Longterm Negative Storage - PrintFile or Glassine?

[r_a_feldman]

If you are going to use glassine sleeves, be 100% certain they will not be subjected to high humidity. The emulsion loves absorb into the fibers when wet...
It's not good for plastic or polyester either, but at least they aren't hygroscopic.

I have had glassine sleeves stick to the negatives, but that was after a basement flood that wetted the bottom of the box they were in. Negatives in plastic sleeves were OK.

 

[markjwyatt]

I had some plastic film sheets (multi-strip) form the 70s go bad. Glassines from the same time were fine. I am trying to stay with glassine.

 

[tokam]

I had some plastic film sheets (multi-strip) form the 70s go bad. Glassines from the same time were fine. I am trying to stay with glassine.

Similarly, I had a whole set of C-41 negs from a trip in 1982 where the negs had ferrotyped themselves to the plastic sleeves resulting in little droplet shaped areas of emulsion damage when the negs were removed for scanning. Took ages to cleanup in Photoshop because there was no way that the negs were in a fit state for traditional printing, colour shifts etc. A lot of mini-lab processors only paid lip service to correct processing of C-41 and probably relied on colour correction at the printing stage.

 

[maybe2day]

EBay sold me a priceless set of class portraits from the 1920s and they had waxed paper between the portraits and all looks brand new. Plastic is bad for the environment, you and me and probably film.

Maybe

 

[Philippe-Georges]

A reason why I don't like the plastic sleeves is that they tend to be static and attract dust.
I once had a flooding problem in my darkroom, a binder with negatives stored in pergamyne sheets was soaked wet and the paper stuck on the film. But as pergamyne is rather thin and of loose structure, it was easy to 'wash' away as the paper easily dissolved in the water. After an Agepon bath and drying, I simply put the filmstrips back in new pergamyne sleeves, no real damage done.

BTW, I get these pergamyne sheets from ADOX (a Photrio Partner BTW).

(I suppose that pergamyne is the same glassine?)

 

[markjwyatt]

...

(I suppose that pergamyne is the same glassine?)

I think pergamyn is the German word for glassine, but I am not sure. It appears to be treated as a synonym for glassine also in English.

 

[GRHazelton]

While I have many negatives from 25 years ago in glassine, I now use polyester PrintFile pages. BTW, a fine crochet hook is handy for removing 35mm negatives from either glassine or polyester, if they seem to be out of "reach."

 

[Sirius Glass]

While I have many negatives from 25 years ago in glassine, I now use polyester PrintFile pages. BTW, a fine crochet hook is handy for removing 35mm negatives from either glassine or polyester, if they seem to be out of "reach."

I never thought of that! Good idea. Now I will have to buy a crochet hook.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

I never thought of that! Good idea. Now I will have to buy a crochet hook.

Ditto!

 

[snusmumriken]

Regarding archival issues, I guess that depends what value you imagine your pictures will have for others after you've gone. I have negatives in glassine sleeves taken by my grandmother in the 1900s, and they are fine, despite the cold and damp houses I have lived in.

I used to have a bad problem with dust on my (35mm) negatives, which gave me a reason to avoid Glassine and prefer Secol AS204S7SE sleeves because the latter completely enclose the negative strips, whereas Glassine sleeves and most other plastic sleeves are open at both ends. FWIW, my full strategy to combat the dust problem was to filter all incoming water for film processing; use Tetenal Mirasol in the final wash water; let the negatives dry somewhere clean, warm and undisturbed (i.e. minimise dust from clothes); and get them into sleeves as soon as properly dry. After that, negatives are out of their sleeves only for the time it takes to make a print. I still do all this - including the Secol sleeves - and my prints need very little re-touching (often none). I now have a dedicated darkroom rather than using the family bathroom, but I'm not planning to relax my anti-dust regime!

 

[Besk]

There is a big difference in different plastics. I use only Mylar or polyester. They are basically inert.

 

[tokam]

I never thought of that! Good idea. Now I will have to buy a crochet hook.

Bloody good idea. I usually poke a blunt object in from the other end and push the negs out. Crochet hook is much more elegant.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I use the PrintFile sleeves - they are especially useful if looking through pages of E6 film. I have used glassine sleeves in the past and don't have an issue with them, but suggest a contact sheet for C-41 and B&W negatives might be useful in this case for quick assessment.