International photographer (Jan-Dec 1935)

Six The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER April, 1935 Permanizing Motion Picture Film [The author, Commander W. H. Pashley, U. S. Navy, graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1908. He entered the Submarine Service in 1910 and interested himself in the improvement of submarine Diesel engines. In 1914 he took a post-graduate course in Engineering at Columbia University. After the World War he was Superintendent of Submarine Engine construction at the New York Navy Yard and during this period developed centrifugal casting machinery for casting stronger, lighter materials for use in Diesel engine construction. He holds some important centrifugal casting patents which the U. S. Government has been using since that time in various Navy Yard foundries. Commander Pashley served in charge of the Recruiting Publicity Office in New York, from 1930 to 1933, during which time he became acquainted with the motion picture industry in the East. He became interested in the permanizing of film while on this duty and while endeavoring to eliminate the replacement expense of Navy Recruiting Short Subjects which are distributed free in both 35 mm. and 16 mm. films. He is responsible for the development of the process just described. — Editor's Note.] BOUT two years ago I was shown a piece of processed Him which was superior to anything I had ever seen. It was pliable, very strong and the emulsion was practically scratch and moisture proof. Also micrometer measurements showed that the processing of this film had not increased its thickness. At this time I was in charge of the distribution of Navy Recruiting Short Subjects which were furnished free to exhibitors and which were subjected to terrificwear and tear. The hard usage these films received required frequent renewal and the replacement expense was so great that anything designed to prolong the life of motion picture film received my closest attention. I had at this time used several different processes, but each had very definite limitations though we were glad to pay as much as a dollar a reel to prolong the screening life of our "Shorts." It was at this period of my search for a satisfactory process that I was shown the film mentioned above. Processing some samples of this super film and comparing it with the ordinary film I found the following results : 1. Four to five times as many bends and reverse bends without cracking or wearing the emulsion which was exceedingly tough. 2. Its tensile strength was greater, probably due to the toughness of the emulsion. 3. It was highly resistant to scratching, requiring a steel instrument to loosen the emulsion. 4. It could be thoroughly immersed in warm water and dried off with a cloth without lifting the emulsion or lessening its resistance to scratching. 5. Rubbing it between thumb and forefinger brought to the surface of the emulsion a small amount of lubricant (sufficient to protect the emulsion and ease the film through a projector). 6. Loop tests showed that, except for wear on the celluloid surface, the film was practically indestructible and made several thousand projector runs in a continuous loop without damage to the emulsion. 7. The screen brilliance of the projected picture appeared greater than normal, probably due to some impregnated oil. 8. A second piece of this film was measured and showed a minimum shrinkage, in fact it was slightly less than normally found in film of the same age. After completing these tests I had a sample sent to one of the largest film research laboratories who, after exhaustive tests, gave the film a rating of 100 per cent. Being thoroughly sold on this process, after such tests, I was ready to close a contract for processing Recruiting Shorts but was unable to do so as this film was handtreated, and the owners of the process were then endeavoring to develop automatic machinery which they hoped to have perfected in a short time. Some months later I was called in consultation by the owners of this process because they had been unable to develop automatic processing machinery. The development of this machinery was then turned over to me, and after many months of effort a successful, dependable, fully automatic machine was constructed which required practically no attention other than threading, oiling and renewal of chemicals every eight hours. Furthermore, it processed film at any speed desired for less than two cents per 1,000 feet. Think of receiving automatically motion picture film, positive or negative good in excess of five hundred projections, without scratches or imperfections (assuming a normally adjusted projector) for less than two cents per reel. The process is chemical and the automatic machine is installed in a very small space between the last wash tank and the dryer and will fit into any laboratory without changing the design or location of any unit. The dimensions of the machine can be carried to suit laboratory requirements, but in its present form is a box five feet high by one foot six inches deep by three feet long. The inside of the box contains rollers and chemical tanks. Wet film from the last wash tank is passed into the machine at any speed, then through an impregnated oil bath, thence over soaking rolls, thence to a fixing bath which fixes the oils in the emulsion, thence to the usual laboratory dryer or dry box from which it is reeled up in the usual way, fully processed and ready to take any kind of punishment within the projection room or theater. Note that this film is no longer "green." It is lubricated, scratch-proof, moisture-proof and tough and it can be shipped to service as fast as it comes out of the dryer and will give faultless projection during its entire life. Today this film described above not only fulfills these requirements but does much more, adding strength, toughness, flexibility and a high resistance to projector oil and to moisture. This latter quality is highly important as it tends to keep a constant amount of moisture in the film, namely, it retards the drying out of the film. Also in the case of film stored in vaults, should the sprinklers be released for any reason and the vault flooded, every foot of film could be dried off and salvaged. Also, in foreign shipments, the flooding of a ship storeroom containing film would not cause its loss. All of it could be dried off and salvaged. Furthermore, this dim is independent of climatic conditions. Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers.