How to freeze open 120 film

[athbr]

Had an unfortunate incident at the airport where the agent asked me to open up my 120 film packages to get a hand check.

I wanted to freeze them but seeing they don't have that protection anymore not sure what to do about moisture.

Would a ziplock bag be enough? Or vacuum pack?

Thanks.

 

[mshchem]

Pull a vacuum on a storage bag. How many rolls?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Use ZipLock bags and force out as much air as you can.

 

[BradS]

I would not put it in the freezer. There’s not really much benefit of freezing it and there are non trivial risk of damage.

 

[athbr]

Pull a vacuum on a storage bag. How many rolls?

About 20. I'm happy to use multiple bags. Just wanted to be sure bagging it would work.

 

[Huub]

It depends a bit on how much you shoot of course and also on the kind of film and when you intend to use them, but i would not take any risk on moisture damage. Most film can be stored at room temperature perfectly well, even well beyond their experation date when being medium to low iso. I would just put them in a dry, cool and dark place and take it from there.

 

[138S]

Had an unfortunate incident at the airport where the agent asked me to open up my 120 film packages to get a hand check.

I wanted to freeze them but seeing they don't have that protection anymore not sure what to do about moisture.

Would a ziplock bag be enough? Or vacuum pack?

Thanks.

Ziplock, throw inside some silicagel (https://www.ebay.es/itm/50-1g-Packe...141175?hash=item5d4a8445f7:g:BuYAAOSwohVcNG3z)

It has been reported that openned slide film degradates faster even if frozen, this was reported by well skilled users. Probably making some sort of vacuum and filing with butane (Protectan spray) or canned air duster may help.

 

[monst]

Sometime we can really overthink these things. Just a sealable bag should be ok.

 

[138S]

Sometime we can really overthink these things. Just a sealable bag should be ok.

Well, it depends on how long the storage will be.

Recently QTLuong, LFPF owner and Treasured Lands author, reported that slide sheets from frozen but unsealed packages experimented a remarkable shift after one or two years, while sealed film stayed ok. The changes in the unsealed film still could be well corrected digitally in post, but change was evident.


At this point I ignore if the effect is because of oxygen or moisture or the loss of some special preserving gas, but anyway I keep my unsealed velvia sheets frozen, zip locked twice, with silicagel and with Protectan. One remembers pain from a damaged 810 slide for decades

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Did you request a hand check? I couldn't be bothered. Just run it through the machine. It won't hurt it...unless you're carrying around high speed film, of course. Then hand inspection is the way to go.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

If you freeze it in a ziplock, don;t open the bag until the film's come back to room temperature, a few hours to be sure. Otherwise, moisture could condense on the film.

 

[MattKing]

I wouldn't.
I would keep it in dry and cool conditions, if possible, and use it earlier than any other film in my freezer.

 

[Luckless]

Did you request a hand check? I couldn't be bothered. Just run it through the machine. It won't hurt it...unless you're carrying around high speed film, of course. Then hand inspection is the way to go.

Probably worth raising the issue of the newer airport scanners. This mindset is apparently rendered outdated in the face of advancing security measures bringing in new equipment.

Low speed film is very much not safe in the face of some new models of scanners.

 

[138S]

I wouldn't.
I would keep it in dry and cool conditions, if possible, and use it earlier than any other film in my freezer.

+1

 

[railwayman3]

I wouldn't.
I would keep it in dry and cool conditions, if possible, and use it earlier than any other film in my freezer.

I'd agree with MattKing. I wouldn't freeze any film other than in the manufacturer's factory-sealed packing, and fresh film is really very durable in reasonably dry and cool domestic conditions, often well beyond the expiry date,

 

[BrianShaw]

+1

Ditto

 

[Sirius Glass]

+2
Ditto

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Probably worth raising the issue of the newer airport scanners. This mindset is apparently rendered outdated in the face of advancing security measures bringing in new equipment.

Low speed film is very much not safe in the face of some new models of scanners.

Are these scanners in Canada? I've never had issues with scanning, going to Japan and back.

 

[pentaxuser]

Are these scanners in Canada? I've never had issues with scanning, going to Japan and back.

I can't speak of the current status of airport scanners, Andrew, but a recent thread on such does seem to indicate that the latest scanners will ruin all films and it would appear to be only a matter of time when all airports will have installed them. Currently it would appear that the film companies are aware of the problem but I have yet to see any signs that the companies are doing others than warn users of the dangers. Hand inspection may be the cheapest and simplest solution but other than the U.S. and maybe Canada the current custom of security staff is to refuse to do such inspections

It might be a good test for the revival of film to see how much weight this revival has with say Europe's attitude towards the need for granting hand inspections which is largely refused. The next attempt to carry out a terrorist attack no matter how amateur or isolated it may be, is liable to make a "better safe than sorry" attitude to scanners more entrenched.

I have no idea how big a revival of film needs to be to change this mindset that film users are a relic from a past era but I fear it has to be much bigger than is currently the case.

pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I can't speak of the current status of airport scanners, Andrew, but a recent thread on such does seem to indicate that the latest scanners will ruin all films and it would appear to be only a matter of time when all airports will have installed them. Currently it would appear that the film companies are aware of the problem but I have yet to see any signs that the companies are doing others than warn users of the dangers. Hand inspection may be the cheapest and simplest solution but other than the U.S. and maybe Canada the current custom of security staff is to refuse to do such inspections

It might be a good test for the revival of film to see how much weight this revival has with say Europe's attitude towards the need for granting hand inspections which is largely refused. The next attempt to carry out a terrorist attack no matter how amateur or isolated it may be, is liable to make a "better safe than sorry" attitude to scanners more entrenched.

I have no idea how big a revival of film needs to be to change this mindset that film users are a relic from a past era but I fear it has to be much bigger than is currently the case.

pentaxuser

I emailed the authorities here about the scanners and if agents are willing to hand inspect film. Hopefully I'll get a reply. Cheers!

 

[MattKing]

I would be equally concerned about scanners at the Japan end.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I would be equally concerned about scanners at the Japan end.

They've always handed inspected without issue.

 

[138S]

I can't speak of the current status of airport scanners, Andrew, but a recent thread on such does seem to indicate that the latest scanners will ruin all films and it would appear to be only a matter of time when all airports will have installed them. Currently it would appear that the film companies are aware of the problem but I have yet to see any signs that the companies are doing others than warn users of the dangers. Hand inspection may be the cheapest and simplest solution but other than the U.S. and maybe Canada the current custom of security staff is to refuse to do such inspections

It might be a good test for the revival of film to see how much weight this revival has with say Europe's attitude towards the need for granting hand inspections which is largely refused. The next attempt to carry out a terrorist attack no matter how amateur or isolated it may be, is liable to make a "better safe than sorry" attitude to scanners more entrenched.

I have no idea how big a revival of film needs to be to change this mindset that film users are a relic from a past era but I fear it has to be much bigger than is currently the case.

pentaxuser

Presently security officers may be reluctant to hand inspection because it is known that modern low dose scanners are safe for film, as a regular transmission rx scan has less dose than one day of natural radiation.

As new high dose CT scanners are deployed they will have to allow hand inspection.

CT has been used since long ago for checked luggage, but not for all bags, only randomly or for those the operator selected because regular transmission could not clarify content.

A CT, IIRC, may throw x100s order higher dose.

Salgado had the TXP of an entire expedition toasted, hundreds of 120 rolls, this was a major factor to finish Genesis with dslrs post 2006.

The think is not that new!

 

[Agulliver]

I wouldn't freeze 120 film that was not in it's factory foil seal. The risk of condensation between the backing paper and the film is just too great.

I'd be mindful of the expiry date and in the case of colour film try to shoot within 12 months of the expiry date....2-3 years for B&W film.

One generally only needs to freeze film if it's not going to be shot until it's years beyond it's date.

 

[BradS]

There really is no need to freeze film at all.