Treating VS Film With Filmguard

[Rob Clarke Tucker]

So I’ve treated my first VS print of OHMSS giving it a loose wind. As can be seen from the photo print is slightly warped about half way through the film.

My question should I give the last 1000 ft a tight wind by splicing out the warped section. Or just give it another coat of filmguard.

Thanks guys for your help. Hopefully I can save this reel ?

[Randy Stankey]

You might already know this but it bears repeating: Once begun, vinegar syndrome can never be reversed.

In fact, it is widely believed that virtually all acetate film will eventually degrade, turn vinegar and self-destruct. It can't be stopped. It can only be slowed down.

Heat and moisture are the two main factors that contribute to vinegar syndrome. The higher the temperature and the higher the moisture level, the sooner it starts and the faster it progresses. As I remember, keeping film cool (35-40º F) and at approx. 30% humidity are the best storage conditions for acetate film to prevent (slow down) degradation.

Once your film starts degrading and giving off acetic acid, the damage is already done and can never be undone. It's permanent. Yes, you can slow it down and even "rehabilitate" it, so to speak, but there is no way to undo.

Yes, you can clean the film with Film-Guard and it will help. I have done so with good results but I also understand that "what is done is done." I have a few reels of film, stored in my basement, that have been treated with Film-Guard and they are doing well, all things considered, but I have also resolved that they will, eventually, self-destruct and there isn't anything that can be done.

Your film... It looks to be pretty far gone.

That wrinkling looks like the film has already begun to shrink and degrade. I wouldn't even be confident that it can be projected, safely. It might be but I have my doubts. If it is projectable, it's likely to be a rough ride.

If the film can be saved...more like rehabilitated...Film-Guard is probably your best bet. At least, it's the best you can do at home without sending the film to a lab. (To be honest, I don't even know what a lab could do for that film.)

Give the film a good bath in Film-Guard then let it set for a couple of days, clean it without Film-Guard then apply some more. That will remove as much acetic acid from the film as possible.

As you might already know, the chemical process of degradation is autocataylitic. That means that the by-products of the chemical reaction cause the reaction to go faster. In this case the by-product is acetic acid. As the film degrades, acetic acid is produced. That acetic acid, then, goes back and starts the reaction over, again, releasing more acetic acid and continuing a "vicious cycle."

What Film-Guard does is clean away that acid. Removing the acid slows down the reaction. The lubricants in Film-Guard might also soften any brittle film but I won't swear to that. It's only an intuitive guess.

How are you cleaning and handling that film? Are you using a bench rewinder? Are you applying Film-Guard by hand or with a mechanical cleaner? I suggest using a rewinder but only going SLOW and with as little tension as necessary. Use a mechanical film cleaner and use fresh, clean gauze pads every time. Again, use the minimum tension/pressure as you can get away with. When you're done, lay the film on its side but be really careful you don't "cup" the reel or else you might put horizontal scratches in the film. Sandwich the film reel between two sheets of Masonite (or something similar) while you move it. Best would be to put the film in a non-metal can but don't seal it.

Leave the film sit for a while and come back to it. See if the cleaning and the Film-Guard have helped. I don't know. It's a crap shoot, at this point.