Movie buffs know that 16mm film reels are a rare commodity. While some Eastern European companies still produce the material, it is falling largely out of use in the commercial film industry and has all but vanished from home collections. Proper cleaning and lubrication is essential to the preservation of a precious 16mm film reel. It is not necessary to clean and lubricate a film reel every time you watch it, but you do need to properly repackage it and seal it up every time the seal on the package is broken.
Instructions
1. Put cotton gloves on--this will help to reduce any spotting or grease buildup on the film from your hands.
2. Set the reel of film up on a hand-winder, with an empty reel on another hand-winder nearby. Thread the end of the film leader into the empty reel and crank until the first portion you would like to clean comes up.
3. Spray a light film of Goo Gone onto a clean, dry all-cotton cloth and gently wipe both sides of the film. Follow up with another dry cloth--no Goo Gone this time--to make sure that you haven't left any liquid behind.
4. Work your way through the entire reel. Clean and dry one section, then crank with the hand-winders until another section comes up.
5. Crank the winders in reverse so that you are spooling the film back onto the original reel. As you go, gently buff the film with a silicon-treated film polishing cloth. This will lubricate the film and help to preserve it.
6. Remove the film leader from the now empty extra reel and wind it around the full reel. Carefully remove the full reel from the hand-winder, close it and cover it.
7. Place Kodak molecular sieve packets in the film container, about three packets per 2000-foot roll of 16mm film.
8. Seal the film container with moisture-proof tape or place it in a sealed plastic bag.
Tags: 16mm film, empty reel, every time, film container, film leader, film reel, full reel
