Developing old film...please help

[dan nguyen]

hi all

could somebody help me on this issue...

I used to develop my films a soon as possible (or at least within 2 weeks range). Two years ago I lost a bag of exposed Ilford FP4 and Pan F (4x5 / 120 / 35mm). Someone found it and keep it for 2 years till last week. At that time that person didn't look at the bottom of the bag where my phone number was written on the canvas. Anyway, last week he cleaned his house/room and before throwing that bag away he found my phone number, called me and returned it to me...

lucky or not I forgot about those exposed films long ago.. but now I get it back. So my question is:

I use Kodak D-76 as Developer. What time I need to use to develop those films. I know that I have to develop them with extra time but how much extra? (I never develop film longer or shorter than recommended time, except when I do it purposely).

thanks a lot in advance,

dan

[Gene McCluney]

You might want to try HC-110, as this is an extremely "clean" working developer that will minimize age fog.

[Glenn Thoreson]

Unless the film has been damaged by high heat or moisture, you should be okay with your normal times. I would do a clip test first, though. Two years is not a horribly long time for exposed B&W film to sit around in a reasonable atmoshere. If you do a clip test and it shows it needs more time, I would go slowly with 10% increments. A lost frame or two for testing is better than losing the roll. Good luck. :D

[Dave Brown]

Just treat them as you normally would. With such slow emulsions, I doubt there will be any (noticeable) additional fog. If you were shooting HP5 or Tri-X, and they had sat 10 years or more, there might be cause for concern. I've developed plenty of poorly stored film at 1 to 25 years after exposure, and typically there are no problems with film that is ten years old or less. The higher the ISO, the the more fog you'll get. By the way, it was very smart to put your contact info on the bag.

[dan nguyen]

thanks all..

I tried the clip and the films seem to be OK (as per Dave's post), there is no fog (not to my eyes). To be on the safe side I will add 10% time which put in a bit more contrast. I don't know if weak contrast is due to me at the time I expose the film or due to age...

thanks again