Question about very old negatives

Lamora · Mar 20, 2014

Hi, I came across some old negatives I didn't even know I had. They were in storage in a very humid state for at least 2 yrs now. Needless to say, they were stuck together.. yeah, I know, I should have put them in sheets, but they weren't. Like I said, I didn't know I had them, thought they were lost a long time ago.

Most came apart quite easily, but looks like they have water spots on them. Some I cannot take apart without ruining them. Is there a way to do save them? Is there a way to get the "water" spots off? And is there a way to get the ones that are really glued together, apart? And if they can be saved, does anyone do film processing anymore? There are a few pictures that, if I can, would really like to have developed.
Some of the photos were ruined in storage too.. yes.. hard lesson learned.. but at the time, we really had no other choice.

But does anyone have any advice for me on the negatives? These are at least 10-15 yrs old, if not older.

Thank you for any advice and suggestions--

Marjie

pete_6109 · Mar 20, 2014

If the negatives do not show any signs of mildew or mold and are just stuck together here is what I would do. I would try soaking them in water and then a rinse in Kodak Photo Flo solution. Then squeegee them through your fingers to remove the extra water and Photo Flo and hang them up to dry. Put close pins or some kind of weight at the bottom of each strip when you hang them up to dry to keep them from curling. Once they are dry you should be good to go.

dxqcanada · Mar 20, 2014

Yup, like pete said ... put them in a pan of water (not hot), and let them separate on their own.
You can also soak the others.
Are they colour or B&W ?

vintagesnaps · Mar 20, 2014

Never tried it with negatives but with an occasional darkroom or lumen print I've re-fixed, re-rinsed, re-squeegeed (but you probably would not squeegee negatives but hang them up as mentioned). I'm wondering with negatives if it makes a difference if the damage is on the emulsion side or not (or both). I wouldn't try to pull or rub or scrape I don't think.

If you have particular negatives you want to preserve you could consider professional restoration Film Rescue International | Revealers Of Lost And Found Treasures . Also I saw info. from MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC after the flooding on the east coast about restoration of photos and art from water damage; not sure if I saved it or if you can find anything on their site.