Topic: Film!

[leanne]

it’s been so long since I paid any serious attention to film. Lockdown is coming to an end, and the possibility of traveling to wonderful places again has me thinking about film photography and landscapes and sunsets and dawn light and .... well 

I have cameras galore and several freezer drawers full of about 1000 sheets of 4x5 And about 300 rolls of HP5. It’s defrosted a few times (damn those rental accommodation appliances) and hasn’t been very well looked after. Also quite a few 4x5 sheets of the Harman DPP paper that I could never quite manage to tame in natural light.

So a few questions:

1. Any considerations that need to be given on the film stock regarding exposure to compensate for age? Some is over a decade out of date.

2. What suppliers and sellers of Chemicals are left, and best ones to use? I guess Rodinal must be still available? Maybe ID11? (How did I even remember those names!). Is Silverprint still a thing? I should google I guess. Any recommendations for a good UK online shop?

3. Will a 10-year-old large container of Ilford stop still be good? It hasn’t been opened for a long long time.

I’m determined to shoot this film somehow and way. No point letting it slowly decline.

Also, I have a (the first ever) Harman Titan 8x10 for sale if anyone is interested!

Attached is a film image from world pinhole day in about 2010 I think? And on a Titan 5x4.  A long time ago 
 

[Indofunk]

Welcome back Leanne! 😁

I'm going to give you my answers to these questions, but I can't guarantee that they're correct 😂 only that I've done them before 😉

1. I hardly ever compensate for age unless I've shot a roll from the batch at box speed and it shows me that it needs to be overexposed 😉 I've shot film from the 80s at box speed and it's come out fine, and I've had to shoot poorly stored film from the mid 2000s at +2 or more to compensate. If much of your film was stored under the same conditions, shoot a roll, maybe bracket it, and go with what works best.

What I DON'T know, and am now very curious about, is how multiple freeze/thaw cycles affect film. I know from my days in chemistry and biology that there aren't many things that like to be frozen and thawed multiple times, thanks to water's very odd property of being least dense at -4^oC, so I'd be interested in other people's experiences with multiply frozen/thawed film.

2. My personal preference is HC110. It's dirt cheap and lasts forever (well, nearly forever). But with Kodak in some questionable straights, Rodinal might be best. I get most of my chemicals from Freestyle Photo in California.

3. If Ilford stop is just acetic acid like other stop solutions, it will be perfectly fine until the next ice age. You can literally use vinegar 😁 Stop solution's only purpose is to acidify the pH of your dev solution to stop the developer from working.

Now let's let some more qualified people answer your questions! 😁

[Bryan]

If the rolls were sealed in the original air tight packaging it’s probably fine at box speed.  One problem with repeated thaw and freeze is condensation getting on the film, that will ruin it.  I would worry more about the 4X5 film since that packaging isn’t air tight.  If the sheets feel like they are stuck together at all that may be an indication that they got wet.  I always seal my film in ziplock bags when I store it cold. 

[leanne]

Thanks both. I should have said, the sheet film packs are all double bagged in freezer bags, so fingers crossed that condensation didn’t happen. I do hope so 😮

Also, I meant Fixer, not stop! Now that shows how long it has been.

[Jeff Warden]

I bet the double bagging saved you, Leanne. I'm happy to see that stock is going to get used!

As for chemistry the only news I can think of are limited problems with Kodak chemistry since they changed ownership and I think suppliers as well, resulting in some teething problems. The problems relate to the chemistry and/or its redesigned packaging. I'm awaiting replacement chemistry from Sino Promise (the new owner) due to inactive Xtol. I assume all chemistry they're selling today is fine, but if you choose Kodak I'd recommend testing it first just to be sure.

[Indofunk]

I had a batch of Ilford rapid fix that I had opened and partially used. When I went back maybe 6 months later to mix more working solution, the stock reeked of rotten eggs and was either gelatinous (PEG-like) or had a milky white precipitate, or both. The guy at Adorama said that's not a problem, but I dumped it and bought a new bottle anyways. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[Francois]

Hey Leanne!
Good to see you back!

I use exclusively film that is in the freezer. Multiple freeze and thaw cycles shouldn't be a big problem. Condensation tends to be an issue when the bags are opened when the film is cold. If you let it thaw overnight before opening the plastic bag, there shouldn't be any problem.
I think the biggest issue with condensation would be that the sheets would stick together. But as I said, if they're in a sealed bag there shouldn't be any problem. Film already has a low moisture content anyways.

I use stop bath that I bought in 1992. So no problem there.

Yes, rodinal is still sold. I got a bottle just last year. Pretty much everything that was made by Ilford is also still available. So no problem there either.

[LEAFotography]

I'm in the UK too, and buy from Firstcall Photographic Ltd, The Imaging Warehouse, and Ag Photographic - a good range of developers and fixers are available there.

[Adam Doe]

Fixer is easy to test. Snip a bit of lead from a roll, drop it in a bit of fixer and see if it clears in a few minutes. You can do this in daylight. And now you have me eyeing my shamefully ignored cameras and film 

[Francois]

I forgot to add about condensation that it only happens on the warm side of things. Warm air can contain more moisture than cold air. So when a cold surface gets in contact with the warm air, you get condensation. That's why in the northern climates house builders put the vapor barrier on the outside of the frame while in the south they usually put it on the inside because they know that the air conditioning will be running full blast (but it all depends on the local building code).

The air that is sealed inside the bags has the same relative humidity as when the film was put in it, so unless it was really damp when it was sealed there is virtually no risk involved.

And besides, most emulsions nowadays are hardened.

As for exposure, B&W is much less sensitive to old age than color. There could be a bit more fog but it won't show in the final print unless it's really bad.

[leanne]

Thanks all. Great advice.

[Kai-san]

Hi Leanne,

I think you got all the advice you need, I just wanted to say I love your pinhole shot; very nice work! 

[Ed Wenn]

I just wanted to say that the time machine that I've been building for the last 30 years must finally be working!!    Leanne's talking about bursting back onto the analogue film scene? I must have travelled back to 2008 

[leanne]

I can see you now Ed .....