Question and Opinon regarding the best way to store film

[Ken Souza]

I have a 16mm film storage questions. I have a number of prints, mostly LPP and some I.B. Tech along with B&W that I have stored in nice lab cans or Goldberg cans and some in boxes. In reading about film storage at the National Archive site, they claim that lab cans would be the best way to store prints. They claim that raw stock is in cans and stock is preserved fine in cans.

I have heard for years to avoid VS, warpage, etc, you should allow print to breath and boxes are the best But I have also read that cardboard boxes could have a type of acid in the cardboard that can damage film. And that cans or any other storage container that air tight can caught warpage and VS. Especially on old valuable I.B. Tech prints

I'm curious on how do most of you store your prints? I have heard for years that to avoid VS, warpage, etc, you should not store prints in cans and open them up from tme to time to let them breath.

What's is your opion?
Thanks Ken

[Ed Gordon]

Here is what the Library of Congress says:

General Guidelines for the Proper Storage of Motion Picture Film

Motion picture films and especially the silver particles or color dyes that constitute the image are highly sensitive to inappropriate environmental conditions; good storage is arguably the best preservation measure one can take:

• A relatively dry (30-50% relative humidity), cool (room temperature or below), clean, and stable environment (avoid attics, basements, and other locations with high risk of leaks and environmental extremes)
• Distance from radiators and vents
• Wound securely (not loose and not too tight), evenly, and neatly with a generous (e.g., 3") center diameter, emulsion side out
• Protective enclosures* that physically support the film, block all light, and minimize exposure to dust and airborne (particularly sulfur-containing) atmospheric pollutants

*Storage materials (cores, reels, and enclosures such as boxes or cans) made from acceptable plastics (polypropylene or polyethylene), preservation-quality cardboard, or noncorroding metal that pass the Photographic Activity Test. Some preservation suppliers.

Source: https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/film.html

[Joe Caruso]

Light cardboard does emit acetic acid, though this takes a long while, and with the added circulation of air, any vinegar emanation would be very slow if at all....Always store acetate in a cool environment, and clean the cans thoroughly with baking soda and hot water, it does help... Molecular Sieves are a standby...I have found a dab of baking soda in the holes of reels to absorb any starting odors....Shorty

[Maurice Leakey]

I suggest that important film storage conditions are:-
Low humidity, low temperature, and storing them horizontally. The latter to even up the pressure (as opposed to vertical storage).