What should I do will old film?

[Eric Woodbury]

I try to keep my darkroom shoveled-out on a regular basis, otherwise the stuff accumulates everywhere. I have a museum of mostly yellow boxes growing on my shelf. There are more than a dozen boxes of film I'm not using and it is so outdated, 30 years and more, that it is pointless to have around. I have Tmax (only 13 years out), Super XX, Isopan (I don't know how old that is), Techpan (it is probably still good and I'm using that), and a few others. Mostly 4x5, but I know there is some old 8x10 there too.

Do others have this problem? I saved it to load the developer in the drum when I would only need to develop 1 or 2 sheets. Then I'd add some fully exposed sheets of something to make sure the developer exhausted at its normal rate. Now I'm not using a drum anymore, so I'm not sure there is a reason to have this stuff.

It has not been stored in the refrig. It is stored in my darkroom at about 60 to 80F. I'm sure it has fog on it.

What should I do with it? Is there some use for it that I don't know about?

[Jack Dahlgren]

Put it on buy and sell. There are many beginners who could benefit from this film for practice.

[John Bowen]

Eric,

Those of us that contact print aren't too bothered by some additonal base fog. We just print through it. You might find you receive a VERY interesting price for the Super XX on the 'Bay

[Daniel_Buck]

Put it on buy and sell. There are many beginners who could benefit from this film for practice.

indeed, or maybe check your local community college, if there's any photography classes that could use some old film for practice/learning work.

[GPS]

...

What should I do with it? Is there some use for it that I don't know about?

You can cut them at will and use them as interesting bookmarks. Tapered corners are better...:)

[Paul Bujak]

You may send it all to me. I have a way of disposing of it properly. :D

Buje

[A49]

Old film, if it is not totally fogged, can be well used for testing lenses or the accurateness of the film plane in comparison to the ground glass plane. If the fog is low as could be the case with the 13 year old Tmax, I would shoot with it after testing one sheet or use it ifor testing a new developer or dilution.

Andreas

[Bruce Barlow]

What Mr. Bowen says.

[sun of sand]

tmax should be pretty decent still

i'd like to shoot isopan myself
just for the fun of it ..probably wouldnt "see" anything in it

someone always buys that old stuff on ebay

[Daniel Stone]

donate it to a college student(like me :D) for proper usage.

I've always been itching to try super-xx, especially after assisting M+P and seeing their prints :).

-Dan

[Eric Woodbury]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I'm sending the Tmax100 to a new student of photo, my niece. The Isopan will stay in the museum, besides, it is 60 years old. Interestingly, it came in 24 sheet boxes. Not 25.

[Vaughn]

...The Isopan will stay in the museum, besides, it is 60 years old. Interestingly, it came in 24 sheet boxes. Not 25.

Makes sense -- I usually load a whole holder (two negs) so I hate ending up with just one sheet in a box.