Film Sleeves for Whole-Plate Format

[Richard K.]

Anyone know of a source of film sleeves for WP (6.5"x8.5") format? I'll use 8x10 if there aren't any but the persnickety part of me would like the exact size...:)

This place:

http://www.climaxphoto.com/wide_format_sleeves.htm

sells 4x10, 5x12, 7x11, 7x17, 8x20, 10x12, etc. :D

[Oren Grad]

Afraid I've been using 8x10 sleeves. But I wasn't aware of Climax Photo - since they've already taken the initiative to stock various ULF sizes, perhaps they'd be willing to commission a run of sleeves in WP.

[Jim Becia]

Richard,

Randy at Climax is quite accomodating in these matters. Or at least he was with me when I asked him to provide me with 1000 4X10 sleeves last year. He has since come out with a whole line of sleeves for other large and ultralarge formats. Give him a call and see what he will do. He was so easy to work with on the 4x10 sleeves. I had searched all over without finding anythng for 4x10 and gave him a call. Good products and very reasonable prices. Good luck. Jim Becia

[David Karp]

That is an interesting possibility. In the meantime, I have been using 8x10 sleeves, and unless the pricing is comparable for WP sleeves, would continue to do so. It sure is easy to get them in and out of the sleeve, compared to standard-sized sleeves that are just barely larger than the film.

[Richard K.]

Richard,

Randy at Climax is quite accomodating in these matters. Or at least he was with me when I asked him to provide me with 1000 4X10 sleeves last year. He has since come out with a whole line of sleeves for other large and ultralarge formats. Give him a call and see what he will do. He was so easy to work with on the 4x10 sleeves. I had searched all over without finding anythng for 4x10 and gave him a call. Good products and very reasonable prices. Good luck. Jim Becia

Excellent selection at Climax! I've e-mailed Randy re WP size. I'll post the minimum needed and price for an order if he is willing to do so. I mean where else can you get 4x10, 5x12, 7x11 sleeves?!? :)

[Sal Santamaura]

After 4+ years, my approach has evolved. I originally tried Secol sleeves, but they carried a risk of scratching during insertion/removal, since they are so tight and rigid. For other sizes, I had been using interleaving folders and paper envelopes, including placing whole plate negatives in that 8x10 combination. However, even this wasn't satisfying, given the cost, total thickness and awkwardness of handling multiple items in the darkroom.

Then, as mentioned above, Climax began offering polypropylene fold-over sleeves for whole plate. I don't get along well with the fold-over design; inserting and removing negatives in it has proven even more of a nuisance than dealing with two-part systems. The material is soft and feels like its surface holds dust/grit.

Last year I tried and very much liked the high density polyethylene (HDPE) negative storage envelopes offered by Archival Methods. These have become my standard for 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10. They are pure HDPE; no slip agents or other chemicals are used in the envelopes or during the manufacturing process. They do not generate static electricity. Since they're a bit loose, negatives can be inserted and removed easily with no danger of scratching. The only drawback was lack of a dedicated size for whole plate.

Recently I contacted Archival Methods and petitioned them to add a new size that would specifically accommodate whole plate negatives. They agreed and said they'd notify me when the new product became available. That email arrived this morning and I've already ordered a large quantity. Here's the product page:

http://www.archivalmethods.com/Product.cfm?categoryid=6&Productid=84

I encourage everyone using whole plate to buy these envelopes for negative storage. They're very well priced and readily available. If you're looking for a matched size box into which the envelopes+negatives will fit, I've found and purchased these:

http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_3/section3_4.htm

The perfect way to organize your collection of perfect size negatives!