--MG
 

I would recommend that if you want to use this, see if your GM will reimburse you personnally for buying it from petty cash.

Paul Konen
Usher - B
Cinemark Legacy 24
Plano, TX
 

I have a vinegar 1983 LPP feature that has had 4 coats of FilmGuard. The smell is gone! Will it stay gone? Naturally, I hope so, and I hope that the smell during pojection is gone, too.

I also have a 1969 print of Midnight Cowboy that is vinegar and warped. FG has not helped it, yet. If I notice any changes, I WILL post it here.
 

I have a film on 1948 DuPont stock with early vinegar syndrome. The film still runs ok, but has a faint acetic acid smell. I tested the film with an A-D strip, and it turned dark green ... the first positive color. "monitor closely."

I'm considering applying FilmGuard to this print, for a couple of reasons.

First, I've read from a few places, including this thread, that FilmGuard will reduce the vinegar smell of affected prints.

I can see at least two possibilities. One is that FilmGuard is somehow retarding the decomposition. This would be good. The other is that instead of outgassing the acetic acid, the FilmGuard is holding it in liquid suspension. I would assume that this would be a bad thing.

Has anyone tested this theory, possibly by testing of the pH of FilmGuard that has been used on vinegar prints? What is the normal pH of FilmGuard? Is it an alkali? How would it be expected to react with acetic acid?

Second question. Let's say that I apply FilmGuard, and at some future point, something better comes along, and I want to remove it. Can FilmGuard be removed with ordinary film cleaners, such as ECCO 1500, or is it more or less a permanent choice?

Finally, I'm also attracted to this product because of the wet-gate aspect ... This film I'm hoping to save is in the public domain, and at some future time, I'd like to set aside enough money to make a reversal copy.
3200 feet of 16mm isn't cheap to copy, so it may be a while. I like the idea of keeping the print as clean as possible, because that will make for a better contact print.

so my last question is, is a FilmGuard protected film suitable for use in a contact printer? My main concern would be that the chemical, being wet, would rub off on the unexposed copy film, and interfere with developing.

Thanks for any info on these questions,
- John

 

First answer: The use of FilmGuard definitely reduces the smell of vinegared prints. That is certain. What is not certain is if it is actually stopping, slowing down or reversing the vinegaring process. Enough testing simply has not been done. FilmGuard was engineered to be a film cleaner and lubricant. The whole vinegar protection thing was an accidental find. What I can tell you is none of the vinegared prints FilmGuard has been applied to thus far have developed the smell again and all run much better than before FilmGuard was applied in the first place. I'm assuming the extent of which FilmGuard will help is directly based upon the stage of vinegaring the print in question is in. Past that, again no specific testing has been done with vinegared prints. Please post your findings for others.

Second answer: Yes, FilmGuard can be removed with typical film cleaners such as Renovex and Ecco...or given enough time as it will evaporate, but it may take several months to a couple of years to evaporate completely.

Third answer: No one I am aware of has taken a FilmGuarded print and made contact prints from it. Perhaps if someone out there has done this, they will post their findings here. If you have access to a printing lab, maybe you could take a trailer and test that question.

In response to your specific question on Filmrenew, that and other film cleaners will clean and lubricate only to a point because it, like all other cleaners is designed to evaporate (although it works better than most others as it dries slower). FilmGuard is a non-evaporating cleaner/lubricant. Thus, your print will hold that initial wet gate look and will be lubricated much more than with any form of evaporating cleaner.