Cleaning 8mm moive film?

[dukeofbluz]

Just a shot here, would anyone have any advice on cleaning old 8mm movie film?
I use a old projector , mirror box and a old full size VHS camcorder hooked to a DVD recorder to transfer 8mm movies to DVD. This combo has worked great with my parents movies. My cousins are bringing my Aunts movies to Thanksgiving and I plan on showing them while recording them. They said some of the movies have mold/mildew on them and I was wondering if there is a simple household cleaner that would work without ruining the film?

Thanks,
Jeffrey

[Woolburr]

The most common cleaner used to be trichloroethane....but that is an environmental nightmare and is no longer in play...the next readily available agent would be technical isopropyl alcohol...you can usually find it at bigger drug stores...Get some PEC pads from your local camera store.

You can do a search at Kodak.com that might get you more info if you need it.

[rhys]

I usually clean film with shampoo - the kind that makes your hair shine as it contains the right chemicals. Vosene was always my favourite.

[JWright]

I have a bottle of Ethol film cleaner I bought several years ago. It says it contains Tetrachloroethylene... These products are still available.

[rhys]

Check the film base if you're going to use specialist cleaners. Check whether it's Estar, cellulose acetate or cellulose nitrate. Estar is not as floppy as cellulose. Cellulose nitrate aka celluloid is flammable whereas cellulose acetate is not.