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Arcus
3-Jun-2019, 18:39
Thought maybe the light fastness might last longer.

Tin Can
3-Jun-2019, 18:45
Dimming

Jac@stafford.net
3-Jun-2019, 18:57
Thought maybe the light fastness might last longer.

You might be thinking of the case where the constant pressure of light erodes physical barriers. We should live so long! :o

Arcus
3-Jun-2019, 19:15
You might be thinking of the case where the constant pressure of light erodes physical barriers. We should live so long! :o

Long ago a person told me that one shouldn't latch a dishwasher's door closed when it wasn't being used, lest the rubber seals dry out and crack. I just had two of a batch of six holders I bought on Ebay fall apart in my hands. These holders are older than I am...just thought there might be a "best practices" for extending their useful lives.

Peter Lewin
3-Jun-2019, 19:22
Assume you mean storing empty holders (otherwise of course you need the slides in!). I've always kept them with the slides in, but if they are empty I keep the flaps open so I know they are empty.

Peter Collins
3-Jun-2019, 19:47
Ditto Peter Lewin. A glance in a lightroom tells all.

Fred L
3-Jun-2019, 20:09
keep slides in on my holders, but I also use tape on the holders with film type and expiry date. so no tape = no film

Roger Thoms
3-Jun-2019, 23:00
I always store my film holders with the darkslides in, keeps the dust out and keeps me from losing the darkslides. Freds tape recommendation is also good, I've also been doing that minus the expiration date. Now I'll have to add the date.:)

Most of my film holders are also stored in ziplock bag, again to combat dust.

Roger

jose angel
4-Jun-2019, 00:43
I never considered this. Always slides in, for decades. They still work well.
But it makes sense to keep out those that are not used. So I think I'll proceed this way from now on.

md-photo
4-Jun-2019, 02:35
Another reason to leave the dark slides in (other than those slides just getting lost in clutter) would be to keep the dust out. Depending on how many one has and how often they are in use or empty, Fred's suggestion about keeping tape on loaded ones makes sense.

Now that I have used LF for about half a year, I feel like I can actually make a suggestion :)

j.e.simmons
4-Jun-2019, 03:04
Another reason to keep them in, particularly if you have an assortment of old ones as I do, is that the slides are not uniform. They generally fit better in some holders than others. And in 4x5, the Graflex holders are quite different from Fidelity and Lisco. It’s better to keep the slides with the holders that fit.

Fred L
4-Jun-2019, 05:27
I...I've also been doing that minus the expiration date. Now I'll have to add the date.:)...

this is only because I use expired film for random stuff, but expose fresh film for important work, so I don't mix them up lol

Doremus Scudder
4-Jun-2019, 10:41
I store my film holders with slides in. They're loaded and ready to go 90% of the time; empty only during developing sessions then reloaded afterward.

The point above about not mixing up darkslides is important. I have a collection of holders that consists of many brands and ages. The slides are nowhere near interchangeable.

Keeping the slides in keeps the dust out.

Best,

Doremus

Arcus
4-Jun-2019, 11:28
I never considered this. Always slides in, for decades. They still work well.
But it makes sense to keep out those that are not used. So I think I'll proceed this way from now on.

Are bits of felt used in these slides? My thinking was that leaving slides in might over time flatten and make whatever is used for lightfastness less effective over time. On the other hand, experience (decades!) beats theory.

Jac@stafford.net
4-Jun-2019, 11:34
One small tip: when carrying film holders it is a good idea to put very thin shipping foam between the holders. Just last Friday I found that while taking one holder from my pack I tipped it and a corner took a chip out of the middle of the dark slide beside it. :( One of my best, a Linhof holder.

About the lightproof 'felt', no problem. Leave the slide in.

Tin Can
4-Jun-2019, 11:39
The felt is velvet with brass finger springs pushing up.

They work well if not dirty or abused.

The flap is more often a problem when the tape fails. It dries out and dusts everything. Dust is a problem.

Keep them clean and in baggies. Or special film holder bags. Those can be handmade.

I keep most of my 8X10 loaded, marked and in a dark box. I add paper dividers so I can easily tell what is what.

Many times I have bought holders with film still in them.

Sometimes fun to process the film and see if anything develops.

Usually not...

Buy the nicest ones you can afford and they last decades.

I like wood holders with wood cameras. Plastic holders with metal cameras.

Andrew O'Neill
4-Jun-2019, 12:14
I always keep the slides in, black tab facing out.

John Kasaian
4-Jun-2019, 12:35
In, where they belong:)
Unloaded holders go in a zip locks labelled EMPTY
Loaded holders go in zip locks labeled with the emulsion loaded.

Jac@stafford.net
4-Jun-2019, 12:45
In, where they belong:)
Unloaded holders go in a zip locks labelled EMPTY
Loaded holders go in zip locks labeled with the emulsion loaded.

OK, I'm convinced and will shop for the correct zip locks tomorrow. Thank you, John.

archphotofisher
4-Jun-2019, 12:54
Store empty holders with slides in, stacked with like holders, holders with film loaded, sit in zip lock plastic bags, with a 3x5 card calling out film type. The card is also used for field notes.

Tin Can
4-Jun-2019, 13:02
OK, now we have a quorum.

How many 'notch' or have a way of matching each film shot to a specific holder?

Jac@stafford.net
4-Jun-2019, 13:05
OK, now we have a quorum.

How many 'notch' or have a way of matching each film shot to a specific holder?

Notching can be important to those who do a lot of experimenting perhaps because they are not confident of the holder, or their memory. Experienced photographers are comfortable with their consistent practice. They do not need notchings.

Holder choices are largely irrelevant when one sticks to one competent manufacturer and batch number AND/or sharpens his technique. A little notebook is adequate.

Bob Salomon
4-Jun-2019, 13:18
All film holders were shipped from the factory with the slides inserted.
That should answer your question.

The factories did not know how long completed holders would be in their inventory. They had no way of knowing how long the holders would be in their distributor’s inventory. They had no way of knowing how long they would be in a dealer’s inventory. In some cases this could be year’s before it reached the consumer!

Jac@stafford.net
4-Jun-2019, 13:47
Never had a problem with a Linhof 4x5 film holder. Never.

Bob Salomon
4-Jun-2019, 14:24
OK, now we have a quorum.

How many 'notch' or have a way of matching each film shot to a specific holder?

Linhof made their sheet film holders and their glass plate/sheet film holders with a choice of with or without numbered friskits that were numbered from 1 to 12 to identify which side of which holder the film was exposed in.
Riteway, at their end, made holders with a numbering wheel to do the same thing.

If one needed more then 6 holders (12 shots) it was very easy to use jeweler’s files of different shapes to add notches, half rounds, etc. to additional holders to ID sides.

Rainymac
5-Jun-2019, 05:23
Holders stored with dark slide in and placed into one of three ziplock bags labelled 'Loaded', 'Exposed' and 'Unloaded' respectively. I have 8 holders so it was important for my sanity to match developed negatives with its information sheet. So, I notched my holders with a binary sequence with a Dremel tool. It worked beautifully.

My question to the experienced...where do you stored you loaded holders (unexposed and exposed) until you are ready to develop the film?

Fred L
5-Jun-2019, 05:34
My question to the experienced...where do you stored you loaded holders (unexposed and exposed) until you are ready to develop the film?

empty holders are stacked in my darkroom, but loaded, and exposed holders are kept in PhotoBackpacker Cascades cases. Have them for 4x5 to 8x10. On these cases I glued wide (2"x3") velcro tabs so I cld attach labels indicating what film is in them.

Bernice Loui
5-Jun-2019, 07:56
Dark slides in film holders always. Dark slides are not always interchangeable and keeping the dark slide in the film holder prevents dust and other problem debris from getting inside the film holder. Store film holders in a plastic baggie to further prevent dust-debris intrusion and possible damage from their storage area.

Serpertine wrap the film holders on their opposite ends with a towel or similar cloth for transport as the physical bouncing of film holders against each other can easily result in damaged film holders.

Shaking the film holder can indicate if there is film in the film holder.

Keep the film holder internals clean ad dust free as possible, use the clean compressed air then vacuum. Make sure there is no abrasive debris on the internal plate of the film holder to stop scratching the film base.



Bernice

Doremus Scudder
5-Jun-2019, 11:36
OK, now we have a quorum.

How many 'notch' or have a way of matching each film shot to a specific holder?

I use a modified Roman numeral notch system on all my holders. A small half-round notch is "1," a V-shaped notch is "5," a square notch is "10," a long, thin vertical notch is "50," and a larger half-round notch is "100." I notch the flaps of the holders and the resulting notches are exposed outside the image area.

Example: square + lg round + sm round + V = 94 (sorry, I can't get any special characters to show up here, or I'd post a graphic).

I consider myself pretty experienced, but still find the notches useful, especially when testing, bracketing filtration or making many exposures of a subject in changing light, etc. The exposure numbers are logged with exposure information, desired development and notes.

Best,

Doremus

Tin Can
5-Jun-2019, 12:44
Very good and maybe beyond my memory banks now.

I notched a few and only have needed the notches a few times.

I am processing less film these days.

Which reminds me, I need to load a stack of 1/4 plate film holders tonight.

For another member!


I use a modified Roman numeral notch system on all my holders. A small half-round notch is "1," a V-shaped notch is "5," a square notch is "10," a long, thin vertical notch is "50," and a larger half-round notch is "100." I notch the flaps of the holders and the resulting notches are exposed outside the image area.

Example: square + lg round + sm round + V = 94 (sorry, I can't get any special characters to show up here, or I'd post a graphic).

I consider myself pretty experienced, but still find the notches useful, especially when testing, bracketing filtration or making many exposures of a subject in changing light, etc. The exposure numbers are logged with exposure information, desired development and notes.

Best,

Doremus

Rainymac
5-Jun-2019, 15:37
empty holders are stacked in my darkroom, but loaded, and exposed holders are kept in PhotoBackpacker Cascades cases. Have them for 4x5 to 8x10. On these cases I glued wide (2"x3") velcro tabs so I cld attach labels indicating what film is in them.

I like your use of Velcro tabs. Great idea, thank you.

j.e.simmons
6-Jun-2019, 04:34
I use a grease pencil/china marker to write the film type on the dark slide itself. It wipes off with one of those Mr. Clean dry sponge doohickeys.

mitrajoon
9-Jun-2019, 16:20
Interesting thread for me because I have been told by a couple of people that my Hasselblad backs should be stored with the dark slides out to preserve the light tightness of the backs. For all the reasons listed above I've kept them in, but I often wonder if I'll eventually regret it.

Bob Salomon
9-Jun-2019, 16:59
Interesting thread for me because I have been told by a couple of people that my Hasselblad backs should be stored with the dark slides out to preserve the light tightness of the backs. For all the reasons listed above I've kept them in, but I often wonder if I'll eventually regret it.

I’ve had lots of Blads, Rollei SL 66s, Koni Omegas, Mamiya RBs over the years, all bought new and none had that recommendation in the instruction books, in fact with most, you could not remove or replace the backs without the slides in place.

Leave yours in.

mitrajoon
9-Jun-2019, 17:37
Thxs. Glad to hear that my instincts were correct.

AtlantaTerry
9-Jun-2019, 17:56
My personal opinion would be to keep all of my 4x5" dark slides in place. This is because I own over 100 of them which I have accumulated over many years. If I had to figure out which slides went with which holders, it would drive me nuttier than I already am. LOL! Besides, it most likely keeps the dust out. As mentioned, every manufacturer made a slightly different size.

The unused / uncleaned sheet film holders are in a large cardboard box. (Possibly not the best storage option.)

Once I clean up a holder and get it ready for use, then it goes into a freezer Zip bag - loaded or not.

Part of preparing a holder, I use a paint marker to put a number on each side starting at 001 then 002, 003, etc.

Out in the field, when I make notes about the subject, lens, etc. I make sure to record the number of the side, too.

After loading film, the holders go into a freezer Zip bag that is marked as to what film, type, ISO, etc.

The holders are marked, too. I use blue painter's tape that also serves to hold the dark slide in place.

Out in the field, I carry the 4x5" holders in purpose-made bags that I found on eBay a couple of years ago.

BTW, some thermal padded lunch bags accommodate 4x5" sheet film holders nicely. Look for them in great abundance in late summer when stores have back to school stock on hand.

When I get back to the darkroom, I use my notebook to sort out any sheet film holders that I might want to process differently.

After the sheets of film are dry I use an India ink marker to write the sheet film holder number on the edge of the sheet of film. That way if I discover later that a sheet film holder is defective, I can trace it back to the source for testing, cleaning or trashing. I also add the date I shot it.

Finally, the negatives go into plastic archival storage pages that hold four. I mark on the top edge of the sheet the film type, developer, date, etc. https://www.printfile.com/45-4b_100.aspx

doctorpepe
12-Jul-2019, 12:49
sometimes really old holders are made of wood and the glue just dries out. You can re-glue them with hide glue (from craft shop or a real hardware store) or elmers glue.

Jim Noel
12-Jul-2019, 13:31
I have bought all of my holders used. 4x5's have all been in my possession since the 1960's. They are additionally stored in zp bags whether loaded or not. all still work perfectly.
My 5x7 and 8x10 holders are not quite as old but the same conditions are true. te 7x17 and 5x12 olders are a mixed bag. The ones original with the cameras,(1930's) are still perfect. The only holders I've ever had trouble with were bought new. Most of these required blackening inside the flap. These also are stored in zip bags.

Bob Salomon
12-Jul-2019, 14:11
Did you ever, or have heard of anyone, buy new film holders that had the slides not properly inserted?

Why do you think that all manufacturers shipped their holders that way?

Additionally, storing holders without the slides opens up possible dust problems, especially with well worn used ones and a better chance of damaging the flaps.

PRJ
12-Jul-2019, 21:09
I always keep holders in bags.

If the white side of the slide is out it is unexposed. If black is out it is exposed. If it is in a bag that is labeled EMPTY, the holder is empty. Pretty simple. I label the holders in the spot where it is supposed to be done with a pencil when the film is loaded. No mixups.

All my holders are numbered and notched with that binary code thing. I don't even remember how it works, but if I ever have a problem I'll figure it out again. I'll probably never have a problem since I notched them. That is typically how it works.

I have a lot of holders, so keeping it all simple is the way to go.

Except the five Grafmatics. If I have a problem with one of those I'm screwed. No real way to know which one it would be except for dead reckoning.

Sirius Glass
13-Jul-2019, 19:03
I always store with the dark slides in. It helps keep the right dark slide with the right holder.

Drew Wiley
13-Jul-2019, 19:41
I never knew such an incredibly simple subject could become complicated. Why on earth would anyone remove the slides except for cleaning? I don't get it.

BerndR
8-Sep-2019, 21:12
one shouldn't latch a dishwasher's door closed when it wasn't being used, lest the rubber seals dry out and crack.No. It should be left ajar so the dishes inside don't get moldy due to moisture build-up.

Gary Beasley
9-Sep-2019, 05:25
I rarely use the duplex film holders with my field 4x5. I have a collection of grafmatics for that job and they have indicators to tell film position and slide locks I can engage for the loaded ones. They also have a nice large area on the back for notes. The duplexes are for the oddball sheets Im trying out and for the studio NX I use around the house on occasion, those are usually empty and always store slides in.

doctorpepe
11-Sep-2019, 00:05
I usually store them with the slides in especially when there’s film in them.


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