No matter what your budget, you should be able to find affordable equipment for cleaning and viewing your film. When there is inexpensive equipment considered as opposed to very expensive specialized equipment, I will list the basic budget method first followed by the high end resources last.
Everyone who has film should invest in some vertical rewinders - hand operated or power rewinds, editorial table with a light well would also be very helpful. An extra reel(s), film cans or boxes, clean cotton gloves, safety glasses, lint-free cloth, marking pen and labeling tools, and other basic supplies.
Film cleaner, a means of lubricating your film and solvent resistant gloves should also be added to your gear. Also a well ventilated room and appropriate masks should be used for safety's sake; some of the film cleaners are very toxic.
To inspect film for damage and viewing for the budget minded a portable light box and a Loupe or some way of inspecting your film with a high magnification factor needs to be used. For the high end budget, tabletop film viewers and tabletop sound reader for talkies.
For making repairs and adding leader you will need the above items plus, perforated tape, a razor blade, scissors, presstape, film leader, film cement and a simple splicer. For the high end budget you may purchase all the above plus for acetate film a high-level splicer with appropriate splicing tape and film cement as suitable. If you have polyester film use splicing tape or an ultrasonic splicer melts the film together with an ultrasonic signal.
Depending on how many different gauges of film your collection has will govern how many unique setups you will need. The term Dual 8 means that it works with both Super 8mm and Regular 8mm. There are viewers that may work with the Dual 8 but will not work with 16mm or 35mm.
Vertical rewinds may be advertised as Dual 8 or just one of the 8mm's, so you must know what you need and what sellers are listing. On eBay I purchased a board with 2 hand operated Craig rewinds mounted on it for Regular 8 and only need a plastic adapter to rewind my Super 8.
Film gauge is expressed in millimeters (mm) sometimes you will see Super 8 with or without the mm behind the 8 such as Super 8mm, it all means the same. Those are the two gauges that are most often used by Home Movie buffs.
Acetate base film is what most Regular 8 was recorded on starting in 1932 and on and some Super 8 which was introduced in 1965; acetate was first used around 1909 and is utilized up to the present time in one form or another.
Polyester was used from the mid 1950's to the present time for 35mm, 16mm, and some Super 8. Polyester film is normally used for the Movies projected in American theaters and typically in the 35mm gauge. This is the toughest and most stable film base in use today and can only be spliced with splicing tape or an ultrasonic splicer.
Nitrate based films were used from 1893 to the early 1950's it was very flexible and strong but was also highly flammable and nitrate fires were nearly impossible to put out once started. American manufactures never supplied the home movie market with nitrate based film for 16mm or 8mm gauge. Nitrate was labeled with the words Nitrate Film along the edge to mark it so the home movie cult would not be offered this highly combustible film.
I urge you to get even more helpful information and some views of how some of my transfers turned out on some 8mm film that was taken in 1956 at http://danstrobel.com/8mm_to_Digital.html.
Thank you for taking time to read my article
Daniel D. Strobel
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