old film holders - loaded?

winger · Jul 17, 2007

I have my great grandfather's old Graflex. And some film holders. 2 of the holders have notes outside the box (under string) saying they're loaded. One in 1951 and the other in 1952. I don't believe they were shot. Is there any point in trying to use them? Until I "inherited" these items, they may have been kept in an attic or a closet along an outside wall of a really old house in upstate NY (near Albany).
Also, any chance these film holders would fit a Cambo 4x5 (that I should have soon)?

TheFlyingCamera · Jul 17, 2007

The holders should fit - you'll have to try them out on the Cambo to see when it arrives. If the film has been sitting in those holders, unexposed, for that long, stored under those conditions, it is dubious it would work at this age. I'd be more inclined to toss the film in some developer and see if they HAD been exposed- you might be able to retrieve an image from them that could be very interesting, if they were loaded in 1951-52. Look elsewhere here on APUG for info on processing OLD film.

David A. Goldfarb · Jul 17, 2007

I agree. Film that old that's in the holders is going to be very foggy, so not really worth shooting, but on the off chance that they might be exposed, it would be interesting to develop them.

Normally, if there is film in the holders and the handles on the darkslides are white (silver) side out, then they should be unexposed. If they are black side out, they are probably exposed.

winger · Jul 17, 2007

They're all silver side out. Knowing my GGF, he would have noted something on them if he exposed them and hadn't developed them for some reason. I wonder why he loaded holders a year apart without exposing them. He was in his 70's or 80's by then, though (he lived to 103, in the 1970's).

removed account4 · Jul 17, 2007

hi bethe

if the camera was a graflex slr ( the edges of the film holders will be slotted )
they will not fit your cambo. the graflex film holders are a bit bigger than "regular" film holders ...
if the camera was something like a speed / crown graphic, they would easily fit your cambo.

have fun

john

Whiteymorange · Jul 18, 2007

Bethe,
Why aren't you using the old Graflex while waiting for the Cambo? Is it really dead or just old and musty? As for the old film, I agree that you should process a least one sheet and see what you have. The recipe I've used with some success is HC110 B for about 7 minutes. One sheet at a time is easy in a stainless or plastic tank that you'd use for two 120 rolls.

Hope you're enjoying PA by the way. MA misses you. With the state lab moving in just down the road we could have become neighbors!

winger · Jul 18, 2007

I was told the curtain was bad in the Graflex awhile ago - I never checked further. Am I right that the curtain is the only shutter on this one? The thing is far from portable anyway, though not really very musty. The leather case is slowly disintegrating, but the camera (even the bellows) seems ok besides the curtain. I'll see if I have a photo of the whole thing.

Mark_S · Jul 18, 2007

winger said:
I was told the curtain was bad in the Graflex awhile ago - I never checked further. Am I right that the curtain is the only shutter on this one? The thing is far from portable anyway, though not really very musty. The leather case is slowly disintegrating, but the camera (even the bellows) seems ok besides the curtain. I'll see if I have a photo of the whole thing.

Many of them have a shutter in the lens as well as the rear curtain shutter - if the lens is in a shutter, then you are good to go.

FWIW, since the film in the holders is not going to be good at this point, I would develop it on the off chance that they were exposed. Costs next to nothing, will probably yield the same, but if there are images that GGF exposed on there - WOW! Like buying a lotter ticket.

winger · Jul 18, 2007

Sorry, I'm pretty sure the lens isn't in a shutter. I believe it's a barrel lens - a Wollensak, if memory serves. Guess I should go dig it out (I actually know where it is - amazing at the moment).
It's only 4 sheets of film, so maybe I will have them developed anyway - you never know.

old film holders - loaded?

winger

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