Topic: Negative storage

[chris667]

Hello everyone.

Now the future of my beloved Dents looks uncertain, I've been using a mail-order lab, but my batch of film from them have been pretty disappointing. Very thin negatives consistently across all the film I sent them taken with different cameras.

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and start DIY developing. Not my favourite job, I have to say. But if it goes wrong, it's my fault.

Where are people buying negative storage sheets? They seem quite expensive locally, as in more expensive than developing the film! Are there any DIY options?

[EarlJam]

Take a look at glassine envelopes. In the wayback, labs used to deliver negatives in these, one roll per envelope.   They're typically used by stamp collectors, are available in a variety of sizes, and cost between USD $10 and 15 for a box of 100.

Here's a general example for one of the larger sizes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2LLFQP/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1

[Francois]

I always look for sales on printfiles. Strangely I find that a lot of the pages I got come from garage sales and such, especially in the 35mm format.
For 4x5 I use CD sleeves for my less than ideal shots.

[kentish cob]

Take a look at Kenro negative storage pages... Available in 35mm and 120 I usually get the translucent (glassine) type, but they also make "print through" acetate type.
I got my last lot from www.speedgraphic.co.uk
Nik&trick stock what looks like a slightly cheaper (unbranded?) type here...
https://ntphotoworks.com/shop/wp-content/cache/all/shop/product-category/negative-storagearchival/index.html
And they're a small independent, which is always good to support.

[Blaxton]

Take a look at glassine envelopes.

Thanks for the glassine envelopes tip.  I have been buying glassine sleeves from a photo shop.  This sounds like a less expensive alternative.  I started out, in the wayback, using glassine sleeves to store my negatives.  They are still in good shape, after almost forty years.  At some point, I switched to plastic to take advantage of the supposedly longer archival life and ease of use.  I went back to glassine as part of my general reduction of use of plastic—way too much plastic in the world.  I know, it’s probably a meaningless gesture—all photographers are poluters—but there it is.

[Kai-san]

Take a look at glassine envelopes.

Thanks for the glassine envelopes tip.  I have been buying glassine sleeves from a photo shop.  This sounds like a less expensive alternative.  I started out, in the wayback, using glassine sleeves to store my negatives.  They are still in good shape, after almost forty years.  At some point, I switched to plastic to take advantage of the supposedly longer archival life and ease of use.  I went back to glassine as part of my general reduction of use of plastic—way too much plastic in the world.  I know, it’s probably a meaningless gesture—all photographers are poluters—but there it is.

Another advantage of glassine is that it will absorb and disperse any humidity that might occur. I totally agree with you on the need for avoiding plastic if possible. Once I had ordered a pack of glassine pages and by mistake the supplier delivered plastic instead. Before returning it I opened the pack just to see what it was like, and to my surprise it was full of static electricity. Who needs a dust magnet to store negatives in? It was supposed to be very good quality as well.

[EarlJam]

Take a look at glassine envelopes.

Thanks for the glassine envelopes tip.  I have been buying glassine sleeves from a photo shop.  This sounds like a less expensive alternative.  I started out, in the wayback, using glassine sleeves to store my negatives.  They are still in good shape, after almost forty years.  At some point, I switched to plastic to take advantage of the supposedly longer archival life and ease of use.  I went back to glassine as part of my general reduction of use of plastic—way too much plastic in the world.  I know, it’s probably a meaningless gesture—all photographers are poluters—but there it is.

Another advantage of glassine is that it will absorb and disperse any humidity that might occur. I totally agree with you on the need for avoiding plastic if possible. Once I had ordered a pack of glassine pages and by mistake the supplier delivered plastic instead. Before returning it I opened the pack just to see what it was like, and to my surprise it was full of static electricity. Who needs a dust magnet to store negatives in? It was supposed to be very good quality as well.

This has become an interesting thread for me. When I was young and poor and putting my scarce resources into film, I used glassine pages when I could afford them (about 10 cents each, if memory serves), otherwise regular business-size mailing envelopes (probably one or two cents each at the time). I envied photographers who used acetate pages, as they could make proof sheets without having to remove the film. Now that I shoot a roll or maybe two per month, I've been using Printfile sheets for storage; maybe I need to rethink that.

What strikes me today is how much of my current workflow is based upon wet darkroom work that I no longer do. My enlarger, etc., has been in storage for 20 years, waiting for space which I still don't have. If I ever do get the darkroom back up and running, it's more likely that I'd scan the negatives first as the proof stage and save the photo paper for actual prints. Once I use up the current packs of acetate pages I have on hand, I think I'll go back to glassine envelopes.

[Francois]

One thing's for sure, it sure is easier to put the negs in and take them out in glassine sleeves than in plastic.