8mm Forum: Do you ever find film with VS but still hold colors?

»	8mm Forum » General Yak » Do you ever find film with VS but still hold colors?

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

Author

Topic: Do you ever find film with VS but still hold colors?

Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 17, 2011 05:18 PM

I never found myself.

What I found that all color films with VS must have also faded.

Unless you can confirm that you have film with good colors but also got VS, then I will conclude that fade process proceeds to VS.

I am not saying that fading film will get VS eventually. But as long as your film has good color it will not have VS.

Your comment please?

ps: VS will never happen to polyester(mylar)film

--------------------
Winbert

| IP: Logged

Jim Schrader
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1628
From: Savage, MN, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 17, 2011 08:29 PM

how does one know if they have a polyester(mylar)film?
i have a 16mm print that stinks but the colors have held up perfectly and it is not warped, is it possible that there are cleaners that give off a vs smell?

--------------------
jim schrader
"Let's see “do I have that title already?"

| IP: Logged

Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 17, 2011 09:09 PM

The way I find out wat the film base is I snip a couple of inches off the head and try to cement splice it.

-If it works it's acetate.

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

| IP: Logged

Bryan Chernick
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Bothell, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2010

posted October 17, 2011 10:12 PM

Polyester film doesn't hold a curl like acetate, it will hang almost strait down. Polyester is also much stronger than acetate. There's some good information on Wikipedia comparing the different types of film base:

Film base

| IP: Logged

Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted October 17, 2011 11:23 PM

Winbert, I have a few hundred feet of 35mm Technicolor film, the worst of which is the most rotten acetate film I've ever seen (or smelled). I think half the base or more has evaporated by now, it cracks and flakes it's so brittle, and it's way way beyond flatness and projectability.

But the color is fine.

My understanding is that over time, both are problems of chemical instability, but are not directly correlated. I also have polyester prints faded to red!

| IP: Logged

Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted October 18, 2011 02:39 AM

Vinegar is essentially acetic acid. And acetic acid is coming from the break down of acetate film. No relation between support deterioration and colour fading.

--------------------
The Grindcave Cinema Website

| IP: Logged

Gerald Santana
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1060
From: Cottage Grove OR
Registered: Dec 2010

posted October 18, 2011 12:54 PM

When I started collecting 16mm film, I found a site by Paul Ivester that describes various film stocks and markings, there is also a section on VS and other "enemies" of film.

Film Preservation Basics

At the bottom of the tab to identifying film stocks, you will find this:

quote:
A non-destructive method to tell Polyester (Estar, etc.) from Acetate

One technique is to use crossed polarizers, such as camera filters or 3-D glasses. Overlap the polarizers, and orient them so that they are opaque. Place the film between them. If it is acetate, it will appear opaque. If it is polyester (Estar, etc.) it will depolarize the light, and the area of the film will appear less opaque.

Here is a link to the "Guide to Identifying Color Movie Film Stocks" on the site, it includes many pictures:

http://www.paulivester.com/films/filmstock/guide.htm

--------------------
http://lostandoutofprintfilms.blogspot.com/

| IP: Logged

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted October 18, 2011 01:14 PM

That vinegar syndrome thing is curious to me. I have a 35MM print (I think it is technicolor) of the long trailer of "Yellow Submarine" that was given to me by our own Dino Everette (many thanX yet again for that trailer, Dino!), and though it reeks of vinegar syndrome, the color is spot on and beautiful!

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

| IP: Logged

Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted October 18, 2011 01:15 PM

quote:
... and though it reeks of vinegar syndrome, the color is spot on and beautiful!

There is no connection between VS and colour stability to the best of my knowledge.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central

Printer-friendly view of this topic

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2