SV: [AV Media Matters] acetate tape binder-lets evaluate its acid ity level.

[lars.gaustad@nb.no]

Greeting to you all,
Last week I transferred 3 16 mm acetate magnetic sound films that
all three of them turned the IPI test strips yellow within an hour,
( i.e. yellow is the worst state of deterioration), but they played
just fine on my Stellavox player. In my experience, triacetate mag
does not warp the way film does, when it is decaying due to vinegar
syndrome problems.

larsg
lars gaustad
head of
FilmSoundVideo-dep
Media Lab
National Library of Norway
N-8607 Mo i Rana
phone:+47 751 21 154
fax:     +47 751 21 222
mobile:+47 959 48 393
e-mail: lars.gaustad@nb.no
           larsg@monet.no

-----Opprinnelig melding-----:
e.ha.zwaneveld@nfb.ca
Sendt: 1. mars 2001 22:41
Til: AV Media Matters
Emne: RE: [AV Media Matters] acetate tape binder-lets evaluate its acid
ity level.

>Greetings,
>
>Jim Wheeler stated:
>
>>I have several tapes from 1953 that are playable with a lubricant and they
>>have had a vinegar smell for several years.  The smell of vinegar indicates
>>that a chemical process is ocurring but it appears that it is not as fast as
>>we have been told.
>>Jim
>
>Comment:
>It is not news to read that triacetate tape appears to degrade at a slower
>pace than magnetic sound film, of which there is a much greater mass. It
>actually degrades at a rate twice that of motion picture film elements of
>the same format, the iron oxide in magnetic sound film is considered to be
>an accelerator.
>
>It would be interesting to see what the acidity level is of this 1953 tape.
>If you would be willing to sample it, I will send you two different kinds of
>Acid-Detection strips. And I will share the results on this listserve. That
>way we can start to quantify this phenomenon of triacetate tape degradation.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Ed H. Zwaneveld
>Technological Research and Development
>National Film Board of Canada
>March 1, 2001