Camphor, Vitafilm etc

CAMPHOR etc

(These notes are from an American friend.)

As for the camphor - here are my notes:

1 - Best results will be seen on nitrate and diacetate films. Since many of the early 9.5 films are diacetate this is where the bulk of my use comes in, that and old Kodascope silent films prints....As I am unaware of the base for the majority of 17.5, I am hoping they will be early diacetate safety, and therefore also receptive to the treatment.

2 - Worst results will be on reversal film / and some triacetate and the reason for this is that in the nitrate/diacetate films the film will ONLY take in what it needs to replasticize itself, so in essence you could always store these films with some camphor and never experience a problem.....The other films mentioned here will continue to take in the camphor and can over-plasticize themselves...In the case of reversal film it will separate the emulsion from the base...I have actually used this here at work for this very purpose as sometimes I can get a better scan of a frame when it has been removed from its base.....

3 - Since the camphor is in essence "replasticizing" the film do not have any plastic reels or cores inside the can with the film and the camphor, or it will melt. The same effect that can make a brittle film more supple and relaxed, can make a plastic reel or core more gooey......

4 - When the camphor gets used it disappears so therefore within reason, as long as there is camphor in the can then it can still be used..

5 - NEVER, and I repeat NEVER put a recently cleaned film (especially one with something like Vitafilm, or one of the slow drying cleaners) in a can with the camphor or the camphor will react with the chemicals in the cleaner and you will have a liquid in the can that I am not sure what it is capable or incapable of doing (Would need to be a chemist I suppose).

6 - With a pure diacetate film you should see a difference with the general feel and texture after a couple of weeks of treatment... So if you plan to seal things up for a 2 week period you should be fine......Also make sure to seal the can tightly with tape, etc so as to not let any of the developing gases to escape...If they do you won't get the desired results...

I tend to use 35mm cans for the treatment as they allow enough room for a layer of crystals on the bottom of the can, and then I set the film on a metal reel inside the can and seal it up. I usually crush up the crystals inside the bag prior to opening (sort of like mashing up a bag of crisps before opening). I keep the remainder of the unused camphor inside its metallic bag, sealed with a small spring clip.

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Vitafilm

I bought some of this stuff. The claims it makes are amazing. However, don't get too excited. By the time it reached me, 380ml cost 50 Euros.

I go it from www.wittner-cinetec.com, a site well worth looking at in its own right. Wittner seem good, which tempers somewhat my natural

scepticism about the claims for Vitafilm.

I followed the instructions and immersed 2 900' reels of 9.5 in Vitafilm for 24 hours, then drained the surplus off and placed the film in a sealed can. I opened the can last week. The film in question was a rarity in being one of the very few 9.5 films I have come across that have Vinegar Syndrome (VS); there was a very powerful pong from this film. Vitafilm claims to be able to cure it by the method I have outlined. If you are familiar with VS you will know that one effect is making the film go all floopy. There seems to be a loss of symmetry in the film, with one side or other being slightly longer so that the film twists and looks decidedly not flat. A practical effect is that the film has to be wound and re-wound under considerable tension or the film layers wind very loosely and sag towards the bottom of the reel, so that it becomes impossible to get it all on its reel. I doubt Vitafilm can cure this, tho' it could stop any further deterioration. 

I can only give a progress report at this stage. I had a nasty shock when I opened the can; the Vitafilm had attacked my beautiful, pristine black Pathspools. Large areas were covered with little dots or bubbles. It was not quite as bad as it looked, as a lot of the bubbles just wiped away, but the paint was left feeling slightly damp; I had to bake the spools in the oven (sans film!) for 10 minutes to dry this up. However, my reels will never be quite the same again. Seeing as I would not care to risk a fibre reel in anything remotely like Vitafilm, this means the only option is an unpainted, all-metal reel, as I would not feel comfortable using the enamelled 1000' spools either. 

Obviously, the floopiness of the film has not changed, but the vinegar smell is at the very least greatly reduced; in its place is a fairly strong smell of Vitafilm, and I cannot quite persuade myself that I can't detect a faint whiff of vinegar underneath. The film still appears pretty wet, so I may have to dry it off a bit and leave it a while before I can really tell. Will keep you posted.