Writing on Glassines

[alec4444]

Trying to deal with a ridiculous amount of negative storage issues. So I got some Savage-made glassine envelopes for my 5x7 and 11x14 negatives. They're supposed to be archival quality.

Writing on them with a pencil is not working out. Same with a ball-point pen. I could stick a label on there, but that would cause archival issues.

Does writing on them with a "Sharpie" style permanent marker cause archival issues? If yes, how do you label them?

Thanks!
--A

[Gem Singer]

Years ago, I stored my Rollei TLR 6X6 negatives in Glassine envelopes in a basement storeroom. A water pipe broke, and my storage area received a good soaking.

Moisture got onto the outside of the Glassine envelopes. By the time I discovered the water damage, mold and mildew had already set in. The glue seams on the Glassine envelopes had come apart. All of my negatives were ruined beyond repair.

I now use Mylar, or polyethylene envelopes to store my negatives. No glue seam to worry about.

Savage Glassine envelopes are not what I would call archival. The seam is held together with a water soluble glue. I would not risk subjecting them to moisture of any kind.

A piece of masking tape on the outside, and a Sharpie pen to write on the tape, would probable be okay.

[D. Bryant]

Savage Glassine envelopes are not what I would call archival.

Ditto!

Don Bryant

[Steve Goldstein]

But to answer the specific question...

Try a Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pen and India ink. I've been writing on glassines this way for years in one of my other hobbies.

BTW, I use the same pen to write directly on the edges of negatives. The 000, or 3x0, point is 0.25mm and works very well; 0000 is even finer, about 0.17mm, but is more difficult to keep clean and flowing well. This way the information never gets separated from the negative, and it's also visible on proof sheets. Be sure to wait until the ink has dried (maybe 10-15 sec) before you slide the negative back into your storage medium of choice.

Rumor has it that the ink can be removed with alcohol, but I've never tried it, nor had the need to.

[eddie]

pencil

[John Kasaian]

I've been migrating away from glassines on the advice of Ralph Barker, gradually replacing them with Printfile. I might re-use the old glassines as added protection for prints when the situation calls for some extra care though.

Heck, I like glassines! I get all "Weston-y" inside whenever I pick one up :) All I've got to do is find a use for them other than for storing negatives.

[CG]

.... A piece of masking tape on the outside, and a Sharpie pen to write on the tape, would probable be okay.

If I understand it right, masking tape may be one of the very worst things you can put in the vicinity of film storage. Conservators in general are wary of almost any adhesive tape.

The adhesive is not good and the paper backing is not good. Just look at the deterioration of masking tape after a few years. It turns into garbage. Very few adhesives have the blessing of conservators. And only top quality papers get an OK rating. Why add an adhesive to a thrid rate paper and then put it near valuable films?

[Gem Singer]

"On the outside of the glassine envelope"

That's nowhere near the surface of the film inside of the envelope. The adhesive in the masking tape does not pass through the glassine.

My glassine envelopes were ruined. My film was ruined. However, the labels written with a Sharpie pen on the masking tape survived. I'm only relating my own experience with glassine envelopes and masking tape.

[Kevin Crisp]

I have had many negatives get ruined in glassine envelopes over the years. Generally it was glassines + heat. Inappropriate storage, to be sure, but the envelope shouldn't be ruining the film.

[Gem Singer]

I might add that Sharpie pen ink applied directly to the outside of a glassine envelope will pass through and will make contact with the film inside. Writing on a piece masking tape that has been applied to the outside of the glassine envelope will prevent that from happening.

[alec4444]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Like John K, I too like glassines. My negs likely are not worth anything to anyone except me, so if they hold up for the rest of my life I'd be thrilled. I'm going to stick with them, and use that Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Pen that Steve recommended.

In waiting for some ideas, I used a fine point sharpie. Like Gem, I was worried about bleed-through so I pulled out the negs until the ink dried. No bleed through, but I'm moving on to the Rapidograph anyway. I like the idea of writing on the neg....

The 11x14 glassines that Savage makes are great - tons of room for both exposure and print info....so I'm pretty stoked about that. Got a lot of the Slavich single-weight fiber paper for xmas, so I plan to keep a contact along side (NOT affixed to the glassine or inserted with the neg) so I have an idea of what the image looks like.

With the right stuff, organizing is almost fun!

--A

[Graham Patterson]

I use fine point pens intended for overhead projector cells. They work fine on glassine, PrintFile, or even the rebates of film (acetate side). Though with the decline in the use of overhead projectors in favour of computer projectors these pens may be hard to find in future.

[Archphoto]

I have been using Stabilo OHPen universal for the past 20 years now, it writes even on mylar that I use mostly to store my 4x5's and 8x10's.

Peter

[Bob Salomon]

Kaiser CD pens are archival - used by many museums, are fine point and stay fine pointed. Available in black, red, green and blue. Will write on anything - glass, plastic, paper, glassine, etc. and dry instantly. No smudging!

[Pfeiffer Duckett]

Prismacolor also makes an archival pen. Actually, if you go to an art store's pen section and look at some of the markers, the ones that list themselves as archival quality usually are. And, if you intend to use india ink, make sure you pick one that is waterproof, and let it cure. (should have instructions with it.)

[Robert A. Zeichner]

Stabilo makes a pencil called "All" that will even write on glass. They are available in different colors. Check it out http://www.stabilo.com/pages-com/products/all.php