8MM Films

While helping my Mom clean her basement, I stumbled onto 15 large rolls of 8mm films, that somehow came into my late father's possesion sometime before he passed away in 2000. Some are marked, such as East Broad Top and Rio Grande Southern, while others, marked "trains' have small notes inside with dates of the 60's and 70's for NYS &W, D&H, Erie, CNJ, NYC, ect.
My questions are, where might I locate a projector that could be used to view them, or,does anyone know of a reliable transfering service in the Flemington NJ area where I might have the films put onto CD's without spending thousands of dollars? Would it be worthwhile to be in touch with one of the local producers of rail videos to have them looked at?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Check out The Camera Shop (branch of RitzCamera) in either the quakerbridge mall, or the location in Bedminster http://www.wolfcamera.com/webapp/wcs/st ... Code=08844

A family member had a similar procedure done on 8mm spools that were shot in the Late 50's, early 60's, at the quackerbridge mall location a few years back. Assuming that they still offer that service, I'd suggest going with them.

trainwayne1, I'm a little late in replying. You have a new private message.

John

trainwayne1 wrote:I stumbled onto 15 large rolls of 8mm films, that somehow came into my late father's possesion sometime before he passed away in 2000. Some are marked, such as East Broad Top and Rio Grande Southern, while others, marked "trains' have small notes inside with dates of the 60's and 70's for NYS &W, D&H, Erie, CNJ, NYC, ect. Does anyone know of a reliable transfering service in the Flemington NJ area where I might have the films put onto CD's without spending thousands of dollars? Would it be worthwhile to be in touch with one of the local producers of rail videos to have them looked at?

Definitely get them transferred to DVD. Even if no "producer" is interested in looking at them, at least you'll have the footage preserved on DVD to enjoy for years to come.

-otto-

There are a few things to check when handling old film. I'm guessing this is Kodachrome film. First check that any of the rolls have the odor of vinegar. If they do this is a sign of "vinegar syndrome" Triacetate film tends to break down to acetic acid. Unfortunately the acid can then trigger breakdown in nearby rolls of film. The only thing you can do with a film once it gets vinegar syndrome is to air it out and then isolate it from any other film. If the film is still flexible enough to unwind check to see if it is shrunken. Film tends to shrink over age. This is important to note because equipment that hasn't been adapted to handle shrunken film will damage it. If the film is on steel reels replace them with plastic ones. Ferrous materials tend to catalyze breakdown.

There are three parts to the film. The triacetate base, the emulsion, and the organic dyes in the emulsion. The base breaks down randomly into acetic acid; this breakdown is accelerated by heat and humidity. The emulsion is usually the most stable part except in hot humid environments where mold will grow in it. The dyes break down with time, Kodachrome dyes more slowly than others. The dye breakdown is accelerated by heat and exposure to light.

To preserve the images I would take the film to a facility which specializes in small gauge archival film transfers. They will clean the film and measure for shrinkage. Then have it transferred with a wet-gate scanner to computer files. Store the computer files on hard disks and transfer them every five years or so. Transferring the images to video is not a preservation method because information is lost when converting to the video color space and resolution. DVD-Rs are not good for archiving. The common estimate amongst archivists is that DVD-Rs can be trusted to maintain integrity for only about 2-3 years.

After the transfer keep the film as cold and dry as possible. This will prolong its life. Chances are the film will outlast any digital medium.

Wonder how trainwayne1 made out with the films.

JP

We had some Super 8 converted to DVD for less than $300, much less than what we were quoted at other places.

Southern4501 wrote:We had some Super 8 converted to DVD for less than $300, much less than what we were quoted at other places.

How much footage did you have?

JP

Actually, due to a couple of things like being down-sized and job hunting, the project hasn't gotten very far. I did buy a veiwer on ebay to review what was on all the films, but the bulb burned out the first time I used it and it is an oddball size that I'm still looking for a replacement for. I've been watching for a projector on ebay...I really want to see what's on the films before commiting a lot of $$$$$ to having them put on a DVD.

trainwayne1 wrote:Actually, due to a couple of things like being down-sized and job hunting, the project hasn't gotten very far.

I hear you on that one.

trainwayne1 wrote:I did buy a veiwer on ebay to review what was on all the films, but the bulb burned out the first time I used it and it is an oddball size that I'm still looking for a replacement for. I've been watching for a projector on ebay...I really want to see what's on the films before commiting a lot of $$$$$ to having them put on a DVD.

I would try to stick to a viewer if at all possible. Is there a part number on the bulb itself? Or a label on the viewer that gives the correct number for replacement bulb? I know of a few sources for oddball bulbs, I might be able to find you a replacement bulb.

Projectors haven't been made for quite a while and depending on the design of the projector and it's condition, it can be a dangerous proposition to run a fragile irreplaceable film through. If you must use a projector, I would look for a "sprocketless" design, like a GAF or GAF clone, like this one. These projectors are known to be gentle on film as there are no sprockets to shread the film should there be a bad splice in the film.

The issues with buying a used projector, is you may run into the same issue of a burnt out bulb. Bulbs for projectors are also of the "oddball" variety and new ones can be quite expensive. With used projectors you'll also have to worry about deteriorated drive belts, drive wheels and other worn mechanicals.

I'm not trying to deter you from your project, just trying to make you aware of issues you may run into.

John

Costco has fairly reasonable prices... But, I've never used them, so I can't comment on the quality.