Film curl

[Jim]

I've several 35mm films processed over 2yrs ago and stored uncut in their
containers.

I need to cut them into 6-frame lengths for insertion into a carrier for
scanning, but storage has caused the material to curl like crazy !

How can I get rid of the curl so that I end up with manageable flat lengths
?

Comments pse, and thanks.
Jim

++ Replies to NG pse ++

 

[-]

Buy some 35mm negative sleeves at a decent photo store. Insert the
negatives and they should be a bit more flat. Now place the sleeves under a
bunch of heavy books and come back in a week to check for progress. If you
can place them under the books so that they are fully covered by the books
(blocking light) then try to place this stack next to a window that get
splenty of sunlight shining on it during the day to mildly heat things up.
The daily heating an cooling cycle will help in relaxing the curl.

Doug

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

I've several 35mm films processed over 2yrs ago and stored uncut in their
containers.

I need to cut them into 6-frame lengths for insertion into a carrier for
scanning, but storage has caused the material to curl like crazy !

How can I get rid of the curl so that I end up with manageable flat lengths
?

If you have the films in uncut form already then I guess you processed
them yourself - or had someone do that for you. Curl has fixed in
because the emulsion has fully dried out in a curled form. As the
emulsion ages it loses some water and shrinks, how it shrinks depends on
the stresses already in the film, but being soft it will 'go with the
flow".

The easiest way to overcome this is just to repeat the final bath of the
process, usually stabiliser or a wetting solution, again and let the
film hang to dry. If you don't have the exact chemistry then use a
solution of water and couple of drops of wetting agent. Leave the film
to soak for at least 2 minutes to ensure the emulsion is fully softened,
then hang in a clean atmosphere (ideally heated to 100-150F), wiping off
the excess liquid first.