Help, How do you find the emulsion side of sheet film without a notch code?

[Ed Bray]

I bought a box of slightly expired Rollei Infra-Red film (new stock not available) and loaded up some film holders. I have since used some of the film and when I went to load the empty holders with some more Rollei IR I could not find a notch code.

I know the film I had previously loaded had a notch code (small semi circle) but I have felt all over the edges of the film and there was no notch code to be found. I then decided to waste a sheet of the film to see why I was unable to find a notch, and when I looked at the sheet there was no notch on it.

I processed 4 sheets of the film this evening and noticed that whilst there was a nice semi-circular notch on 2 of the sheets (from the same film holder I quess) the other two sheets had barely a mark on them. I can only presume that the film slipped out of registration from the notching machine.

I loaded up 6 film holders with film the first time and have also wasted a sheet, so I have 12 sheets remaining that I just cannot work out how to find out which is the emulsion side.

Suggestions please?

[Jim Noel]

It may cost you a sheet of film, but a damp finger will stick to the emulsion side.
Since film is normally packed with all of it facing the same direction, you only have to touch one sheet.
Another method is curl. Film normally curves very slightly and the concave side is the emulsion.

[Jim Jones]

Slightly dampen your lips and touch a corner of the film between them. As Jim Noel says, the emulsion side will tend to stick to one lip. This doesn't stop you from using that sheet.

[dmschnute]

I often wonder how users of glass plates found the emulsion side. The damp tongue/lip/finger ploy would seemingly do it. Many, of not most were probably ortho, and under a safelight it would be obvious. Then, of course, there is something to be said for paying attention to how you open the package.

[Bob Salomon]

Film and paper curl towards the emulsion if you don't want to use moisture.

[mdm]

I had the same problem yesterday with Efke IR. I found that it was sticky on both sides when wet with my tounge, but with nitrile gloves the base side felt very squeaky and the emulsion side offered much less resistance to a gloved finger. After a few sheets the film seemed to be notched again, so you could draw one from the middle of the stack and see if its notched. The film had a cardboard sheet on either side and the sheet on the emulsion side of the stack was notched. I was cutting 8x10 down to 5x7 so could work it out from waste film rather than wasting a full sheet. There was a blue anti halation layer on the base side and grey green emulsion on the other. In fixer the blue stuff disolved away quickly and after some time the grey green emulsion cleared.

[Andrew O'Neill]

That happened to me with the same film. As I got deeper into the stack, the notch codes gradually disappeared. Pretty pathetic if you ask me, considering I spent $90CDN for a box!

[Ed Bray]

Thanks for the reply folks, I'll try the suggestions.

[mdm]

Yes, its annoying until you work it out. I have never used IR film before so its something new for me to try. Any way 100 sheets of 5x7 for USD75 (even with some cutting) dosent seem like a bad deal to me.

[pasiasty]

Perhaps not your case, but there exit sheet films with emulsion on both sides, without notch code, e.g. X-ray medical films. A friend of mine uses them for special purposes, they are at most orthochromatic or even blue-only sensitive (except X-rays of course).