Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/05/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Greg, If color film has a long expiration date, say three years out, I would leave it at 20C(dark space, no solar input, in original plastic containers) for about a year to season it to where the manufacturer set the aim points. Then freeze it as cold as you can get it till 24-48 hours before you need it. NASA kept film in liquid nitrogen for ten or more years with no significant change in any aspect of the film. B&W should go in the freezer now. If you are a control junkie, then take a representative roll out, in the dark pull out the equivalent of five frames out and process them in a known process. If B&W use a developer that you know will still be around in five years (say D76). If color then use a lab that keeps their processor in good control. Ask to see their control charts. Lines should be flat with no sudden ups or downs, lines ideally will be within 3 points of the zero point but a flat chart at the control line is better than one that goes up and down like a ping pong ball within a ten point range. Now you will freeze the rest of that roll in a moisture proof container and in about five years pull it out and process another five frames just like before. You can borrow a labs densitomiter to see how much the dmin has moved if any. The general organic chemistry rule of half the activity for every ten degrees F drop holds pretty close. It is actually gets better the further below 0 degrees F you get. A very conservative approach would be a two year expiration date and stored at -10 F, you would get at least 14 years out of that film. Places that could get you in trouble would be a location high in gamma radiation so check the radon in your basement. I would check especially close to you mother in law suite. :) :) Don don.dory@gmail.com On 5/25/06, GREG LORENZO <gregj.lorenzo@shaw.ca> wrote: > > Film and other obsolete bits have been arriving by the truckload here > every day this week and now the wife, the postman, the UPS man and the > Purolator guy are on a first name basis waving to each other, etc. > > Now I've got to store a considerable amount of film. Kodak, Ilford and > Fuji can up their film prices 20%, and/or discontinue certain lines and > I'll > be reasonably immune. > > My question for the other film hermits out there is: when to freeze vs > refrigerate? Do you freeze almost everything right away or wait until you > film gets closer to the expiry date before freezing, or some combination. > If > you freeze too much, can you subsequently move film to the fridge with > impunity? > > Regards, > > Greg > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >