Some films are more prone to scratching than others. Kodaks fast
films seem quite easily scratched.
Often, the knife and/or cutting block will pick up a film chip
which can cause scratches on subsequent films. Also, the knife's
pivot point can get a build up of crud which can cause the blade
to retract insufficiently, and then the film scrapes on it as it
is injected into the sleeving.
The latter is the probable culprit in your situation.
FWIW, I am not a fan of auto sleevers. I usually hand cut my
films and manually insert them into the sleeves. Most good
pharmacies and lab suppliers sell a product called "finger cots"
which look just like small prophalactics. They go onto the
fingers for film handling so as to not pass finger oil onto the
film. I think we are paying about eight dollars for a package of
a hundred from our lab supplier.
William Robb
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald F. Cermak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Pentax Discussion List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: May 11, 2001 1:17 PM
Subject: Lab Sleeving machines and scratches
> I've been intermittently using a lab near work (with a fine
Fuji mini-lab
> machine). However, initially they were not cleaning the
machine well
> enough, and I was getting occasional scratches and torn
emulsions. After
> some complaints, they cleaned things up. But lately, my print
film has been
> coming back with scratches along the non-emulsion (plastic)
side of the
> film, horizontal, except for one vertical scratch every fourth
frame
> (corresponding to the film strip width produced by their
sleeving machine).
> The prints no show signs of scratches (at 4x6's or 6x8's).
The scans I make
> later on are ruined though, because of the scratches. I even
shot a test
> roll in a new body, and had the lab manager run it end to end,
and they also
> had the same scratch pattern. They said I'm the only one
complaining,
> suggested I think about going digital, or go to a pro lab. I
refused all
> these. I'm probably their only customer that scans 3600 dpi
film at home,
> and most people don't get reprints of their film. They
finally believed the
> scratches were coming from them, but don't know why. It
appears to me that
> their automatic sleeving machine is dragging the plastic side
of the film
> across something, and then when it clamps the film for cutting
every 4th
> frame, producing a vertical scratch too. It really seems it
couldn't be
> coming from anywhere else in the process.
>
> Have other people noticed scratches on film coming from labs
that use
> automatic sleeving machines? Are their any particular quirks
about using
> these machines that can cause problems, things the lab may not
have learned
> about yet? I'd really like to continue using them, as they
are quite
> convenient to work, and when they get things right, the
results couldn't be
> better.
>
> Thanks,
> Gerald
-
This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe,
go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to
visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
