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

This is topic Do you ever find film with VS but still hold colors? in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on 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

Posted by Jim Schrader (Member # 9) on 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?

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on 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.

Posted by Bryan Chernick (Member # 1998) on 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

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on 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!

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on 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.

Posted by Gerald Santana (Member # 2362) on 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

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on 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!

Posted by Michael O'Regan (Member # 938) on 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.

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