I am playing some old family movies (16mm & 8mm) on old projectors, is there a good way to clean the film?

Question

The films I have been working with so far seem to be in pretty good condition, but some of the reels seem a little dirty (moldy or mildewy maybe?) and I'm ondering if there's an easy way that I might put a cleaning solution of some sort on a cloth and maybe run the film across a damp cloth? Or maybe run the film through a solution? I obviously have no idea where to start, but I would like to do it myself if it's at all practical. Thanks for any insight.

Answer 1

I the days when I used to take home movies (film ones I mean), there were certainly cleaners that you put on a cloth, as you say, and ran across the film Whether anything suitable is made these days I don't know. Why not try just a slightly damp rag on an unimportant piece of film and see what happens. Or another idea - if you have a camcorder, why not try videoing the old films - project them on to your screen and line the video camera up with it and film away.

Answer 2

there are many companies that will transfer them to VHS or DVD for you by digital imaging. Find a commercial service that handles the conversion--you simply send the company your films. This is probably the easiest solution. Companies like Digital Transfer Systems and Home Movie Depot will do it for you, charging around 10 cents a foot. As Super 8mm film runs at 15 feet per minute, that's around $1.50 per minute.

Answer 3

You should be fine with rubbing alcohol on some q-tips. It might take awhile but it should work.