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Gary L. Quay
28-Mar-2009, 00:11
This has been discussed before, but usually around making new images on old film and developing it. This week I found a 1932 Kodak Premo in an antique shop. It had a roll of exposed 620 film, I'm guessing Verichrome Pan, inside. I bought the camera, and I'd like to develop the film just to see what images may be on it. The film looked very old. It is on a metal reel, and the colors of the paper backing are black and silver. Any ideas about how to develop this? I checked the Massive Development Chart at Digitaltruth, and it said 4.5 minutes in HC110 (B) for Verichrome. I'm assuming that this is for a newer emulsion than the one I have. I want to use HC110 because of it's anti-fogging properties. My instincts are to use dilution H, and develop for 11 minutes. Since the film was sitting for decades in the camera, the images are likely to be a bit shallow. I can bump up the contrast by adding extra time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

--Gary

jb7
28-Mar-2009, 04:37
At the risk or cost of slicing a frame, you could do a clip test...

Toyon
28-Mar-2009, 09:07
I agree with Joseph - a clip test. Use a developer + benzotriaizole to deal with fog. If the images are "faded" you may want to soak the negative in Selenium to bump the contrast up a stop.

ghost
28-Mar-2009, 11:56
This has been discussed before, but usually around making new images on old film and developing it. This week I found a 1932 Kodak Premo in an antique shop. It had a roll of exposed 620 film, I'm guessing Verichrome Pan, inside. I bought the camera, and I'd like to develop the film just to see what images may be on it. The film looked very old. It is on a metal reel, and the colors of the paper backing are black and silver. Any ideas about how to develop this? I checked the Massive Development Chart at Digitaltruth, and it said 4.5 minutes in HC110 (B) for Verichrome. I'm assuming that this is for a newer emulsion than the one I have. I want to use HC110 because of it's anti-fogging properties. My instincts are to use dilution H, and develop for 11 minutes. Since the film was sitting for decades in the camera, the images are likely to be a bit shallow. I can bump up the contrast by adding extra time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

--Gary


I don't think 11 minutes is near long enough.....I would go for one of these super-dilution 1-hour type deals

- agree on the anti-fog and clip test. I would love to see your results I am really charged by this kind of window into the past. Please keep us posted.

al olson
28-Mar-2009, 18:57
I am looking at the recommended development for Verichrome (ASA 64) in Kodak's 1952 Data Book.

Continuous Agitation (tray)
D-76 13 min
Microdol 13 min
DK-20 12 min
DK-60a 5.5 min

Intermittent Agitation (tank)
D-76 16 min
Microdol 16 min
DK-20 15 min
DK-60a 7 min

These may be helpful as starting points.

Gary L. Quay
29-Mar-2009, 04:24
You know, I have some old cans of DK-60a at home. I'm a bit concerned that it may lead to more fog than HC110. I'll try the clip test, and add some anti-fog to the mix if I need to.

John Bowen
29-Mar-2009, 06:13
With tongue firmly planted in cheek....

For 1930's vintage Verichrome Pan I'd suggest you use 1930's vintage D-76 :-)

Sorry, I couldn't resist..

Please let us know the results of your endeavor.

Good luck,

Keith Fleming
29-Mar-2009, 21:10
Check out www.westfordcomp.com. He collects old cameras, including ones with old film inside, and develops the film. His web site has pages of images from such film.

Keith Fleming

ic-racer
30-Mar-2009, 10:26
I have never obtained an image from old (30-40years) film found in a camera, though I always try when I have the chance. Personally I don't see how a latent image can survive that long, though, there are supposed instances of prolonged latent image survival: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=9490&highlight=line

If you get something let us know!

Jim Graves
30-Mar-2009, 10:55
One photographer who has sort of a sub-specialty in developing "found film" is Gene M. ... over on the photo.net classic camera forum. He has a series on the rolls he's developed on his website at:

http://www.westfordcomp.com/holga/index.html

Gary L. Quay
31-Mar-2009, 01:48
A Horse. Presumably now long dead. I could make out the faint image of a horse on three of the frames. The film was hopelessly fogged and damaged. I had thought that when I removed the film from the roll, the end of paper backing would note what kind of film it was. All I saw was "B & W - PAN - 125" on the paper strip that originally sealed the roll. I was surprised to find it still there. According to the Kodak data guide, only two films were 125 speed: Plus-X and Verichrome, and only the Professional Plus-X was available in roll film, and not seeing "professional" anywhere, I developed for Verichrome in HC110 Dilution H for 15 minutes (being to impatient and excited to do the clip test, darn it). The data guide recommended 8 minutes at Dilution B. I maybe should have used the Digitaltruth recommended time, but that probably wouldn't have saved it. I'll see if I can get an image to scan after it dries. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

JOSEPH ANDERSON
1-Apr-2009, 21:22
I Did A Lot These Very Old Films For A Friend, After His Mom Passed. Most
Were Plus X & Verichrome . From Late 30s Early 40s Some Had No Name And
Were On Wooden Spools. I Used D-76 Stright. Fogging Wasn't As Bad As I Thought It Would Be. What Was Hard Was Getting Film On The Reals. It Was Like Spring Steel,after Being Rolled Up For 60+ Years. My Friend Scaned The
Negs Got Some Ok-ish Prints.
Joe A

ghost
2-Apr-2009, 19:26
Check out www.westfordcomp.com. He collects old cameras, including ones with old film inside, and develops the film. His web site has pages of images from such film.

Keith Fleming


Thank you for posting this- I was really affected by these pictures somehow. What a tremendous thing he done- what a tremendous person.

Has this guy ever posted any info on his processing methods? He is my hero. Really.

Thanks again.:)

Keith Fleming
2-Apr-2009, 21:43
Thank you for posting this- I was really affected by these pictures somehow. What a tremendous thing he done- what a tremendous person.

Has this guy ever posted any info on his processing methods?

Some of his "found film" images have some developing data at the bottom. His site also has information on how to contact him.

His collection of images from found film affects me too. The reasons are varied, but one of them is that the images are of occasions important enough to photograph but for unknown reasons the film was never developed. In a sense, it's as if developing and printing those old films "set free" the images. I check his site frequently to see what he's come up with.

Keith Fleming