Storing exposed 4x5 sheets ?

[Matus Kalisky]

Hi I am going for a trip soon and for the first time would need to be able to stored exposed sheets somewhere else then in the film holders themselves as I do not have too many. I was wondering how others do this.

One possibility that I know of is to use the sealing envelope and boxes in which the film was bought. Usable envelope WILL be the one from Ilford fp4 (nicely shaped and long) as the other were Kodak and are much less usable - so I am looking for another option ... or is there anybody having a few epmty film envelopes ?

Also - I will be sending my films to the lab (up to know there was a local lab so I just took my filmholders there) and would prefere not to send the holders themselves (heavy, fragile, expensive shipping).

thanks

[BrianShaw]

I use old film boxes (3-part). I've been saving them over the years. Ask your lab or local pro photographers if they have any they can give you. They once were easy to get but now a bit more difficult. Be persistant and ask around. When you send your film to the lab ask for your boxes back!

[Matus Kalisky]

thanks Brian - do you use the boxes only or you put the film inside the plasitc envelope as well. I do have a few boxes with th inserts but I am wondering wheter that is enough.

[Louie Powell]

Matus -

I also use old film boxes. I have one labeled "N", one "N-1", and an "N+1". I rarely go more than one stop on either side of normal.

Normally, I just put the film in the box. But if I am traveling by air, I let my film go through the normal carry-on inspection and don't request any special treatment. In that case, I put it in the black plastic envelope first so that there is one additional layer of protection in the event an inspector gets carried away in doing his security checks.

I also carry along a roll of that blue "painters' tape", and wrap a strip around the box prior to actually getting on the plane. The purpose of that is to slow down the process of opening boxes so that the hopefully someone will notice the label with the large red notice saying "DO NOT OPEN".

[BradS]

thanks Brian - do you use the boxes only or you put the film inside the plasitc envelope as well. I do have a few boxes with th inserts but I am wondering wheter that is enough.

I just use the box and the little cardboard insert. I have my lab trained to return the box and packaging (which, I suppose they would do without me nagging them about it). I write my name and address on the outside of the box in big black letters...

I like the idea above about having separate boxes for N, N+1 and N-1...will have to give that a go.

[Daniel_Buck]

Do you guys just put the sheets in the box loosely? It seems like that might scratch the film a bit? I have been wondering this as well, as I have been wanting to start shooting color film, and I would probably shoot and store them until I have a nice bunch to send off for developing.

[Brian Bullen]

I too put 4x5 in the old boxes, loosely I might add, and not a scratch yet. Works great. Keep them labeled, I have enough boxes that whatever film I use say TMY I put it in a Tmy box so there is no confusion about processing.

[Daniel_Buck]

I assume you put them emulsion up?

[konakoa]

I use a small (empty 25-sheet) three-piece box for sending color film to the lab. I also have my name and address on the outside of the box with a note asking of its return. I just sandwich the sheets of film between two sheets of cardboard (that came with the film) and put two squishy foam packing peanuts inside the box on top of the cardboard to keep the film from rattling around. S'ok so far.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I use one empty film box for 4x5 and one box for 8x10. All my different N's go in one box. They are in order according to my exposure record form. The notches are kept on the top right. So the sheet on the bottom (when notch is top right) is the first exposure. The stack of negs is kept inside the card board folder which comes in Ilford boxes, and that is then slipped inside the black plastic sleave (which also came with the film). I've been doing it this way for years and eliminates the need for lots of boxes for different N's.

[Brian Bullen]

Daniel, I usually leave emulsion up but in some cases I put the negs in between the cardboard that comes inside the film pack and if I'm in a hurry it just goes in there whichever way it lands. The boxes have dropped on the floor or shaken a little and no scrathes to date. I just put some away this evening, hope I didn't jinx myself.

[David_Senesac]

Use the 3-part boxes sheet film are packaged in. The film inside such boxes is inside sealed opague plastic often metalized packages that one has to tear or cut open to remove film. And there is often an inner cardboard sleeve safe to put film against. Although one can put exposed film directly into such boxes, many prefer to put exposed film back into the plastic packages since they are scratch proof and when folded over adds another layer of light-free protection. One needs to use a tactile method of recognizing such boxes when they are inside a changing bag or dark room. Otherwide one may not be able to tell a box of unexposed film from an exposed film box. My own method is by placing circular labels atop the boxes in specific locations. The labels are also useful for marking the quanity of film in a box. Thus as I add film to the unexposed box I may mark -3 or in the exposed film box -7.

...David

[riooso]

For what it is worth. Put your exposed film in the cardboard and back into the light proof bag. I also put my unexposed film back into the light proof bag because I have opened a box when brain dead and have put the boxes together incorrectly, not double packaged, so that the whole box of new film was ruined.

Richard Adams

[John Bartley]

You asked about 4x5, and I do this for 8x10, but I guess it's the same idea anyway. I don't fly or travel outside Canada, so I don't worry about scanners and inspections. I have two ABS tubes with a threaded end on each one. One carries unexposed film and the other is exposed film. I put the exposed film into one tube in exactly the order that I shoot it, then take it out in reverse (the easiest way) and that way, because I write a note in a logbook for each exposure, I know what my development adjustments might be. The ABS tubes are almost indestructible and with glued and threaded ends are almost waterproof. Made to the correct size, the film has very little room to move around inside and so it can't get damaged that way either.

cheers

[Matus Kalisky]

Thanks for all your suggestins - I will go with the film boxes as well. I just hope the (for me new) lab will not screw this up. I will indeed label and describe them properly.