A question we often get asked is ‘I have mould  on film what can I do’?

Above is an example of Super 8 movie film that was suffering from significant surface mould growth. This really spoils the images but it can be cleaned off using a simple re-wash bath. You can see the mould patches clearly on the image on the left, so it’s fairly easy to spot.

The end result can be greatly cleaned up images. After processing flam is usually washed with a small amount of Formaldehyde added to the wish bath to prevent this but certain stocks didn’t have this so can have mould especially if the storage conditions have had some humidity.

DIY or Expert?

If you want to try this yourself then it is relatively straight forward. For still images you can pop the film strips in small bath of lukewarm water and gently wipe away the mould with a soft cotton pad or bud then hang up to dry in a dust free environment.

It helps if you have some experience dealing with film processing and the like so you can use the right techniques so you don’t damage the film. As the film emulsion swells and becomes soft, so care does need to be taken to avoid damage.

For movie films it is a bit harder due to the sheer length of the film so this is best left to the experts. If you want to do this then you can clean using a soft microfibre cloth dampened and then run the film through the cloth to clean off the mould, then throughly dry before rewinding doing a section at a time.

Our Recommendations

To wash I recommend a water bath of distilled water at about 20c or tap water and a drop off wetting agent to prevent drying marks. Stubborn mould can also be removed with a very soft cloth such a microfibre cloth after the initial soak, it is important not to soak too long before wiping as this will over soften the emulsion and you could damage it.

Once the film has been cleaned we transfer to digital on a high end film scanner more info is HERE