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Old 13th February 2016, 09:12 AM
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AlonewithmyBW AlonewithmyBW is offline
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Default Flattening and old set of negatives

I was in a little junk/antiques place a little while ago, and saw a old box of 35mm film.

So my eyes light up and I nose at it a little closer, it turns out it is actually a roll of processed negatives. This has been stored in a little film pot for, at a guess about 40 to 50 years. There are some wonderful and interesting images in there and it was priced at £1, so obviously I bought it!

I would like to cut them in to strips and flatten them as it would make them easier to examine and eventually process, is there any recommended or suggested way to do this?

Currently it is a long strip of around 30 shots. I do have 35mm negative wallet pages acid free paper ones, so can store them once cut.

Any ideas please let me know!
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Old 13th February 2016, 09:26 AM
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James,

I would put them in to the negative wallet pages you already have and then leave the wallet pages between the pages of a closed book. They should eventually flatten, but this may take a bit of time.

Neil.
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Old 13th February 2016, 01:40 PM
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In addition to the above, I'd suggest using a glass carrier when it comes to printing if the negs still have a curl.
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Old 13th February 2016, 03:59 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I had the same problem a few years ago when an old friend asked me to print som negatives for him that he had taken in New Zealand around 20 years before, the negatives were rolled up as a complete film and stored in the can the the 35mm cassette came in, the only way I was able to straighten them was to cut them and put them in neg sleeves then put them under weight for a few days, then print them with a glass on top of the neg carrier, in the end they turned out not half bad, Good luck and I would be interested to hear how they turn out
Richard
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Old 13th February 2016, 06:49 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Caveat: I have never had to do this but I'd have thought that provided they are in a negative sleeve then the more weight the better so in between the pages of a thick book with several more thick books on top. Old encyclopaedias or books of that type being ideal

Mike
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Old 14th February 2016, 11:25 AM
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Thanks all, I am giving this a go. The film was shot, according to the film box, in June 1959. Looks like holiday snaps! Will post once the results have come in.

One thing I did do is place the negatives in the sleeve so the curl pushed opposite agianst the other, made it easier as the whole page didn't curl up!
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Old 14th February 2016, 06:55 PM
John King John King is offline
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Before you do anything, if at all possible I would load them onto a film reel and wash them. Being the age they are, they are bound to have collected dust/grit/other detritus over the years.

Only do this if the emulsion looks stable and is not coming away from the film itself.


Before washing I would soak them in plain water with wetting agent for about 10 mins at 68 degrees F, then wash for at least 6 x 30 seconds using inversion agitation and after that re-soak in a new wetting agent solution for a further 5 mins then hang them up to dry with a weighted clip on the bottom. Leave for about 24 hours and most of the curl will have gone. (Don't re-use the 1st wetting agent bath as it may have grit or whatever from the initial stage in suspension which will attach to the newly washed film.)
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Old 14th February 2016, 10:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John King View Post
Before you do anything, if at all possible I would load them onto a film reel and wash them. Being the age they are, they are bound to have collected dust/grit/other detritus over the years.
Thanks for the tip, came a little too late!

Amazingly they were looking as good as new, they had been rolled next to a roll of paper, and closed in a film box, I didn't see any dust, damage or dirt.
They could have been fresh processed the condition they are in. I am guessing that the photographer knew they were going to be stored for a while and took great care in packing them away.

I will be keeping my eyes open for any other old films in second hand or charity shops though, so your advice will be very useful. This particular find has been a real gem!
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Old 14th February 2016, 11:47 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlonewithmyBW View Post
Thanks for the tip, came a little too late!
Too late in the sense that you had already solved the problem with heavy books?

I once found several short strips of processed negs in a secondhand book I bought and they were in superb conditions despite not being in any sleeves and used, I suspect, as book-markers

They weren't HP5+; not even HP4 in fact. They were HP3

Mike
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Old 17th February 2016, 09:06 AM
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Mike that is awesome, did you print from them?!

It is little late as I have cut them and waiting to see if they press any flatter, so far has reduced the curl a little.

May try a warm bath as suggested on some of the negs if this wont quite give the results.

Will keep all posted.
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