Vinegar syndrome again !

[David Hardy]

Today i decided to check through some of my 16mm feature film collection by simply opening the cans by having a quick look and a sniff . ( No i don't have a habit . )
Some of them had not been opened or ran for about 8 years or so .
On opening one film can, reel one of an IB Technicolor feature there was that strong whiff of you know what ... the dreaded V.S. ming .
" Oh no" i said out loud to myself . "Not again ! "
To add to my misery i also noticed that the film was now buckled and warped .
Well that's another prized 16mm print about to go into my wheelie bin for disposal .
It looks like i will now have to go through my entire film collection for inspection now just in case and the film has to be replaced with a Blu Ray or 4K disc copy .

Oh well such is life !

[David Hardy]

The funny thing is reels 2 and 3 of the same copy seem okay . Now that is odd !

[Larry Arpin]

Don't throw it away. Freeze it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjryk4cEnP8

[David Hardy]

Thanks for that reply and link Larry . It was very interesting however to be honest at my age i just can't be bothered with all that hassle of freezing prints in order to preserve their longevity a bit longer . I simply do not have the space for that. If it was an extremely rare film not available on any other format i would consider that or donate my print to the British Film Institute here in the UK . The reel with V/S has been removed away from my collection meantime .

[Ken Finch]

I have a large number of films on 9.5mm which I have had for many years and none have ever suffered from vinegar syndrome. Most were treated with Thermofilm with a little humidifier added to a pad in the cans. They are stored in a cupboard against an inner wall of the house where it is cool. Maybe the fact that the film stock was manufactured by Pathe is the reason although none of my own films on Kodak or other film stocks have suffered.

[Jim Schrader]

David I found a few prints that have vs I have simply opened them and placed them away fro
others and haved check them regularly once open to vent it slowed the process last time I checked the smell was almost non existent so I you can place it in area that’s dry you might be able to extend it, just my experience

[Steve Klare]

I've had a few "new" prints that definitely stunk of the Salad Bar when I first opened the cans. After that I left them ventilated and they de-stinked. I don't know if this somehow saved them, but so far, so good, several years on.

I had one used Derann S8 feature print that arrived stinking of vinegar that turned out to be polyester based(!). It turned out the stink wasn't the print but the cardboard boxes it was in: they absorbed the smell from their neighbors on somebody else's film shelves. A few weeks later they weren't smelly anymore and are still fine about 20 years later.

[David Hardy]

Jim and Steve thanks for that advice . I will try and find somewhere to "de-stink " them . Do any of know if the odour is harmful to your health ?

[Steve Klare]

Probably no worse than salad dressing!

[David Hardy]

Steve Klare ... hahahahahahaha !

[David Hardy]

HEALTH WARNING ... regarding Vinegar Syndrome . Handling Vinegar Syndrome Material


A member on the American Moving Image Archivists provides the following advice:

Be aware that acetic acid is water soluble. This means that anywhere that there is moisture (eyes, nose, throat, mouth, lungs, etc.) you can form acidic solutions. Most frequently it appears as lung, throat, and sinus irritation as well as blepharatis and conjunctivitis (both irritations of the eye). In addition, there are cases of people getting mild to moderate acid burns caused by transferring these acid solutions formed on moist skin (particularly the palms of the hands) to other more sensitive areas (like the face). Acid solutions formed in the mouth can cause dental erosion too, just as sucking on lemons will do.

I am currently now suffering from eye blepharitis and conjunctivitis since handling this reel of film .

This reel and any other i find is now going into the wheelie bin for disposal .