My seller was not Wally Smith of Pinedene.
The story goes that he had films everywhere, and rarely knew what he had, and if he did, where they were stored.
Many years ago before he became ill I telephoned him and asked if he had a particular title. He said he might have and if he found it he'd let me know. I never heard from him.
When I had a table at Geoff Wheeler's Tadley Convention some years ago (I was selling for a client) he bought a lot of films from me. Heaven knows why!

Some people just collect for the sake of collecting Maurice.

They have no idea themselves why they do it, they just can't help themselves.

Pointless, and such a shameful waste, as someone else could be getting the benefit from these "mothballed" items otherwise, and actually enjoy using them instead of just being able to say that they own them.

f you can't store these things in proper conditions, then it's better not to own them. There is a company near here that has a sale once a month of house clearance items. I went to one out of interest, and there was an old Bell & Howell 601 and the cover was all discoloured, it looked like it had been kept in a shed or garage.

Totally agree, Andrew — and it’s probably more prevalent in our hobby than we may think.

I am sure you are right John.

Robert, nothing to do with our hobby should be stored in any kind of outbuilding I agree. It has to be a damp free , cool and dry environment of reasonable humidity at all times for the films and equipment to stay fit for purpose and just as with anything else in life, used quite a bit too, especially the equipment side of things.

I struggle at times to use all of the equipment I have now fairly frequently and it doesn't sit well with me I can tell. I simply have to rotate my equipment more really, but when you have a favourite,..

Totally agree with your comment 27; this would apply to all areas of collecting.

Just found this info from the Wessex Sound and Film Archive. I try to keep my films in ideal conditions, but with the hot summers that we occasionally get, temperature will rise above 60f, unless you are lucky enough to have a basement to store these things in.

It is advisable to store film and sound recordings in their proper containers in dark, cold and (not too) dry conditions, which are as constant as possible year round. They should be stored away from pipes, heaters and radiators, sinks, windows, electrical appliances and concrete floors. Lofts, basements, garages, sheds, bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms and conservatories are not suitable. Excessive temperatures, humidity and dirt can destroy films and sound recordings, as can fire, flood and contamination from insects and rodents.

Reasonable temperatures for long term storage lie in the range 10-16°C (50-60°F) within a low relative humidity of 50-55%; over 65% allows mould growth to occur and may trigger other problems like 'vinegar syndrome' . Official recommendations for archival storage are more stringent and depend upon the type and format of material concerned: most colour films will eventually fade unless kept below 2°C, for example.

An old photo now, somewhat more cramped these days but I'd say still ideal storage conditions for film, albeit a little expensive.

No windows at least and temps / humidity levels spot on at all times.

That looks ideal Andrew; I bought an oak cupboard when I started collecting films, and put a shelf in. Hopefully, the films will be cooler in there than outside, plus, they are away from sunlight. Now that i'm collecting 16mm, I can't put them in a cupboard and they are stored in piles on a carpet floor. Personally, I'm glad we are not getting the hot Summer's we used to as I would worry about my films getting VS. I would happily forgo the sun tan to keep my films in good condition.

The good thing about this place i have found now that i have witnessed all year round conditions, is that it is never particularly warm in even our hottest times here.
It does have some kind of heating in there during the winter months, but it is never as warm as the average home here, certainly not if my wife is in control of the central heating anyhow!

Sounds great Andrew.

Tanning yourself is ideal for Vitamin D and general health etc etc, just keep the films away from the deck chair Robert!