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After the covid shut-down, we find that the theatre needs a thorough deep cleaning -- slap a seat and dust rises...stamp on the rug...dust rises. Look closely at the screen and it is obvious, it is coated with dust. Black masking is gray because of the layer of dust caught in the velour. All of that with the exception of the screen can be dealt with using an industrial vacuum cleaner, but the screen? that needs a large, commercial feather duster. Anyone have a source for such a beast?
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I don't know if the picture depicts the real size of the thing...
But we've always used compressed air to blow off the dust of the screen. Once it has settled in the room, we started to clean the rest of the room using industrial grade vacuums and steamer/vacuums. -
Thanks Marcel -- yah, that's basically what we are going to need to do. Luckily, the theatre has a builtin vacuum system that have outlets along the walls that hoses and attachments connect to. I just thought for cleaning the screen, there might be something more industrial sized, but I think this consumer kit will do nicely, and like you day, after the dust settles, turn on that giant Super Suck system to do the rest..Comment
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The screen cleaning people that I used in the past also stressed that the back of the screen should be well vacuumed before anyone does anything with the front side....Comment
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Perhaps this is the system that might work for dust displacement. Nothing will leave the surface looking untouched after you work on it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094NRCZQH...NrPXRydWU&th=1
When we had a service (Silver Screen Service) do our screen they used a vacuum on the back afterward to clear the holes from the dust pushed in there by the cleaning of the front.
They also had a spray that moistened the surface and a very soft mop for removing any streaks. They used a plastic barrier to protect the stage floor from any excess liquid.
I do not believe that they actually did this to "silver" ' screens.Comment
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I'm not in the professional cleaning business, but I've never ever seen those guys and guyettes using a feather duster.
As for cleaning the screen, it's something I wouldn't have touched by any cleaning company I know around here. Maybe there are trustworthy screen cleaning companies, but I've yet to encounter them here. I know a few pretend to be, but left some screens in a horrible state, some with visible lanes on the screen, caused by the telescopic wiping tool they used to "deep clean" it...
I guess unless you have a woven or a silver screen, slightly vacuuming the back of the screen isn't going to hurt it, as long as you can get in there. In our screening room, it's easy enough to do so, as we can dismount the entire screen frame once we get the masking out of the way. But we've never vacuumed the back, we only ever wiped it down. We then also vacuum the baffle wall behind the screen, which also collects quite some dust. Speaker drivers are also cleaned with compressed air, we try to avoid even touching them.
We try to avoid touching the screen itself as much as possible. Only to remove some remains that won't be removed with the compressed air get a wipe down with a fine cloth or a fine brush. We don't wipe the screen, as this can cause visual streaking, which is almost impossible to get rid off. But I've actually used some commercial feather dusters before to remove some dusty spots and some spider web remains from screen.
As for silver screens, it's best not to touch them at all. Compressed air is fine, but as soon as you start rubbing it, you're ruining it.Comment
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The screen manufacturer Harkness recommends microfiber cloths... here are their instructions:
https://www.harkness-screens.com/scr...nd-maintenance
I've had good luck with this method. Someone already warned against trying to clean silver screens, but my understanding is that gain screens in general are likely to be damaged if you try to clean them unless you really know what you're doing. I've used this method on matte screens.Last edited by Jesse Crooks; 03-01-2022, 09:59 PM.Comment
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Jesse, did you use the Unger products recommended by Harkness?Originally posted by Jesse Crooks View Post
If so, is there a method for attaching the 16" Microfibre Micro Wipe cloth to the 18" Micro Strip Washer Sleeve?
ThanksComment
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Matte screens are much safer to clean, I would think twice before attempting to clean or dust a coated screen. I would definitely be ready to order a replacement if things went pear shaped.
A little warning on compressed air: regular compressed air will contain moisture and oil even with the air filter. I've seen that first hand: spray air on a glass pane and you'll see droplets of liquid forming up. There are better filters to be applied to the line but they are expensive, they are not the cheap basic filters you normally find with a compressor.Comment
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I would not attempt to clean a gain screen. And Silver is out of the question.Comment
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Try birds- - they usually have feathers. . .Originally posted by Frank Angel View Post
But seriously- - back in the early 1970's before they banned smoking in theaters, I remember
accidentally brushing up against the back of the screen while backstage and getting a big brownish
practically indelible nicotine stain on my shirt. In fact, if you ran your finger along it the screen-back,
it would get covered with a sticky combination of nicotine tar and probably popcorn oil. I'm not sure
how much this did or didn't affect the sound, since I'm sure many of the screen perfs were almost
completely clogged with the stuff.
Last edited by Jim Cassedy; 03-10-2023, 10:05 AM.Comment
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Maybe it was the sound of nicotine-clogged perforations that made the early 70s sound so distinctive 70s.
Those screens may have been an interesting disaster waiting to happen in itself. The golden-brown stuff called nicotine is pretty flammable and it doesn't end there:
There is a moderate explosion hazard when exposed to heat or flame. When heated to decomposition, it emits nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other highly toxic fumes. Avoid oxidizing materials. Stable under normal conditions. Avoid heat or flames.
That's a good one. We do have a filter in our air compressor and I've never noticed any residual oil or moisture buildup. The thing is made for cleaning though, we have another compressor to drive power tools that require compressed air.Originally posted by Marco Giustini View Post
But compressing and releasing it, means it will cool down the air, so moisture can still occur simply due to condensation. I guess as long as it's (mostly) pure water, the impact is still minimal, but if it carries oil and maybe some solvents along the way, it can cause some nasty staining.Comment
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I use rubber bands. If they're tight enough, and you're gentle enough, they won't make contact with the screen since they're significantly shallower then the cloth around them.Originally posted by Bob Ezra View PostComment
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Harkness mentioned a company called 1570 for screen cleaning.
Anyone familiar with them?Comment
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Just for fun:
A 1911 Advertisement I Found Online, Which
Illustrates The Importance Of A Clean Screen
CleanScreen1911.jpg
I think back then some people advocated cleaning the screen
surface with gasoline. Hmmmm ~ a gasoline soaked screen at
one end of the auditorium, and a nitrate film filled booth at the
other end ~ ~ what could possibly go wrong?
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