8mm Forum: Rejuvenate old films

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Posted by Earl J. Moniz (Member # 4853) on June 25, 2015, 09:38 AM:

I have a gallon of FilmRenew.
I'm trying to understand this entire renew process.
I know I need to soak the film in the solution.
* * *
Do I soak it on the reel (loosely wound
and not plastic)...?
OR
Is it permissible to unwind the film from the reel and
pile it loosely in a large container. . .
and soak it in that fashion?
Stirring it and turning it from time to time...?

* * *
I also know I should dry it for at least as much
time as I soaked it. . .
Should it dry on the reel (once again, loosely wound)
OR
should I find a spot to hang or place it on end. . .
and let it dry in that fashion before reeling it up...?

* * *
I would imagine that hanging it will cause kinks
and other deformations that we don't want...
standing it on one edge of the film off the reel
might also cause problems if the surface isn't flat
or has any sort of texture that might transfer to the
edge of the film.

* * *
Finally, during the drying process, IF I can
reel it for drying; can I use plastic reels IF
I wipe them with a lint-free cotton cloth as
I reel it up to remove as much liquid as possible?

* * *
Thank you for any assistance you might provide.
I'll hunt through the usual online tutorial
suspects and see if anyone may have posted some
instructions.

Until that time. . . Earl J.

Posted by Joseph Randall (Member # 4906) on June 28, 2015, 05:09 PM:

For the best answer, you should contact Larry Urbanski directly, who manufactures FilmRenew:

http://www.urbanskifilm.com/

Some quick answers -- soak and dry on a metal reel, not plastic. If you wipe it dry, you should be able to transfer it to plastic.

Depending on the problem you are trying to solve, soaking might not be necessary. The few times that I soaked, I used a metal reel soaking in a metal film container, closed. I don't remember how long I soaked it for, but it was at least a week. I kept it tightly wound on the reel the whole time, lying flat.

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on June 28, 2015, 10:33 PM:

Film Renew application

I do not soak the film because the sprocket holes are little windows that retain the cleaner fluid. The F.R. liquid should not remain wet on the film. Otherwise, it's difficult to remove and may spot the film.

I clean my films according to Larry Urbanski's suggestions that are on the attached link, but I use a good quality white Kleenex Tissue that does not have a fragrance or aloe softeners. After I complete this process, a soft velvet cloth is wrapped around to polish the film, and the film must dry out for a day or two before projection.

The only time that I kept the films minutely submerged with F.R is when removing a twist, warp or the beginning of vinegar smell.

Placing a small amount of F. R. on the bottom of the metal film can, the liquid is in contact with the edge of the film, and by capillary action it absorbed the Film Renew.

The warp was back wound, and it rejuvenated the film after two years.
The film with the slight vinegar smell stopped in six months.
In both applications, the film cover was closed to prevent evaporation
and repeated applications are according to need.

Applying F.R. is not a guarantee to cure vinegar syndrome, and in my situation this process worked for me.

Posted by Earl J. Moniz (Member # 4853) on June 29, 2015, 05:29 PM:

Thanks Joseph and Michael...

yes, I bought the ReNew from Larry Urbanski...
he is certainly a wealth of information, not to mention his supply house...

I took a few pictures of my method. . .
hanging the film on bushes...
trying not to drag it in the sand...
and not kinking ot completely in the process...
LOL

I think y'all will get a kick out of it...

I can't post them here, but I'll build a blog post
and share the link...

I'm just glad it was not a breezy day... (wink)

Until that time. . . Earl J.

PS... thank you Mr. Moderator for moving the topic over here...
I posted it in the 16 mm section because I was speaking about 16 mm film...
I imagine the topic is valid and appropriate for both 8 and 16 mm...

(wink)

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on June 30, 2015, 04:53 AM:

I only soak film in FilmRenew if it's warped or dried out otherwise I use it to clean and lubricate the film. When I do soak it I first give it a good wet cleaning with a cotton cloth loosely winding it onto a metal reel. Then I submerge it directly into the FilmRenew for a day or two. Then I run it through the cloth again. It takes about a day to dry. Do all this outdoors or in a well ventilated area, you don't want to breath the vapors.

If you have tape splices the glue will dissolve and they will come apart.

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on June 30, 2015, 11:05 AM:

Had 4 films with a slight odor, these are in cardboard boxes and plastic reels - First, I placed baking soda on the four corners of each box (Baking soda removes odors from the refrigerator, so why not experiment...), I then sprinkled the baking soda on the film itself (lightly), left them all exposed to a moderately cool temperature, turned the films over, sprinkled again, then after a week, the odor subsided, not entirely - Cleaned the films and boxes - Will further experiment using metal reels/cans, see how that goes - I have never had the VS in all my years of collecting, now 16mm is no different than our 8mm gauges, except in size - Depends on storage and temperature, like your LPs, comics or anything what have you - Anyway, my nickel on it, so far - Shorty

Posted by Timothy Ramzyk (Member # 718) on June 30, 2015, 12:27 PM:

I pass film though folded cotton cloth wet but not drenched in solution on rewinds, wearing gloves. Old 100% cotton T-shirt material works well. I wouldn't use something with wood-fiber like paper-towels or klenex myself, because paper fibers tend to be abrasive and loose fibers, and don't hold and distribute solution as well. Some people also use 100% cotton cheese cloth. I only use white cloth both to see dirt and make sure the magnetic track is not being eroded.

I coat the film, and leave it tails out on reels just for cleaning, let the solution rest for a week or two, then reverse it back onto the original reel through a dry soft cotton cloth. This removes excess solution that could cause spotting on the film or discolor and cause the plastic reels to become brittle.

I hold the cloth with a light touch, if you're crimping and hear a squeak, you're squeezing too hard and could damage the film or lift the magnetic stripe. If I have to change the wetting or drying cloth in the middle of a reel, I back up a foot before I begin again, because there is usually debris being pushes along as you clean that you don't want left behind.

I then write the date I cleaned the film on a little piece of paper, and drop it in the can or box so I know when I last cleaned the film.

[ June 30, 2015, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: Timothy Ramzyk ]

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on June 30, 2015, 12:32 PM:

Timothy,

Point well taken.

Posted by Joseph Randall (Member # 4906) on July 01, 2015, 04:29 PM:

Please be careful when you are about to soak your film -- you don't want this to happen:

https://youtu.be/Si2L_wdoetg?t=17m8s

Posted by Timothy Ramzyk (Member # 718) on July 01, 2015, 04:54 PM:

Good lord, who filmed that in trippy-vision?

Posted by Earl J. Moniz (Member # 4853) on July 08, 2015, 08:47 PM:

Good responses. . .
Thank you everyone...
* * *
I just soaked two films over the weekend.
I pulled them out yesterday and let them dry overnight.
One is still very deformed and brittle...
are the films supposed to eventually get pliable again...
I guess too much soaking will make them view like the Laurel and Hardy piece shared above... (sigh)

I guess there isn't any UNDO for that sort of thing...
* * *

Thanks again everyone for the advice, warnings, and
encouragement...

Until that time. . . Earl J.

Posted by Joseph Randall (Member # 4906) on July 08, 2015, 09:21 PM:

Actually, the L&H link was just to be a joke -- not to fall in your solution. I didn't realize what a bad transfer it was to video. [Eek!]

The plot of DIRTY WORK involves a rejuvenation formula -- that's what made me think of it.

-------------------
Actually, you can't soak a film too long in Filmrenew -- the longer, the better. I would give it a week or two to soak and you may get better results.

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on July 09, 2015, 01:29 AM:

Does your film have a vinegar smell?

Compare your film, to the image on this webpage:

Deformed film with vinegar syndrome

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