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Topic: Big Sky film cleaner

Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 04-25-2002 07:08 PM

Anybody have any info on Big Sky Formula 141? Is it supposed to be like Film Guard, or Xecote, or something else? We have a whole case of it, and one of the projectionists looked at it and assumed it was generic Xecote. Which brings me to another point: What exactly is Xecote? I've heard of it, but that's about it. thx.

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This one time, at Projection Camp, I stuck a xenon bulb....

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Christopher Seo
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 530
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-25-2002 08:17 PM

I compared the chemical listings on the bottles at some point. Both XeKote (well, XeKote II) and Formula 141 have the same two ingredients: something like 2,2-dichloroethane dissolved in paraffinic oil. (Don't have a bottle right in front of me.)

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 04-25-2002 08:21 PM

It's most certainly nothing like FilmGuard.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-25-2002 10:23 PM

Well, if you use FilmGuard you probably won't NEED Formula 141!

If you have a bunch of it on hand, don't despair... The stuff is good for removing the gum from the bottom of your theatre seats.

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Gregory N. Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 27
From: Newtown, CT, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-26-2002 09:22 AM

Christopher is correct in that Big Sky's Formula 141B is the EXACT formula(surprise!)as XEKOTEII - 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane. They use the number 141B because that's the chemical number the company that makes it uses. Both of these products are used to clean and lubricate film gates, pad rollers, transport rollers and shafts.

There is an ongoing debate on who's product is better, FilmGuard or XEKOTEII and I have heard both sides of the debate. I would like to say XEKOTEII but I have no experience with FilmGuard so I can't judge.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-26-2002 09:25 AM

If anyone needs me, I'll be hiding under my desk.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-26-2002 09:38 AM

Well, I havn't used filmguard either but not by my choice. You can not use xekote or formula 141 the same way as Filmguard. Now I am going to go hide in the closet before things start flying around in here.

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 04-26-2002 09:50 AM

How many registered people want me to be "The Judge".

Gee, this could be a whole new career.

Note to Brad: You can use that picture of Gregg at Showest to put under his name.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-26-2002 10:30 AM

Xecote and Filmguard are completely different products.

The only one that I've used on film has been Filmguard; I have been very happy with with the results. FG works.

Xecote is fine for cleaning gate bands and splicing-tape goo, but I wouldn't use it directly on film.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 04-26-2002 11:29 AM

What's flying? No need for that. Ken, just try it (on a print you know will not last long) and then report back. It won't take you long to find the superior cleaner. Darryl, want to try it? Just don't go mixing that other stuff with FilmGuard. With all of the double and triple prints of movies about to open, this should be very easy for you to see the difference. Same movie, same lab, same film stock, same projectionists, yet one print will look substantially better.

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Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 04-26-2002 11:30 AM

So if Xecote is for cleaning your projector, not your film, why not just use alchohol??? What's so special about Xecote?

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This one time, at Projection Camp, I stuck a xenon bulb....

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Christopher Seo
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 530
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-26-2002 11:51 AM

With the advent of Film-Guard, nothing is really useful about XeKote/Formula 141 IMHO. XeKote/141 evaporate far too quickly to be used in conjunction with a media cleaner; you'll have to wipe down the side of a print to lubricate it. Besides being a sloppy process, using XeKote/141 in this way will result in a waxy buildup of crud on all your rollers (which is kind of fascinating if you have the time and energy to clean it off). If you can get Film-Guard, there's no reason to buy any other oil-based lubricant (for the film that is).

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Gregory N. Jones
Film Handler

Posts: 27
From: Newtown, CT, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-26-2002 12:06 PM

Ken, our original lubricant, XEKOTE, was 1,1,1, Trichloroethane which worked very well on film but since the government likes to ban everything it has been nixed. So, the company we get this from came up with this replacement after playing around with a bunch of different solutions. So to answer your question, there really isn't anything special with this formula, only that it was the closest thing to the original we could find.
With all this talk about FilmGuard, I would like to know what is in it? Can anyone forward an MSDS sheet on it?

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Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-26-2002 12:22 PM

"With all this talk about FilmGuard, I would like to know what is in it? Can anyone forward an MSDS sheet on it?"

Rumor has it, film-guard is based on a secret Bob Maar martini formula.

Pardon me while I install double firewalls, five anti-viruses, and hide under the bed for a few days.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 04-26-2002 12:28 PM

Jerry said: "Rumor has it, film-guard is based on a secret Bob Maar martini formula."

You've got them mixed up. Since Nuemade sells XeCote, their new formula is the one based on President Bob's secret martini formula.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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