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RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
https://8mmforumworldwide.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1998		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Chris Smith [ Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:56 pm ]
Post subject:  RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
The can is open--and here are the results. But first, a bit of background. I was sorting some films on August 30, 2007, and came across several 400' reels of 16mm home movies in the old aluminum cans. They were part of a large lot of reels I purchased off eBay. Two of the films were putrid with vinegar syndrome. They reeked, and were spoking so bad, they were star shaped on the reel. I was about to trash them when I spied a tin pint can of the original VITAFILM. It contained maybe a half pint. This was the ORIGINAL Vitafilm concoction, not the new reincarnation presently sold. It was in a "lot" I bought back in the 90s, along with movies, reels, splicers and what not. Since I am a FILMRENEW user, I figured I might as well do a bit of a test on the trash VS home movies and I placed one of the hopeless reels in a lab can and poured the VITAFILM in and sealed it with duct tape. And promptly forgot about it. It lived in "Vinegarville", a shelf in another room in my archive, and while I would come across it from time to time, shuffling stuff around, I figured why not wait to an August 30th anniversary and make a deal of it. And here we are. And I was surprised...

Attachments:
File comment: The time capsule...
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File comment: Time to unseal...after 2,922 days
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File comment: Right out of the can...NO spoking
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File comment: After 8 years, liquid in the can. Both sides of the print were saturated
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File comment: The first foot is wrinkled and twisted. This was the condition of the entire reel before the soak.
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File comment: Looking better
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File comment: About 15' in...no curl
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File comment: About 20' in..looks nice
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File comment: Looks FLAT, but it'll dry for a few days and we'll see
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Author:  Wayne Tuell [ Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Looks like kodachrome??? I have had a few that warped bad with no smell so you had your luck cut out for you from the start.

let's hope when the film dries out for a few days, it will stay relaxed and the smell won't come back or not as strong. [set5_b/set5_b/hurray.gif]
Author:  Chris Smith [ Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Wayne, I assumed it was BLACK AND WHITE stock from the way it spoked and smelled back in 2007. I don't believe I even pulled it off the reel then, it looked and smelled so bad. I was surprised, today, to see colors, and it sure does look like Kodachrome. It now reeks of VITAFILM, so after it's dried, I will have more details to share.
Author:  Mike O'Regan [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Interesting. How long does such a reel take to dry?
Author:  Chris Smith [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Well, Mick, I figure, as far as drying time, it should be about half the time it soaked. :lol: On a serious, cinematic note, I'm giving it a couple days
Author:  Mike O'Regan [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
:D
Author:  Wayne Tuell [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Food for thought Chris, you may want to run it on the rewinds while wet a few times and wipe off anything that may be on it before it dries with a soft cloth.

I had soaked a film for years before then let it dry. What worked its way to the surface was a fine powder which was part of the decomposition of the film. It has been a long time but if I remember correctly Peter G. said that stuff is nasty on the skin when in powder form and may start to help speed up the process again if not removed. This is from OLD memory so I may not recall 100% of what you told be but better safe than sorry.
Author:  Chris Smith [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Good point, Wayne. I'll towel it off. When examining the film yesterday, I had to quickly put on gloves as the some chemical (Vitafilm, film acid, whatever) was burning my fingers. I don't expect any miracles here...I see indications of the old "spoking", but it's a fun incident nonetheless. I know there ain't no such thing as a VS cure, but at this point, 8 years of soaking has at least relaxed the film.
Author:  Wayne Tuell [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Nitrile gloves are the best, latex can sometimes let chemicals through.
Author:  Dan Lail [ Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: RESULTS: VS Film Takes 8-YEAR Vitafilm Bath
Oooooooohhhhhhh, this is going to be so gooooood!

Maybe it will turn out to Popeye Meets Ali Baba and his Forty Thieves. I have a gallon can of old Vita Film. Might be a couple of decades old.
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