New member w/multiple interests. How to scan curly vintage negatives

[caseyphoto]

Greetings from Gold Rush Country, California. Just joined, thanks all. I'm an old but active guy . . . photographer (people, kids, events), collector (leaning to repair/resell) and have a small print shop where I scan & archive photos, movies, etc.

A client brought in over 100 negatives with great images, I think from size 818 film (Kodak No. 3 folding camera, first made in 1904?). Over 40 negatives are scenes of San Francisco earthquake, 1906.

The negs are not brittle, and have been stored flat & tight in paper envelopes - - - but when unpacked, many of them curl - - vigorously. I'm using an Epson V850 flatbed and need to get these guys seriously flat while preserving them with proper handling.

Any suggestions? Thx in advance.

Casey

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to Photrio!

Store the negatives flat with something heavy like a book or books to flatten them.

 

[ic-racer]

I guess I have the opposite problem. Any digital or computer graphic image I find of value, I'll copy to film for preservation.

 

[Romanko]

I think from size 818 film (Kodak No. 3 folding camera, first made in 1904?)

You probably meant type 118, with 3 1/4 X 4 1/4 inch frame size. Did you try a glass holder for 4x5 film? You can get them from Better Scanning and other places.

 

[xkaes]

Those pix don't look like 1904. Help us figure out what film it is.

Much depends on your copying setup. If you are using an enlarger, a glass carrier will work, as mentioned, otherwise any two pieces of glass might fill the bill. With a scanner -- I assume that is what you want to use -- just one piece of glass??? Just make sure the glass is SPOTLESS.

 

[pentaxuser]

caseyphoto, were the pictures you have shown us from these 100 negs? I note that if they were then you have managed to "unkink" these quite successfully and that they all look fairly modern. Just a bit of a puzzle for me

pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I tried flattening negatives from the 1920's, using the heavy book technique, with no luck. I ended up just taping them directly to the platen. I have an Epson V750.

 

[koraks]

Welcome to Photrio @caseyphoto !

With a scanner -- I assume that is what you want to use -- just one piece of glass??? Just make sure the glass is SPOTLESS.

Yes, this works with a flatbed scanner. I do this sometimes when scanning unwieldy film. Place the negatives with the emulsion side down and place a piece of anti-Newton ring glass on top. I tape the edges of the glass so that it doesn't scratch the glass platen of the scanner. The top glass needs to be AN glass because you'll get newton rings otherwise.

Alternatively, you could make a mask/holder much like the one that comes with film scanners that clamps the film all around. This way there's no additional glass in the optical path, which may remove a headache or two (flare/contrast, dust, newton rings) in exchange for a mechanical challenge.