Home Movies (1946)

HOME MOVIES FOR MARCH • Fig. 2 — In applying cennent to the splice area, better distribution will result by begin, ning the brush stroke in middle of the film, brushing backward, then completing the process with a full forward stroke. • Fig. 3 — Shortening bristles of the cement brush and shaping them to a chisel edge will make the brush a more effective tool for applying cement to the narrow splice area of the film. FILM BUCKLE • Fig. 4 — Application of too much cement to film and leaving splice under pressure plate too long invariably causes buckling of the splice — noisy when passing the projector film gate. • Fig. I — Next to careless removal of emulsion, improper application of cement contributes more toward defective film splices than any other factor. Bad Splices Stop the Show Wonder Why Your Splices Part? Here Are Vital Tips On Splicing Technique For Every Amateur — Beginner Or Advanced H U M eXCESZ CEMENT • Fig. 5 — Applying too much cement causes it to flow over the adjacent frame of film when splicer pressure plate is applied. This makes for a blurred spot that shows glaringly in projection. UNCEMENTBD AREAS e Fig. 6 — When the emulsion is not fully removed, not enough cement is applied, or the cement dries before the film sections are joined, a defective splice results that sooner or later separates during projection of the filnf). ONE of the gremlins that persists in plaguing the home movie showman is the splice that parts inadvertently during the screening of movies. For this, splicers have been blamed and often the film, but usually the fault may be laid to the cement used — and not infrequently to the party who did the splicing. Stale cement, inadequately scraped splicing area and a poorly adjusted splicer are just some of the things that contribute to poor splices. First it should be understood that film cement does not act as an adhesive in joining two sections of film together. The joint is made in a manner similar to a weld. Safety film cement is actually a solvent. When applied to film, the cement dissolves and softens the film surface. When two film surfaces are thus prepared and then joined together under pressure, the two films, where moistened with the cement, flow together and form a firm bond that should endure indefinitely. Film cement is highly volatile which means that it evaporates quickly — about as rapidly as ether — therefore, when using it to make a splice, it is important to work quickly, joining the two sections of film together after the cemeat has been applied. It sometimes happens that the cement, as compounded, has insufficient film base in it and thus evaporates too quickly. When this happens, the splice is weakened or may fail completely. A remedy for this is to add a quantity of film base to the cement — the equivalent of one frame of 1 6mm. film. A piece trimmed from your films or from an old leader will do. The emulsion or any other coating must be thoroughly removed first so that the film is crystal clear and free of any emulsion particles before it is placed in the cement. The film will dissolve rapidly and mix with the cement, thickening it. Where splices part because of premature drying (evaporation) of the cement, this fault will be indicated by irregular clear areas in the splice as illustrated in Fig. 6. Greater speed in completing the splicing operation or increasing density of the cement as directed above should remedy the trouble. The best method for applying cement • Continued on Page 171 141