Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003
posted August 19, 2015 08:58 PM
It is always my understanding that home movie will not get VS due to different way of process.
But I just found a home movie wraped and smell vinegar. So this is the opposite of my knowledge and start to worry me that my precious home movies from my childhood to date will also get VS.
Do you happen to find the same issue, your opinion please.
Posts: 654
From: Bothell, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
posted August 19, 2015 11:20 PM
I have some Kodachrome from the 1950's with VS. I also have some from the 1930's without VS, any cellulose film can get it. If stored properly it can last a long time. I suspect that the film that has it was stored in a bad location like a garage or attic where it was exposed to heat and changing temperatures and probably sealed up in a can for a long time. For the most part Kodachrome is a very durable film and holds the color amazingly well.
Posts: 139
From: La Mesa, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 2008
posted August 19, 2015 11:49 PM
I have transferred home movies for thirty years and, yes, Kodachrome is susceptible to VS just like any other acetate film stock. I've had to throw out probably thousands of feet over the years. The older the film, and Kodachrome started in the late 1930s, the more chance of it being vinegared. Every time I open up one of those old, tightly sealed cans I dread the results. The only Kodachrome I ever come across with bad color has VS, with only blue being left.
Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted August 20, 2015 03:59 PM
Yes, it's a fact of life, like death and taxes.
As much as I love my own home movies I've been shooting since the 70s and will project (and protect) them as long as I can, I'm going to get them transferred as backup.
They very well could last my lifetime, but I need some plan "B".
-strange...
I just experienced kind of a...chill...as if I'd been banned somewhere!
-------------------- All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...
Posts: 543
From: Herne Bay, Kent. U.K.
Registered: Oct 2011
posted August 23, 2015 01:30 PM
It seems that correct storage is the answer to vs. Even temperature at 60F or below and some humidity. Check out what the archives do. One never knows how previous owners have kept their films. One of the advantages we have had in the U.K. is our temperate climate. Ken Finch.