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Topic: Archival film cans

Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted January 17, 2014 01:57 AM

Hi All, while my collection is small I do have a few very rare titles including some Kodascopes, which I think probably ought to stored in proper archival film cans that allow air to circulate and gases to escape, staving off vs. The kind I want are the chunky Tuscan ones that allow the film to be stored on a spool, with the air vents underneath.

Does anyone know of a UK source for these or will I have to order from America? Anyone had experience with these archival cans?

Many thanks.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted January 17, 2014 04:33 AM

Chris
Here are six 400' Tuscan cans on eBay from Australia.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bulk-lot-of-6-x-400ft-16mm-empty-plastic-movie-film-cans-tins-short-reel-tuscan-/161193710355?pt=US_Film&hash=item2587e4d313

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Maurice

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Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted January 17, 2014 06:15 AM

Thanks Maurice but those seem to be the conventional kind - the ones I am looking for allow air to circulate through holes in the can:

http://tuscancorp.com/cart/archival-film-storage-16mm-800ft/

Anyone know about these and where to obtain them in the UK?

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted January 17, 2014 06:41 AM

Chris
I have never heard of these cans with holes in. I was at the BFI archives at Berkhamsted some years ago and they never mentioned using anything special in the way of cans.
I suppose you could use conventional cans and make your own ventilation holes.

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Maurice

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Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted January 18, 2014 02:54 AM

Thanks Maurice, maybe I'm getting paranoid about nothing. I got the impression that a lot of US collectors used these for the larger gauges to reduce the risk of vs. Maybe I'll just get some molecular sieves for my existing cans.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted January 18, 2014 03:59 AM

Storage in warm and humid conditions can greatly accelerate the unsought of V.S., this perhaps appertains more to the USA than in the U.K.
Our climate is more to the storage recommendation of cold and moderately dry conditions.

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Maurice

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 31, 2014 04:03 PM

Try Urbanskifilm.com Larry Urbanski has been a film products dealer for many, many years and I can vouch for his credibility. Very nice chap. He sells the vented cans you're looking for.

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted January 31, 2014 07:45 PM

I have bought one or two archival cans from Larry - they were 200' ones and possibly not representative of all he sells, but mine were rather like normal cans with holes made in them! It's an expensive business buying can from overseas, so you could consider getting out a drill! The holes on mine were along the lower edge of the bottom.

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Adrian Winchester

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Jason Gronn
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 237
From: Boyne Island, Queensland, Australia
Registered: Sep 2013

posted February 01, 2014 05:00 AM

l just purchase the standard plastic film cans and use a soldering iron on low setting and put five or six small holes in the bottom of the can.
it beats paying the few extra $$$ for the ventilated ones.

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Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted February 14, 2014 04:24 AM

My delivery of 16mm Tuscan archival film cans arrived yesterday from Larry Urbanski in America. I thought I'd give a brief report in case anyone else is thinking of getting them.

They're not expensive per se, but once you include shipping they work out at about £5 per 800' can. They have air holes and ridges in the bottom of the can, so that an air current can flow under the reel of film. Not quite as sturdy as the old blue Tuscan cans but sturdy enough. Nice looking and easy to label.

The only thing I don't like (apart from the expense) is that while they are big enough in diameter to accommodate any 16mm spool (or 900' 9.5 spool), most spools stick up above the top of the can very slightly, so if you have a large pile the bottom spools will probably get squashed over time. As some of my films are on cores, I've just put these ones at the bottom.

There is a UK source for a different design as well, but no spools will fit in these, they have to be on cores: https://www.preservationequipment.com/Store/Products/Archival-Storage/Photographic-Storage/Polypropylene-Movie-Film-Cans

Hope that's helpful. I think some of the DIY options mentioned in other posts could be the way to go!

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted February 14, 2014 09:52 AM

Chris
I don't like the fact that "most" spools are proud of the lower part and the lid could compress them.
Do any spools fit in correctly?

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Maurice

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Chris Bird
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 218
From: Kingston upon Thames, UK
Registered: Jul 2013

posted February 15, 2014 04:12 AM

Very slim metal spools fit fine, and the old metal Clydon spools pretty much fit (they stick up a fraction of a mm). The ones that visibly stick up are modern plastic spools like the blue Tuscan ones. Weird, as these cans are made by Tuscan. I'll ask Larry about it. All 9.5 spools are fine.

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