Problem with 'not so old' negatives

Rusty105 · Apr 2, 2008

Ok, I went to scan some of my negatives from a trip to California back in 2001, but much to my dismay I am finding what looks like little pieces of the emulsion have been scratched off the negative. I scanned them with my Dual Scan IV, and at first it looks like bad dust flakes, but if I take a closer look it almost looks like it flaked off in that spot. I tried cleaning with PEC, but no change! They have been stored in an 'Archival' sleeve. Print file brand non PVC, supposed to be good for archival storage, but what gives here. I know back then I didn't know how bad QC at the 1-hour mini labs could be, and that could be the case here, but I am not sure. Is there a better may to store negatives??

Early · Apr 2, 2008

I don't know what PEC is, but you should be able to wash film in water while wiping it with a clean, soft sponge. To tell the truth, I never had the problem, and I've even, at times, put negs in sleeves before they were completely dry, and then stuck to the emulsion.

PS How were the negs before you put them into the scanner?

Rusty105 · Apr 2, 2008

PEC in an archival grade photo emulsion cleaning solution, use it with lint free PEC pads, supposed to be safe for prints, slides, negatives. The negatives slid right out of the sleeve, so they weren't sticking. It just looks like they had dust on them, so I blew it off, and it was still there, so I used PEC, waited until it dried, and it was still there. I will have to use a loupe tonight and try and see if I can see if it is really dust , or the emulsion was scratched off.

nothing changed on the negatives from before scanning to after scanning

ann · Apr 2, 2008

there is nothing wrong with the way your storing the negatives.

flakes sound like a bad batch of emulsion.
it isn't uncommon for commercial labs to scratch film, but they would be long straight lines, not flakes.

christopher walrath · Apr 2, 2008

I'm with ann on this one. I have negatives from 15 years ago that I took to my local lab. I have negs, not all, but some, that I had one houred at like a W***y World or somewhere that is loosing portions of the negs. Probably overdev'd hegs that dissolved portions of the emulsion, enough to allow some of the metallic silver deposits to escape the negative.

Rusty105 · Apr 3, 2008

Nope, they are not scratches from a dirty roller transport,
definitely flakes. Film is Afga Optima I think, I'll check tonight. I am pretty sure I had them developed at a 1 hour, cause at the time I didn't know better. The prints I still have somewhere. Could this have been due to high heat? These rolls did make a trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in July, that was hot! I'll now have to check the rest from that trip and see what's up.

christopher walrath · Apr 3, 2008

The negs are fragile when this happens so excessive heat and cold are possibilities. I hope the rest are OK.

Early · Apr 4, 2008

Rusty105 said:
Could this have been due to high heat? These rolls did make a trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in July, that was hot! I'll now have to check the rest from that trip and see what's up.

I doubt it. I've kept negs in an unheated/uncooled attic for months at a time with no effect whatsoever to them, luckily, not even fungus. Of course, this was Kodak film developed myself with a thorough wash and using a hardener fix. Who knows what your lab did or used.