We all wax lyrical on here and elsewhere about our projectors, but each time a projector is pulled out by me, I also have to grab another equally important box of goodies that goes without discussion all too often.

What is it? Well it is of course our essential accessories box that you simply must have to hand whenever a film is about to be laced.
Here is mine, an old used Film Guard box, which I've found to be just the right size for everything except the liquids themselves I use.
Those are kept close to hand in my computer storage cabinet.

So here are my essentials for each day of screening, what are yours and what does it look like in it's handy container?



Some of these essentials for me are:
1/ Lint free cleaning cloths
2/ Film cleaning solution
3/Head cleaning solution
4/Various gate brushes
5/ Blower Brushes
6/Lens cleaning solution
7/ Specialist lens cleaning cloth
8/ Anamorphic Lens (in the box but not seen here)
9/ Cotton Bud Swabs
10/Splice tapes and Roller
11/ Film trimmer
12/ Just about every lead and adaptor known to man to connect a projector to an external audio source for either recording or "auxiliary out" purposes to another amp and speakers via a mixing desk etc.

Lamps are another of course, but for that there is a storage area within the projector lamphouse for me and after that I try always to keep at least 10 spares in hand in another of these type boxes.

Another favourite, of course, is a can of compressed air. It's something i always have to hand in my cabinet, but seldom find a need to use on a daily screening basis. Useful for occasional stubborn deposits though that cannot easily be removed by other means.
Also useful for a thorough film path clean once the lamp and lens has been removed.

Don't just "like" Douglas Ha ha , tell us what you use and what liquids etc you find to be best.

This forum needs plenty of film and film equipment related chat!

I keep 91 % rubbing alcohol and contoured cotton swabs (the kind that manicurists use, my wife found those for me) nearby to wipe and keep the film gate and path clean after each film showing. Canned air to follow up and I use it to blow any dust off the lens as well. For film cleaning I have my Tex Wipe cleaning cloths and my own secret mix for cleaning and lubricating my films and it works very well (and non-toxic) as long as you don't drink it or use it for eye drops!

has the compressed air never caused any issue with condensation to your lens Douglas?

Your film cleaner potion sounds most interesting also Douglas, prey tell?

The product I clean and lubricate my films with is made for the aerospace industry. When I get a film in I usually do one cleaning / lubrication and that's it. By keeping the gate and film paths clean it reduces the labor to keep my films in top condition. That's one (of many things) I like about my Kodak Pageant is the open film paths due to it being a manual threaded machine. It makes everything easier to get to!

Douglas! Please don´t keep the Mixture secret, if it´s a good one. I should like to use Filmrenew, but it´s not available overseas.

Hello Mats,
The product I use is 303 Aerospace Protectant. It may not be specifically designed for what I use it for,but it has worked very well for my purposes. It can be purchased through eBay or Amazon.

Andrew,
I've never had any issues with condensation and using canned air.I think part of that has to do where you live (humidity & climate factors.)

For Andrew: My modest film cleaning supplies. Simple,but effective

Douglas! Have you used it on films with magnetic sound?

Mats,
I've used it on Standard-8,Super-8 (sound and silent) and 16 mm films with good results. Been using it for a year and a half now and haven't had any issues whatsoever. Considering the gunk it has taken off of some of my used films, I know it must be doing its job well!

Everything that I use is found somewhere in our main bathroom (we also have a utility closet in there).
1. GooGone
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. All Purpose Grease (Lithium Based)
4. Cotton Swabs
5. Silicone Spray

I use a tiny bit of GooGone mixed with rubbing alcohol to remove that old tape on reels. I use straight alcohol to clean the ends of a film that are to be spliced together. The grease is for the gears within the machines. Cotton swabs and alcohol to clean the gate/aperture. The silicone spray (safe for plastics) is for a small part that sometimes sticks within one of my machines. I have a treated film cleaning cloth, as well as splicers, splicing tapes and new leader. My various bulbs are in their own box on a top shelf in my closet, along with 4 of my coveted machines.