can condemn any song I've ever written as well!
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks