Does anyone have a good system for handling/storing 8x20 negatives? I glanced at the Light Impressions catalog and could not come up with anything suitable. Does PrintFile or another company make negative sleeves for 8x20?
Thanks
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Dave...
Contact Darkroom Innovations - now called the View Camera Store in Arizona.
http://www.darkroom-innovations.com/
From what I understand these are a special order item and they buy the min quantities so that we can buy more reasonable quantitites.
Hey Steve, yeah that's sort of a special order size I think, short of getting a fold-lock 16x20 sleeve, and cutting this in half (which would be pretty wasteful). I can think of a couple things to try though. You could approach it like you'd store a glass plate, which would be to make a four-flap paper sleeve. If these are b&w you could use a good buffered paper like LI's Apollo paper, or any other good paper. You could make your own sleeves by either buying a roll of Mylar D, or getting it in sheet sizes. You can get polyester tape for making the seams, or use a burnishing tool to try to get the folds crisp. Lastly, email me if you want. I can give a few storage suppliers who custom make polyester (Mylar D) sleeves. At least one will do almost any size, in small quantities, you'd need to check with them but I have an old catalog here that defines small as minimum of 50. Polyester (Mylar D) will cost more than anything else, but it's a great storage material.
Along the lines of DK's thoughts on making sleeves yourself... A few years ago there was a little machine sold under the brand name "Seal-a-Meal". It's a little kitchen device that you plug in and use to seal plastic bags shut. I bought a used one at a garage sale for a few dollars, and it does a great job of heat-sealing baggies to keep out dust and moisture. A great item for making odd-sized plastic bags.
I got the imprtession that David was looking for ready cut PrintFile type neg sleeve. The View Camera Store carries it.
Naturally there are other solutions.
I don't believe the price for the sleeves is prohibitive. If I remember correctly they are sold in 100 sleeve increments.
Steve
Well it's worth calling one of these places anyways, chances are if it's a polyester sleeve that The View Camera stores sells, that it comes from one of the archival supply places. There are probably a good half dozen that make their own sleeves, but here are the two that I had mind. First is the Hollinger Corp. (1-800-634-0491). Second is Conservation Resources International (1-800-634-6932). I ran some numbers using an old CRI catalog, and I don't really think it would cost that much to get them done. If it were me, I'd just buy a sheet of Mylar D, and fold it in half using a burnishing tool. Of course, this wouldn't be as crisp as a manufactured seam, but it would work. Interleaving sleeves are made like this. The four flap envelope is nice because it's gives support. You don't have to use plastic either, a good quality paper (like I described) envelope is okay too, that's a big neg., it's not like you're going to be sliding in & out of a sleeve. Watch out for adhesives & seams in paper, turn the emulsion away from any seams. It's worth getting a CRI catalog anyways, there are alot of good products in it.
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