The Film Apocalypse and Proper Freezing and Storage of Film

[ic-racer]

I would contact Ilford to see what the normal fbf level for HP5 is from the factory.

I got this curve off their website and interpolated base+fog to be 0.183

[Sal Santamaura]

I got this curve off their website and interpolated base+fog to be 0.183

I suspect that curve hasn't been updated since the film was "improved" around 2002, even though the data sheet is marked April 2010. Carl Weese's reported fb+f for the pre-improved film is consistent with 0.183.

[ic-racer]

Ok just for fun I went though my files to pick negatives from a batch of HP5 35mm film marked G79 that I bought used off of Shutterbug ads around the mid 1980s.
After searching the internet and comparing the codes on other Ilford canisters I still have from the 1970s and 1980s, I now believe the G79 is the date of manufacture (so expiration date is probably earlier than the 1986 mentioned for this film in the prior post).

HP5 Manufactured 1979?

Date of process and Base + Fog values:

1988 = 0.37
1991 = 0.63
2010 = 0.74

(development time and temp and developer NOT standardized through these samples)

[Sal Santamaura]

This is from your post #113:

Here are my base density results with HP5. Film in original packaging. Frozen since new. All film processed in the last 3 months.

HP5 Expiration 1986 = 0.74
HP5 Expiration 2001 = 0.50
HP5 Expiration 2013 = 0.21

and this is from your post #128:

...negatives from a batch of HP5 35mm film marked G79 that I bought used off of Shutterbug ads around the mid 1980s...Date of process and Base + Fog values:

1988 = 0.37
1991 = 0.63
2010 = 0.74

Please clarify. It appears that, in #113, the "1986" result (0.74) was for 35mm film and correlates with what you describe as "2010" in #128, also 0.74. Is that correct? What size HP5 Plus film do the other two #113 entries ("2001" and "2013") represent? Sheet, 120 or 35mm?

As I noted previously, the fb+f density of 35mm is always substantially higher than it is with sheets. Further information is needed to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.

[ic-racer]

Sorry it is a little confusing. In post #113 it is 3 different batches of film all processed in 2010. The 3 batches are HP5 35mm (1979), HP5 Super 16 Negative (2001) and HP5 120 (2013).

In post #128 it is the SAME batch of film, processed in different years. (HP5 35mm)

So, two different ways of looking at it.

[Sal Santamaura]

...In post #128 it is the SAME batch of film, processed in different years. (HP5 35mm)...

This appears to be the only part of your data sufficiently consistent (despite varying degrees of development) to even approximate the long-term cold-stored performance of HP5 Plus sheet film.

From 1988 to 2010, 22 years later, the fb+f went from 0.37 to 0.74, an increase of 0.37. In this history of Ilford

http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Il...hronology.html

it's stated that HP5 became HP5 Plus in 1989 and in the Photo Pro magazine article it links to

http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Il...ter1989-90.pdf

I can find no clue as to whether HP5 Plus is more or less sensitive to cosmic radiation or keeps better/worse in long-term cold storage than did its predecessor HP5.

Therefore, the best one can do is assume that, since Ilford's "Plus" product was just a refinement, as opposed to a completely new emulsion design like Delta, there was no significant change in long-term fogging performance. A fb+f increase of 0.37 after 22 years still meets the "print through" requirements of my Azo, so I'll happily continue buying/using HP5 Plus, then start accumulating and freezing it as the end of Ilford's site lease in Mobberley approaches 14+ years from now.

[ic-racer]

I have not seen much 'age vs base density' data posted here or on APUG. I was hoping that some others would post their data. Since I don't store film (I buy it as I go) I don't have good long-term data (just the sketchy stuff I posted). In fact I totally ignore expiration dates and never gave much thought to them, let alone recording them in my film record.

My impression is that given similar storage conditions, films of similar ISO would get dark at the same rate. But that is just a educated guess.

[jp]

picked up some ziploc "big bags" at walmart today. They are indeed big. 20x24" for the XL size which is the middle size for their "big bags". The normal 1gallon freezer bags are not quite big enough for 8x10 boxes. This should keep the film boxes nice and pristine in the freezer.

[ic-racer]

This is how I store my open packages of film in the freezer. Either un-exposed, or exposed film. I have no information that it does anything, but I did have some film that looked like it had marks from moisture a few years ago from a 35mm canister I just chucked in a shelf in the freezer for storage.

[Uncle Brian]

Ok so here's the thing with all this hoarding ...

If you have a freezer full of film but how will you process all of it? The B&W should be ok as i hear you can even develop it in coffee but what about C41 and E6 do you have chemicals to create these developers from scratch or could we one day end up like Kodachrome.

Not being pessimistic guys but the loss of Kodachrome and the increase in the number of images being stored digitally make me wonder if one day we could find ourselves painted into a corner.

I had a lot of my digital images vanish in a computer crash and the price of getting colour film processed in little New Zealand is getting silly if you can find a lab. Guess there is always glass plates