Vintage negatives value and ok to print it?

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the somewhat incendiary quality of old negatives. I bought a few of Reds players from around 1940 and had some prints made, which looked great. But a few days later, the negatives started bubbling, melting and smoking. I ended up with a puddle of goo that might have burned my place down if I hadn't been around when it happened. The experience left me somewhat wary of acquiring more negatives.

That must have been nitrate stock. I don't think I've heard of someone watching it happen, but it can, and can get pretty bad, as once it starts burning it's self oxidizing and is very hard to put out.

The transition to acetate film stocks took a long time probably because the aesthetics of nitrate are supposedly far better. 16mm film came out in the 1920's, and was never (or almost never?) Nitrate. It was finally phased out in the early 1950's, even for professional use.

When or if it will degrade or suddenly degrade dangerously is a mystery. Heat and lack of air circulation will usually do bad things to it, as it releases Nitric acid. And yet, some of the best condition 1890's Edison films were found in a closet in and un-air conditioned house in Texas.