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Thread: Expired Film....where to Start?

  1. #21

    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Madisonville, LA
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    2,412

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    You can start by determining the ASA and the film base fog value of the different films. I'd start with the newest one that you have the most of. You can try different developers to see which gives you the least fog. I would photograph Zones I & VII on the same sheet of film, starting at the manufacturer's recommended speed, then 1/2 and 1/4 the film speed (ASA). This will give you three sheets of 4x5, then I would make two duplicate sets to vary your developing time from the recommended time with the developer, then 1/4 less and 1/2 less (or more) of the time. Read the densities with a densitometer and determine which Zone I exposure gives a density of 0.15 over the film base plus fog. That sheet is your film speed rating. Then read the Zone VII density of this sheet with the different developing times and determine which time reads 1.15. That is your developing time. It will probably take several tries to zero in on it.

    I suspect you'll find that the zone I density is probably lost in the film base. I'm presently doing this with some T-X 4x5 which expired in 1988, developing in HC-110. I have over 1000 sheets of this that I've kept frozen. The film base is over 0.3. I haven't been able to get a Zone I exposure to register above the film base + fog, so I'm in the process of trying for Zone II. I'm also going to try it with Rodinal to see if the fog is any different. I'll post my results when I've figured it out.

    Yes, it's time consuming but I would do this before visiting the dumpster.

    L

  2. #22
    おせわに なります! Andrew O'Neill's Avatar
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    Sep 2003
    Location
    Coquitlam, BC, Canada, eh!
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    5,136

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    I've have some 4x5 Kodak IR from the 60's that is heavily fogged. A little restrainer helped a lot and I lost a full stop... but EI 50 is still pretty good. The results were better, but still looked pretty bad. For best results, scanning is the way to go. Amazing what a scanner can pull out of those negatives. I used D-76 with 1 gram/litre of Benzotriazol, if I recall.

  3. #23

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    Quote Originally Posted by RobertCovington View Post
    I have over a 100LBS of Sheet 4x5 sheet film ...
    .\
    This is just too awesome to contemplate. I'm with Bob Carnie on this one, I'd like to see what 100lbs. Of sheet film looks like
    --- Steve from Missouri ---

  4. #24

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    A 100lbs in weight of film..... You lucky swine! It sounds like you scored the stock of an old studio.
    The best I managed was four boxes of Ansco 282 that expired in 1957.
    The stuff was as thick as linoleum

  5. #25

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Boulder, CO
    Posts
    26

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    It's my experience with older films that they don't perform well due to base fog. If you have anything important to photograph I'd forego using the outdated material. In the scheme of things, film is the cheapest component we work with. Why take a chance and sacrifice a wonder image? I see plenty of fog in older T Max film. The base gets quite grey. I suppose you could use a reducer to clear this but why bother? Sadly, it's worthless in my opinion. That is unless you want to gift it to a high school for beginning students, but even that compromises their introduction into film.

  6. #26
    Beverly Hills, California
    Join Date
    Feb 2000
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    Beverly Hills, CA
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    1,108

  7. #27

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
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    167

    Re: Expired Film....where to Start?

    What would silver recovery of just ten pounds be likely to yield in ounces?

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