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Thread: Best practices for frozen sheet film

  1. #1

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    Best practices for frozen sheet film

    I've been shooting either fresh film or film that I got in some film holders from who knows when. I have some boxes in the freezer that I'd like to shoot in the next few weeks and last night I started to wonder, how am I going to get the sheets I need from those frozen boxes? what's the best practice for frozen sheet film? my guess is to take the box out of the freezer, let the sheet get to room temperature, load the holders, and put back the box in the freezer.

    Is there any other way?

  2. #2

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel.E View Post
    take the box out of the freezer, let the sheet get to room temperature, load the holders, and put back the box in the freezer.
    You got it! Simplest is often best. The only addition I suggest is to keep the boxes in ziplock bags while they are in the freezer, since the humidity in a freezer is high.

  3. #3
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    I freeze film too. I wouldn't be in the habit of repeated thawing of film. In theory it's fine. In practice too much back and forth from the freezer could let repeated moisture accumulate if it's not perfectly sealed. (ziplock bags and their like are not perfect seals) When film comes out to be used, I keep it at room temp till it's gone. If it takes a few months to use the film, no big deal.

  4. #4

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    Good, thank you! I like hearing what others do in that scenario.

  5. #5
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    Depends on the humidity. Unless you live in high desert conditions, any water vapor in the package itself can condense on your film when you re-freeze it and
    potentially ruin it. A helpful gadget is those do-it-yourself freeze-dry food packaging gadgets. They suck the air our of the plastic bag at the same time they
    heat seal the opening. About a hundred bucks. But I'd double-bag in any event, even if you using ordinary trashcan liners and simply squeezing the air out first.

  6. #6

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    For 35 years, I've pulled LF frozen film from the freezer, let it warm for about 24 hours, load holders, and then return film to the freezer. Knock wood, but I've never had any issue. I am careful to remove as much air as possible from the inner plastic bag, fold over the open end to ensure a somewhat good seal, and then put the box into a Ziplock freezer bag.

  7. #7

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Lewin View Post
    You got it! Simplest is often best. The only addition I suggest is to keep the boxes in ziplock bags while they are in the freezer, since the humidity in a freezer is high.
    I believe the humidity in a freezer is low,not high.
    I keep mine in a zip lock bag,but never refreeze it.

  8. #8

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    So is film really frozen? Or stored in a freezer? Or is it already frozen, even at normal ambient temperature?

  9. #9

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    Frozen means below the freezing point of water. So at ambient temperatures, I wouldn't call it frozen, no. But obviously it is solid. I'm not sure what you mean by your question, as the only answer I can come up with is so obvious.

  10. #10

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    Re: Best practices for frozen sheet film

    I can slide sheets out of the box/bag immediately after pulling from the freezer.

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