Using glass to flatten negatives for scanning?

[Mark]

I have owned an Epson 4870 for about a week now, and I am
delighted with the scans I am obtaining from it. However, the
adapters cannot handle some old 35mm b&w film that has
curled and rolled over the years. It seems that I will need to
press these negatives between glass sheets in order to scan
them properly.

Can anyone here recommend an approach for this? I assume
that I will want to cut the glass to the width of the film so that
I can mask around the area to be scanned? What type of
glass should I use? Should I expect Newton rings to be a
problem, or will ordinary float glass be adequate? If I should
use some sort or special glass, what should I use? Actual
"anti-Newton glass" seems hard to find except as part of
an (expensive) enlarger accessory. What about non-
reflective framing glass? I have also heard of something
called "AN-coated glass," although I find no references
to it in Google.

Thanks
-Mark

 

[Alan Smithee]

You could try having a frame shop cut some "denglass" which is an anti glare
glass common in that trade, and much cheaper than anti-newton glass. It may
suffice. If not, the financial output is minimal. You want to put a strip on
top of the carrier to push the curl flat. I used a caliper to measure the
inside distances of my 3200 carrier. There is a bottom ridge (on the carrier
24.5mm), middle & top level. You want to cut the strip bigger than the
bottom so it just fits inside the middle "level" that way it will sandwich
your film flat. Make the strip the length to fit your carrier. On mine the
middle measures 26.5 mm wide. But 26mm would also work, that's not much of a
margin of error when your having the glass cut, but should be do-able by
someone competent in the trade. If you cut it to the larger distance for the
top (29.6~30mm) you could glue it onto the insert with a dab of some
silicone or similar. The only drawback is the distance is 1.5 mm above the
film plane, then again, maybe the depth of field of the scanner CCD is long
enough that 1.5 mm of difference doesn't matter. The film holder has always
bugged me too. Another trick is use is to put the negatives in my copy of
"The Riverside Shakespeare" for a couple of days...;^) lo-tech but it works.

 

[-]

The problem with the glass sandwich is that you need AN glass in 1 mm
thickness for the lower layer. This will be extremely hard to find and then
both fragile as well as expensive IF you can find it.

Doug

 

[Mark]

The problem with the glass sandwich is that you need AN glass in 1 mm
thickness for the lower layer. This will be extremely hard to find and
then both fragile as well as expensive IF you can find it.

I do have a very old box of "Kodaslide" glass squares for making
glass-mount slides the old-fashioned way. I tried sandwiching a single
frame between two pieces and taping them together. I got a very nice
scan that way, as this glass is about 1mm thick. However, it would
be rather labor-intensive to scan negatives this way. I would also risk
damaging the film where it contacts the edge of the glass. I really need
pieces big enough to sandwich an entire five-frame strip.

 

[RSD99]

I also have a 4870, and use it to scan negatives and transparencies from
medium format through 5" x7"

My usual configuration is to place the negative or transparency directly on
the scanner's glass bed, *emulsion* *side* *down.* Then cover the
transparency with either a clear 5" x 7" glass plate (made from an old
Kodak Glass Negative, with the emulsion bleached off). If I get any
"Newton's Rings," I exchange the clear glass plate for a 5" x 7" sheet of
"Kodak Anti Newton Ring Glass" ... which is something that was available
from Kodak "many moons ago " However, a quick search of the Kodak
Professional site does not come up with anything.

One possible source for "Anti Newton Ring Glass" is
http://www.fpointinc.com/web_store/Products/focal/fpnewt2.htm

Doug Fisher may be able to furnish "ANR Glass" ... see his web site at
http://home.earthlink.net/~dougfisher/holder/insert.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~dougfisher/holder/usinginsert.html

Focalpoint / Lighthouse may also be able to supply
http://www.fpointinc.com/lighthouse.htm
http://www.fpointinc.com/

Focal Point Industries, Inc.
2867 Stonewall Pl#101
Sanford FL 32773
Ph. 407 322 2123 fax 407 322 2186

One posting in another forum recommended trying RK Photographic, but they
are apparently in the United Kingdom
http://www.thedarkroom.co.uk/

Or look through the used equipment bins at a larger photographic equipment
store for a used negative holder for one of the better high end large
format enlargers ... such as a Saunders ... that just may have a piece of
"Anti Newton Ring Glass."

 

[Mark]

Doug Fisher may be able to furnish "ANR Glass" ... see his web site at
http://home.earthlink.net/~dougfisher/holder/insert.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~dougfisher/holder/usinginsert.html

So would Doug's "MF Film Holder," with the ANR insert,
be a reasonable solution for my 35mm scanning project?

Thanks
-Mark

 

[RSD99]

I don't know ... but probably yes.

So would Doug's "MF Film Holder," with the ANR insert,
be a reasonable solution for my 35mm scanning project?

Thanks
-Mark

 

[MPA]

I have owned an Epson 4870 for about a week now, and I am
delighted with the scans I am obtaining from it. However, the
adapters cannot handle some old 35mm b&w film that has
curled and rolled over the years. It seems that I will need to
press these negatives between glass sheets in order to scan
them properly.

Can anyone here recommend an approach for this? I assume
that I will want to cut the glass to the width of the film so that
I can mask around the area to be scanned? What type of
glass should I use? Should I expect Newton rings to be a
problem, or will ordinary float glass be adequate? If I should
use some sort or special glass, what should I use? Actual
"anti-Newton glass" seems hard to find except as part of
an (expensive) enlarger accessory. What about non-
reflective framing glass? I have also heard of something
called "AN-coated glass," although I find no references
to it in Google.

Thanks
-Mark

ask dough fisher of mf-filmholder.