Re: Abandoning property (Was: Copyright Extension Bill Passes Congress)

On Mon, Nov 16, 1998, Christine L. Sundt <csundt[_at_]oregon.uoregon.edu> wrote:
>
> On 11/13/98, Michael A. Scarpitti <mscarpit[_at_]asnt.org> wrote:
> >
> > Kodachrome color film images can be expected to last about 100-250
> > years. (Not Ektachrome, Fujichrome, or other E-6 films.)
>
> I'd like to offer a sidebar. The "life" of film (all film: Kodachrome,
> Ektachrome, Fujichrome, and the rest) has a lot to do with how the film
> is handled, displayed and stored both before and after processing. In
> cold storage (frost-free freezing is best) all film could last for many
> years, probably for as long as Mr. Scarpetti suggests in his note. For
> more information, please refer to Henry Wilhelm with Carol Brower,
> contributing author, The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs:
> Traditional and Digital Color Prints, Color Negatives, Slides, and
> Motion Pictures. Grinnell, Iowa: Preservation Publishing Company, 1993.
> ISBN: 0-911515-00-3. (744 pp)

Well, not quite. E-6 films have color couplers incorporated into the emulsion at the time of manufacture, and these cannot be removed. These "permanent guests" gradually deteriorate over time, and, being less stable than the dyes themselves, cause the dyes eventually to break down.

Kodachrome films have no color couplers incorporated into them; the color couplers are in the color developers, and are washed away with them.

Under ideal storage conditions, Kodachrome films will outlast E-6 films by a considerable margin, perhaps by a factor of 3.

Michael A Scarpitti
Assistant Editor
Materials Evaluation
The American Society
For Nondestructive Testing
1711 Arlingate Lane
Columbus, Ohio 43228-0518
(800) 222-2768 X207
(614) 274-6003 X207
fax (614) 274-6899
e-mail mscarpit[_at_]asnt.org Received on Wed Nov 18 1998 - 19:58:39 GMT