Re: [photo-3d] Archival Storage

["John A. Rupkalvis" <stereoscope@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A caution regarding older storage materials.  Certain chemicals can be quite
harmless to black & white film, but devastating to color.

Even black & white can suffer if not properly stored.

When I worked on the restoration of "Spartacus", the seps in some cases had
warped and shrunken (differentially), such that I had to on occasions use
different magnifications for each of the three colors so that they would
register.

JR

----- Original Message -----
From: "Herbert C Maxey" <bmaxey1@xxxxxxxx>
To: <photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: [photo-3d] Archival Storage


> >>One of the problems with "plastic" is that several very different
> >>materials are all generically called "plastic".  I seem to recall that
> >>it was the older storage sleeves that were a problem.  The
> >>polyethylene sleeves I am using are (currently) considered safe for
> >>long term storage.  Polypropylene is also considered safe.  PVCs are
> >>not safe.
>
> Also, rubber bands. storage near many types of chemicals, certain
> adhesives, humidity and drastic humidity changes, all can cause problems.
> Improper processing causes problems as well. You can never be sure what
> shortcuts have been taken by the processor to save money, and
> unfortunately, problems show up decades later. That's why I never use
> those one-hour labs. I do not trust them.
>
> Personally, I use Mylar for storage. To be absolutely safe, you need to
> encapsulate for long term storage. Glassine works well as does brown
> Kraft envelopes I use for sheet film. Brown Craft has been proven to my
> satisfaction to be a reliable storage method, judging from negatives I
> have worked with and stored since 1890 or so.
>
> You also need to be sure of your vendor who proclaims their Archival
> Storage products are actually archival. One bothersome observation I have
> made is when storing slides that have not been bound in glass.
> Occasionally the film will buckle slightly and make contact with the
> plastic material. Often a bond forms. This can be an issue as well.
>
> It all depends on how far you want to take it. The proper tools and
> materials for properly storing materials according to archival standards
> can be expensive. To be absolutely safe and sure, Black and White
> separation negatives should be made or rather could be made. Overkill I
> agree.
>
> What you need to be concerned with are original negatives and slides, not
> prints. I guarantee the technology will change over the coming years that
> will allow better quality prints. Therefore, there is no real need to
> worry about prints you make or how they are stored, just as long as you
> use a little common sense now.
>
> Bob
>
>
>
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