Saturday, November 24, 2007

Where's the Pledge?

I don't know how many times in the last 15 years I've yelled this. Getting the squeak out of the wheels sometimes seems like my main mission in life. Over the years, I've tried everything, mostly under the tutelage of Key Grips who used to be Dolly Grips. Like a Major League pitcher, I've tried water, spit, snot, everything but pee. There's nothing quite like doing the perfect move spoiled only by the mind numbing screech of rubber wheels on the track. For years, every Dolly Grip in the world used Pledge furniture polish to lubricate his wheels. Then came the orange can. I just call it that "orange stuff." Zep Par Mold Release Spray. This stuff will take the squeak out of anything. Chapman started sending it out with all their dollies a couple of years ago and it has changed my working life. I guess the Fisher guys still use Pledge, but I'm not sure. If any are reading this, write in and let me know. Now, when the Pledge shows up, I immediately send it back and say, "Give me the orange stuff." (although, true to the Grip tradition of salty language, I don't call it "stuff") For anyone who has silently winced as they powered through a "Mickey Rooney" as it screeched during an emotional scene, (and I know you all have) I highly recommend it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

When using GI Track, it's recommended that you use baby powder. I've been following those instructions with much luck.

Keith's World said...

I hear but haven't tried yet that using Pam cooking spray is a good alternative, and after humping a bunch of track that the dolly grip had lathered in LPS last week, I'm all for it. Can't stand the poisons.

Anonymous said...

I started with talcum powder, but now I use silicone spray, very good with fishers, chapmans and also for Panthers and Magnums on curved track.

The only problem I ran into is wet track (with fishers and chapmans), you have to thoroughly dry the track before you put the silicone spray on it.

By the way this seems to be an advantage of the Euro dollies, they don't squeek when on straight track only on curved track.

Greets Dan

Jani Lappeteläinen said...

Hi! Starting dolly grip from finland. What do you think about WD40?