Archiving and keeping film safe

Hello All,

I'm looking for a long-term solution for safely archiving my black and white film... Up to now I'm storing it in paper sleeves from Panodia, and keeping them in binders in the horizontal position in a dark and dry place, but I don't have a clue if this is all I should do in order to make sure that I still have my negatives in printable conditions in ten to twenty years.

So, the question is: what are the basics for making sure our film doesn't deteriorate over time?

Thanks all,

-Rui

My 30 year old negatives, stored in Panodia sleeves in ring binders in my darkroom, are still as good as they ever were.

Google. The secrets are archival storage, temperature, humidity and light control.

First of all, make sure you process your film in an archival manner. Skimp on the washing and no amount of acid free boxes and neutral sleeves will help.

Second, don't forget, film likes to breathe; do NOT seal the film in a container or you will doom it to deterioration. Take it out occasionally, at least once a year during a relatively dry day and put a fan on the open container to stir the air. Trapped gas escaping from the film is the real culpret behind film deterioration...

Third, keep it cool and dry. Moisture and heat are primary triggers for vinegar syndrome in acetate film and it can't do polyester/estar any good either, because it encourages mold and fungus growth. Emulsion is a FINE medium to grow biological specimens...

Fourth, if you have film going vinegar or deteriorating, segregate it from your other film or it will spread.

Fifth, the really nice thing about film is that the top of your closet is a very good, stable environment to store your negatives and prints.

Most of us don't have a climate controlled vault in which to store our prints and negatives, but the closet comes closest and the price is right.

Here is an very short article I wrote for an AMIA conference on "Assessing the Health of Your Film Archive" that should have some applicable information for still photographers...

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/wylie/assessment/

The links in the online paper are obsolete, so go here for the Image Permanence Institute; http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/

Kino said:

Second, don't forget, film likes to breathe; do NOT seal the film in a container or you will doom it to deterioration. Take it out occasionally, at least once a year during a relatively dry day and put a fan on the open container to stir the air. Trapped gas escaping from the film is the real culpret behind film deterioration...

Click to expand...

I've been using ClearFile Archival Plus sheets for storing my negatives lately. Do these provide adequate gas exchange, or should I be removing the film strips from the sheets every year or so? If the latter, it seems that the risk of scratches would be unacceptable, so if some other storage product would be better, please advise....

srs5694 said:

I've been using ClearFile Archival Plus sheets for storing my negatives lately. Do these provide adequate gas exchange, or should I be removing the film strips from the sheets every year or so? If the latter, it seems that the risk of scratches would be unacceptable, so if some other storage product would be better, please advise....

Click to expand...

Unless these sheets are sealed up air-tight, I think you are probably OK.

Here is an FAQ put out by Gaylord Brothers Archival Supplies that addresses this issue; http://www.gaylord.com/archival_faqs.htm#FAQ8 and I tend to agree.

Personally, I think paper works better for long term, no access storage, but if you are working with the negatives on a regular basis, go with the plastic.