This is what happens when a film gets the dreaded vinegar syndrome .....

As you can see it was rather warped and it STANK in fact you could smell it before you even came close to it and it was in sealed container etc.

So say goodbye to"Paint Your Wagon" scope great colour and sound but at the end of the day it Stinks!😃😃📽📽🎞🎞



The first pic was the awfull warp as I was winding it of,the other two pics is what happens when you don't watch what you are doing when rewinding .........😛😛

Blimy, this is something i have never encountered. Not too sure if 8mm suffers but i know the 16s can. Fingers crossed i never see it. Is there any way of prevention?

Very sad to see, even worse when the colour was good

I don't know how common this is with othe collectors,this film has been kept a totally separate from any others as there was a slight smell when it came I was living in hope I could watch it.When I went to check it I started to wind it on to see what it was like and it was not only warped,but was loosing bits of the picture onto the cleaning cloth eventually ending with the film sticking so badly it tore apart.
At this point and I was only into reel one I knew that there was only one place this film was going in the bin!
I see on other sites there is a supposed cure by soaking the film for a long time in the likes of renew film or something but personally once the film is shall we say tainted then it goes.
I have a copy of The French Connection which is warped a bit but no smell yet so as long as it holds it own it can stay.
The trouble was PYW just was not worth keeping it really smelt bad which countered the good colour/ sound.
I am quite happy to have a faded / reddish print at least I can use filters,but the vinegar smell no thanks🎞🎞🎞📽📽

Not great that Gwyn it has to be said. What a complete shame.
In answer to Tom's query, all acetate prints can develop VS but Polyester ones cannot.
It's a chemical decomposition state and as such there is little can be done to prevent it by all accounts.

Humidity, high temperatur and sealed cans, speeds up the VS. I you keep the film ventilated in a temperture and humidity controlled storage, the process will be slower, but you can never cure a VS print. VS prints are quite rare here in the north

Nor stop it entirely Mats, only slow the process down, once it has began.
Much the same as fading colour prints.

This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid obtaining older acetate prints despite the fact it isn't too prevalent among Super 8mm prints apparently.
I am quite fortunate in that most of what I like to collect just happens to be printed on Polyester, which I much prefer as a film base irrespective of any possible threat from VS.

The real big problem is that most of our home movies are on acetate and these are 10 times more valuable than any commercial print out there which can always be replaced. Only Fuji single 8 is polyester, the rest are all acetate I believe. I suppose its just a case of aerating them every so often and storing them correctly.

Graham S

I think where we are in the world, we should be ok Graham. As you say keep them well aired and NOT in tight sealed tin cans. Cardboard allows our films to breathe much better. Plastic cases are fine also, but do ensure they have the capsule punctured and fitted, alternatively removed altogether or drill a few tiny holes in the plastic sides of the cases if no preservation capsule exists for anything other than Myler prints.

Much as I care about my Home Movies and the resulting projected images and soundtracks are priceless to me, it is ultimately my packaged films that concern me the most regarding ultimate preservation for the era's to come yet.
The interest in our home movies after all, die off with us also, for the most part.

By stark contrast, The Wizard Of Oz for example, could be enjoyed for scores of decades yet potentially .