Procedure for thawing frozen film

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Hi all. I bought some Provia 100F and have had it in the freezer since it got here. I took a 25 sheet packet out today and put it in an empty 10 sheet box I had laying around and put that in the refrigerator. How long do I have to wait until I can load up my film holders and shoot?

[Michael Kadillak]

Usually it only takes 30-45 minutes at room temp to get it ready to load. I always use a sealed plastic bad to go into the freezer to keep the moisture to a minimum. Much easier to deal with it in the thaw phase.

Cheers!

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Thanks Michael. I only keep sealed packages in the freezer - that is, the interior pack. Do I still need to use a sealed bag?

[tim atherton]

five minutes on the fish defrost setting in the microwave

[tim atherton]

on second thoughts - I really should have put a smiley in that... :-)

[Michael Jones]

Edward:

The film packet or box should be inside a plastic bag. When it defrosts, the condensation stays on the outside of the plastic bag, not the film box or the film.

Mike

PS: Shouldn't we use the microwave's "soup" setting for film...

[David du Busc]

Being a rooted it the traditional methods, I only believe in camera negatives and a 350 degree oven >>>pop the film packet in and when it springs back after light finger pressure.... It's done!

[Ralph Barker]

Finger pressure! That's it! All this time I've been using a tooth pick. 8-(

[Paul Metcalf]

When the time between popping film pieces gets greater than a few seconds, it's done, otherwise you'll get burned pieces and really bad burnt smell.

Wait, that's for popcorn...

If you have a fancy refer (e.g. SubZero) and your wife lets you use it for film storage - DON'T. Way to much humidity for film, even in baggies. I learned this the hard way. Only the "normal" refer's like Fridgedare, etc. should be used as they bring cold air from the freezer (which is dryer) into the refer compartment. SubZeros and equivalents use seperate condensor units, and the refer side is enormously humid (good for lettuce, bad for film). Moral of story: buy cheaper refer and buy more film!

[Michael Kadillak]

I still use sealed zip lock bags in addition to the interior packaging from the manufacturer because it is not "sealed" internally - only folded over. I also squeeze as much ambient air out of the bag with the film in it before I put it in the freezer.

Probably a little excessive, but using a simple risk/reward analogy it does not take much expense in the form of a sealed bag to insure that I do not have a problem with very expensive film.

Cheers!

[Capocheny]

Edward,

Put the frozen film in a plastic bag with several silicant packages... then put it into the fridge so that it'll thaw out gradually.

That should do the trick...

Gotta love the humor!

Who says photogs don't have a sense of humor??

Cheers

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Paul, if I had a SubZero I wouldn't be using a CC400 - either that or I would have a caddy carrying it for me. :-)

[Ted Harris]

Hmmmmmmm, well if you sell the SubZero then you can buy .....

[Jim Rice]

Edward, I used a CC-400 (actually a Kodak Mater View) for a couple of decades. It holds a film holder, it holds a lensboard, it lets them both chat with each other. Okay, it isn't that portable, and the recessed boards are really tight, but it IS a view camera. And that places you above 99.9% of the photographers out there. I once had a Kitchenaid mixer that i really liked.

[Al W]

Kodak says "8 hours per pound at room temperature" in their conservation handout. And that's in a plastic bag!!!! When film is cold it absorbs moisture, so protect it from the moisture that's in the outside air.

[Capocheny]

Al,

Is that for a turkey? If it is... it's slightly off! For a 15 pounder...it's 5 days in the fridge.

If it isn't for turkey... it must be for film!

Tim... that's 5 minutes only if it's on a "rotating" platter. Otherwise, you'll get burn on the edges!

And, who says Photogs don't have a sense of humor???

Cheers

[Paul Moshay]

I keep my film stock, about 2000 sheets of 4x5 EPN and E100G, in the freezer in the original Kodak boxes. When I want more film I take out as many boxes as required and let them come to room temprature for at least five hours, sometimes overnight. After that I can open and load the CFH's. Never had any condensation problems at all. The vapor proof packs of 25 sheets in the Kodak boxes are totally sealed against condensation. After loading the CFH's I place them into 6mil ziplock baggies and keep the unused amounts in the fridge, letting them warm up at least four hours before use. Works for me. Paul

[Jay DeFehr]

A lot depends on the ambient humidity. I live in a fairly dry region and load my film directly from freezer to holder without problems. I would imagine tha Halifax is a good deal more humid than Boise, though, so the above advice is worth heeding.