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View Full Version : What kind of freezer you are using to freeze your film?



erian
10-Jun-2018, 15:44
Do you use no frost or static freezer for your film?

If static then what is your defrosting procedure?

jnantz
10-Jun-2018, 15:50
PERSONALLY i think
the whole freeze your film
is a bunch of bunk.
if you don't ... have HUGE fluxuations and massive humidy
you just need to keep your film someplace "cool"
basement? root cellar?
best of luck with your predicament !
ps i shoot film and PAPER .. non refrigerated with no issues
and some of it is 20+ years old ...
johh

Jac@stafford.net
10-Jun-2018, 16:01
Do a search on deep freezers. Consumer Reports is a fair source. I found so many small freezers to be disappointing that I gave up. I have a calibrated linear gauge in my fridge-freezer. Good enough. But my wife reminds me often to "get all that film out of there!" :) During our Minnesota Winter I do put it outside.

Leigh
10-Jun-2018, 16:14
Photographic film is a chemical product.
It reacts with elements in the atmosphere and degrades over time.

Every 10 degree C reduction in temperature cuts the reaction rate in half.
That doubles the length of time required to get to the same level of degradation.

I keep my film in the freezer compartments on top of my refrigerators.
They're set about 5 to 10 degrees C below freezing.

- Leigh

Greg
10-Jun-2018, 16:22
Magic Chef chest freezer Model HMCF7W2, capacity 6.9 cubic feet. Got it at Home Depot for around $150.00. Estimated Yearly Energy Cost around $30.00. Manual defrost but have yet to have to remove any frost from inside it. The top seal is excellent. Run it in a dry basement with an average humidity of around 40%. Freezer also sometimes doubles for ice storage, and the bags of ice are always double bagged in large freezer bags. Original bags that ice is sold in are usually thin and not at all sealed that well.

erian
10-Jun-2018, 16:22
During the summer I do not have guaranteed low temperature anywhere in my house. I have only hot or hotter. Possibly also quite humid if it rains a lot like in this year.

So I definitely do need something that is climate controlled. Colder the better because I may have to store some of the film for a long time.

My only question is that is a no frost freezer better option for me or not.

Tin Can
10-Jun-2018, 16:37
All freezers fail. I seldom have seen anything made in the last 40 years last past 10 years. Ancient ones worked for decades.

A melting freezer may be very detrimental to any film.

Some film is sold sealed in water tight can or individual bags. 35mm & 120. Fuji sealed their Polaroid.

No sheet film I bought in the last 8 years was sealed. All B&W.

Some here ZipLoc it all, may use desiccant and vac pac.

I’m with John. Age it as God intended. I shot a 100 year old glass plate meg and got a usable image. YMMV

Jac@stafford.net
10-Jun-2018, 17:14
[...] Run it in a dry basement with an average humidity of around 40%.

How do you maintain humidity at ~40%? That's almost high-plains desert humidity.

Corran
10-Jun-2018, 17:18
I bought a medium-sized freezer a couple years ago on close-out from Home Depot. I think it's the one Greg mentioned above except I got it 50% off for some reason, perhaps a new model. It works great. Last year when we had a hurricane come through I lost power for 2 days and it warmed up to room temp. However that freezer never has "ice" in it from condensation, just stays cold, so I didn't have any damage. Definitely works for me and stays cold with a minimum power footprint. It's in my basement.

sepiareverb
10-Jun-2018, 17:26
I have a mini fridge in the studio that is for film. Only a tiny freezer in it, and I only have some 35mm color neg film in that part as I seldom shoot it. I keep my film cool, and as my basement fluctuates tremendously I use the fridge.

I've got some films still in the house freezers. My wife finds them every now and again when digging through.

Drew Wiley
10-Jun-2018, 17:42
All film and paper should be put in tight plastic bags before going into the freezer.

knjkrock
10-Jun-2018, 20:16
My chemistry days are long past, but doesn't freezing imply a change in "physical state" or "phase" as in liquid to solid. Is storage below O degree Celsius(32 degree Fahrenheit) much different than above. Would cold storage in the 30's provide about as much protection as "freezing" with so much risk of condensation and ice crystals? Since said chiller would be unlikely to be opened 20 time a day like a kitchen refrigerator would a desiccant be more likely to keep humidity down?

Regards
Ken

DG 3313
10-Jun-2018, 21:13
Regular, everyday freezer....."Food Saver" pouches and don't pull a vacuum on the contents.....just seal it.

Eric Woodbury
13-Jun-2018, 17:38
I have a mini fridge with a micro freezer from Sears. Slow films keep longer, but I actually have issues with some of the papers I bought. I don't have enough room to store paper in the fridge.

I wouldn't recommend auto defrost. Defrost cycles work by regular heating of the coils inside your fridge to melt the ice and then then collecting the liquid to the drip pan. If your film is up against the coil surface, it will get warm. I have to defrost mine every summer or every other, depending on how much I open.

Drew Wiley
13-Jun-2018, 17:50
I have an actual vac-packaging rig, but never use it because I never re-freeze a box of film or paper once it's open. Paper, and some brands of sheet film, do
not have an inner foil pack. So I add a couple layers of ordinary plastic bags, tightly knotted to keep moisture out. My freezer is big. I'm certain this is the
best way to go, at least for me, and except for those times my wife tries to sneak a spare Thanksgiving turkey in there for Christmas use! No frost issues so far, though it's not a "frost-free" model. I'm taking a second look at that vac-packaging rig for sealing backpacking foods.

Jac@stafford.net
14-Jun-2018, 10:12
Drew knows this, but FYI, not all plastic is nonpermeable.