15 year old b&w negatives bronzing?

[Chester McCheeserton]

looking through some old negatives and noticed what looked like bronzing, when you hold the neg at an angle it's kind of like iridescent.

chalked it up to a bad batch of chemistry or inadequate fixing but then I went to scan this one which I know was processed by a lab and it had it even worse. Here I've burned in the sky in photoshop so you can see it better.

It's from not enough fixing right? Any magic tricks to make it go away? (besides retouching on computer). Can negatives be re-fixed when this happens? Will it get worse gradually?

[esearing]

https://filmcare.org/visual_decay - It sounds like you have silver mirroring but the site does not say how to fix, it does however have a contact page for Image Permanence Institute which may be of help.

Experimental Alternatives if you have some images you don't care about:
brief wash, re-fixing in rapid fixer, and thorough washing.
Bleach and redevelop in staining developer (can be done in the light). The oxidation is likely a sulfide and can react to the bleach.
> Search Potassium Permanganate with Alum recipes which were used on glass plates to remove dicronic fogging/sulphering.

[Gary Beasley]

Ive had negatives bronze from being in contact with the old style paper sleeves best I could tell. Im pretty sure the wash was good and never had it happen with plastic sleeves.

[sepiareverb]

I think it comes from exhausted fixer. I have some as well, and they are stored in plastic sleeves. I suspect the binders I kept negatives in were partially to blame as well. I've not tried to save any of them, but do have one or two I would like to 'repair' if possible. Subscribed to the thread.