8mm Forum: vented storage cans

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Posted by Gareth Dressler (Member # 1285) on October 05, 2008, 08:24 PM:

I have seen people selling "vented storage cans" for 8MM/16mm film.
They are said to protect against VS.
Does anyone have these & would this help? if so, then can we just drill some small holes in the corners of the cans to do the same thing?

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 06, 2008, 02:21 AM:

Films in storage obviously need to breathe, thus cans should not be sealed or the lids be too tight. However, saying that, VS is a chemical process which seems to appear in some films irrespective of their storage conditions.

It certainly would be ideal if we could suspend this action by drilling a few holes in our cans!

Posted by John Whittle (Member # 22) on October 06, 2008, 09:03 AM:

In the major studio film vaults and the Kodak vault in Hollywood, they found that a tightly sealed container would contribute to the fast breakdown of the film base. Also a metal container that developed any rust would make the condition worse.

So 35mm feature negatives are stored in container which have vent holes allowing air circulation of controlled temperature and humidty to keep the film at the idea storage conditions.

Ironically, for home users, it would seem that the original cardboard containers supplied by Castle and Blackhawk were a safer method of storage than metal reels and steel cans.

Drilling holes alone might not provide even air circulation. Other methods might be considered such as open storage with a dust cover or the like.

John

Posted by David Kilderry (Member # 549) on October 08, 2008, 04:13 AM:

Unless they are vented, do not store film in sealed cans, plastic or metal. Dust has become a minor problem compared to Vinegar Syndrome.

As I have said before all of my films are out of cans and are either stored on reels only or cardboard as John says.

David

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