4x5 sheets of unexposed film stuck together

[shannonstoney]

I just opened a box of 4x5 film, one that had been opened previously and used a few weeks ago. There were about ten sheets left in the box, and they were all glued to each other. The box had been sitting in the darkroom for a couple of weeks since the last time I opened it. The darkroom is an outbuilding, and so does not have central heat and air, but it stays relatively cool because of the thick concrete floor. I don't know what the humidity is in that building, but there has been some rain recently. I am guessing that humidity caused the sheets to stick together. I had to throw them away.

Luckily I had a new box of film and it's fine. I am storing that now in the house, but the house is not exactly climate-controlled all the time either: I run the AC for an hour or so in the afternoon if it gets unbearably hot and humid.

Does anybody have any ideas about how to prevent this problem when one does not have a perfectly climate-controlled house, and one lives in the humid Southeast? Thanks.

--shannon

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

maybe put them in a zip-lock type plastic bag with a bag of desiccant?

[LabRat]

There's a chance that the film edges were wet from sweat (from you) the last time you handled it... Film + paper generally needs some liquid present to stick, unless excessive humidity was present while film was reboxed...

Sweating while using a changing bag is a source also...

Steve K

[Bruce Watson]

maybe put them in a zip-lock type plastic bag with a bag of desiccant?

This. And maybe putting the sealed zip-lock with film and desiccant in a refrigerator. But if you do, be sure to take it out and let it acclimate before you open the zip-lock. If you don't, you'll be right back where you started.

[John Layton]

Is this a 25 sheet box? Do you have a dozen (or 13) holders? If so...and if you cannot control the environment in which the film is stored - you might want to consider, in the future, loading all the film at once.

[Jerry Bodine]

Is this a 25 sheet box? Do you have a dozen (or 13) holders? If so...and if you cannot control the environment in which the film is stored - you might want to consider, in the future, loading all the film at once.

Took the words right out of my mouth, John. That's what I've been doing ever since I first started LF.

[fotopfw]

That's indeed the best solution: never put a partly used film pack back. Load all film in one go in the holders. Is also a good way to keep track of what film is where. I label each film holder accordingly.

[Chris Chow]

I recently bought a box of TMax film of 50 sheets and had some unexposed film stuck together when I first opened the box after purchase. Not quite fond of how kodak packed 2 enveloped packs of 25 sheets in the 50 sheet box and possible moisture upon transport affected the film when the vendor received it. Either vendor sent me a bad box at the time I purchased it, and probably next time will purchase the 10 sheet box in the future. I usually would expose 2 sheets just to be on the safe side in a case such as this.