Overview: This article is on pointers regarding film cleaning.

Tools:

Rewinder, film cleaning fluid (Edwal bottles have Solvon), cleaning cloth, splices, splicer.

Basics:

The rewinder should be placed on the table with the handles facing the operator. The left rewinder should be the drive or geared rewinder and the right rewinder the slave.
The film should be mounted on the slave.
Film reel orientation:
- for 8mm and 16mm sound, the sprocket holes should be on the far side of the reel
- for 16mm silent, the sprocket holes are on both sides so they cannot help in orientation
- BEWARE 16mm leader can be incorrect....ie. I've seen silent leader on sound film (the film has sprockets only on one side)
- typically the film will come off the top of the reel to the top of the take-up reel
- the film's emulsion side will be facing up
- 16mm film frames are facing heads-up toward the leader. If the frames are heads-down, then the film is on the reel tail out.
  - tail out film needs to be wound onto the take-up reel
  - while winding the film, clean it
  - when done winding, take the take-up reel and mount it on the projector
    - when the reel has been processed to thru the projector....
      - replace the original take-up reel with the original reel
      - rewind the film back onto the original reel
soak some of the cleaning fluid on the cleaning cloth
pinch the cleaning cloth on the film as you wind it onto the take-up reel
then rewind the film back to the original reel
if the film is very dirty and long I will refresh the cleaning cloth with more fluid part way thru the cleaning. I may also clean the film on the return to the original reel