Hi Bethany and everybody,

As has been pointed out, freezing your film is a good way of stopping further deterioration (or at least slowing it down).  There are right ways and wrong ways to do this, I think, so get a little more information first.

The comment about vinegar syndrome applying to acetate not nitrate film is correct - deteriorating nitrate film is described as having a smell like rotten meat or sweat socks...although I cannot say it ever struck me that way.

Someone also pointed out that nitrate film is dangerous because it presents a fire hazard.  This is absolutely true - at somewhere around 104-106 degrees Farenheit the film can easily combust (not quite spontaneously, but with minimal energy).  If you had any volume of this
material, there are NFPA guidelines for building special fire-proof vaults to contain it.  Also, I think the Library of Congress may have facilities to store nitrate film originals in some situations (if you don't plan on maintaining freezer storage).

Finally, as nitrate film breaks down, the component chemicals recombine with water in the air to form highly acidic compounds - so things stored next to your films are at risk to damage from this source.

Best wishes,
Tim

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/8189



Bethany Rutledge wrote:

> Hi everybody,
>
> A component of my organization's collections is a couple of motion picture
> reels produced prior to 1951, hence, on cellulose nitrate film. I opened
> the canisters today to obtain some measurements so that I could look into
> estimates to reproduce the film on a safer substance and destroy the reels.
> As one of the canisters was opened, a distinct vinegary odor was released.
> Is this the smell that everyone talks about as signaling deterioration?
> Suddenly, something that was on my "to-do" list has become top priority.
> Should I isolate these reels immediately? And if so, in what conditions?
> I'm thinking about moving them to an outside shed at a little distance from
> the facility.
>
> Any advice would be a help,
>
> With thanks from me and the rest of my collections,
>
> Bethany S. Rutledge
> Director of Collections and Exhibits
> Thornton W. Burgess Society
> East Sandwich, MA

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