Opening a box of 8X10 sheet film

[jmccl@yahoo.com]

I've got several exposed sheets that I am practicing with learning to load the film into the holder. Next comes opening my box of Kodak Portra -- in the dark -- no previous experience. What should I expect to feel around for once I lift the lid off the box?

Thanks

Jim McClain

 

[Vaughn]

You will find three nesting boxes with a sealed light-tight envelope with the film inside. Take the envelope and tear off an end. The film will be inside between two pieces of cardboard.

I nest all the boxes together, take the film out of the bag, keeping the cardboard on each side, and place the film in the filmbox 90 degrees from usual, with the notches where I know they are. I lift the top cardboard, slip out a sheet of film and load it.

Keep track of where everything is, so it is easier to put everything back together in the dark! Check out a couple of YouTube videos to see what it looks like.

 

[Hal Incandenza]

You will find three nesting boxes with a sealed light-tight envelope with the film inside. Take the envelope and tear off an end. The film will be inside between two pieces of cardboard.

I nest all the boxes together, take the film out of the bag, keeping the cardboard on each side, and place the film in the filmbox 90 degrees from usual, with the notches where I know they are. I lift the top cardboard, slip out a sheet of film and load it.

Keep track of where everything is, so it is easier to put everything back together in the dark! Check out a couple of YouTube videos to see what it looks like.

Everything Vaughn says, and just to expand...be sure not to try to place the remaining film back into the internal envelope in which it came. If you do, when you try to put the film back, the boxes and envelope sometimes do not nestle tightly. I usually put the box with the remaining film in its own light tight bag.

 

[Vaughn]

Everything Vaughn says, and just to expand...be sure not to try to place the remaining film back into the internal envelope in which it came. If you do, when you try to put the film back, the boxes and envelope sometimes do not nestle tightly. I usually put the box with the remaining film in its own light tight bag.

I always put the film back in the light-tight bag (except for the one end). Just fold one long side of the bag a little to tighten it up and sit it safe in the smallest box, and you are good to go. I prefer the little extra protection against dust and rattling inside the box.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I wash my hands with dishwasher liquid then dry them thoroughly. My thinking this removes fingerprint oil from getting on the emulsions (chrome and BW negatives), I've tried using cotton and Nitrile rubber gloves. But I can't feel the film well enough.

 

[Vaughn]

I wash my hands with dishwasher liquid then dry them thoroughly. My thinking this removes fingerprint oil from getting on the emulsions (chrome and BW negatives), I've tried using cotton and Nitrile rubber gloves. But I can't feel the film well enough.

I always save a sink of dishes to wash before handling film. But you are right, get the oils off the fingers, which do not produce any oil on their own, and don't touch one's face which produces oil aplenty.
And I do not like gloves either...I'd have to cut a finger off (the glove) to be able to use a fingernail for unloading holders for sure!

 

[MattKing]

I wash my hands with dishwasher liquid then dry them thoroughly. My thinking this removes fingerprint oil from getting on the emulsions (chrome and BW negatives), I've tried using cotton and Nitrile rubber gloves. But I can't feel the film well enough.

I'm sure this is unnecessary, but I think Alan means "water made soapy with dishwasher detergent" rather than just the detergent itself.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I'm sure this is unnecessary, but I think Alan means "water made soapy with dishwasher detergent" rather than just the detergent itself.

Hmmm. Maybe it's my NewYorkese lingua. Do people just wash their hair with shampoo? Seems like they're wasting a lot of it. I would definitely suggest they add water.

 

[mshchem]

Yesterday I loaded 4x5 Portra, I loaded all the sheets. I managed to drop two sheets on the floor when I was trying to separate them. Miraculously they landed together emulsion side up.

The beauty of analog . I had my genuine Kodak 2 inch camel hair brush handy, brushed off the back. Made a note on the holder, "use for test shots"

Everything is fine.

Last time I checked 8x10 Portra is about $25/sheet. NO PRESSURE

 

[MattKing]

Hmmm. Maybe it's my NewYorkese lingua. Do people just wash their hair with shampoo? Seems like they're wasting a lot of it. I would definitely suggest they add water.

I think that a more likely problem would be if someone had never used anything other than an automatic dishwasher, and would therefore never envisioned that soapy liquid you were no doubt describing!

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I think that a more likely problem would be if someone had never used anything other than an automatic dishwasher, and would therefore never envisioned that soapy liquid you were no doubt describing!

For years, I was wondering where my dishwasher was dumping the water as it went through all the cycles. I thought it was into the drain before it left under the sink through the wall. Then once, when it stuffed up with a broken glass in the dishwasher that I had to clean out, I traced the line. I found it dumped the water into the garbage disposal unit and passed through that into the final drain line. Who knew?

 

[MattKing]

garbage disposal unit

Isn't language wonderful. Up here, we call what you are referring to a "garburator". And up here, a "garbage disposal unit" is either a trash compactor or, more likely, a dutiful spouse

 

[Tel]

And (hand) washing a load of dishes is a great way of getting your tap water hot enough for the C-41 bath.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Always be sure that you have only one film sheet in your and a finger on the notches so that you can know which side the emulsion is on. If you photograph with the emulsion side away from the lens, you will not be a happy camper.

 

[grat]

I wash my hands thoroughly, and dry even more, but I use one glove-- That's the hand that moves the film around, and loads it into the film holder, but the ungloved hand I use for checking notch codes, etc.. The only tricky bit is that since I use the gloved thumb to press the stack of septums down into the grafmatic, I occasionally catch the glove in the darkslide.

 

[Vaughn]

I'm sure this is unnecessary, but I think Alan means "water made soapy with dishwasher detergent" rather than just the detergent itself.

Saw a recent meme..."Atheists own more cats than Christians". Which makes perfect sense since it is not legal for anyone to own Christians.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Saw a recent meme..."Atheists own more cats than Christians". Which makes perfect sense since it is not legal for anyone to own Christians.

 

[Donald Qualls]

If you photograph with the emulsion side away from the lens, you will not be a happy camper.

I've done that once, fortunately with expired Tri-X 320. That was how I "invented" Super Soup -- a mish-mash of developers and fifteen minutes of pretty warm continuous agitation, that gets literally everything possible out of an emulsion (gives EI 6400 with that version of Tri-X).

 

[pentaxuser]

I've got several exposed sheets that I am practicing with learning to load the film into the holder. Next comes opening my box of Kodak Portra -- in the dark -- no previous experience. What should I expect to feel around for once I lift the lid off the box?

Thanks

Jim McClain

I hope all goes well. I don't own an 8x10 camera to load but I suspect that I'd feel very depressed when I had seen my bank account after purchase and positively suicidal if I messed up on loading even one sheet. At that point I'd be happy to be owned like the Christians referred to above and offered for a wrestling bout with the lions

pentaxuser

 

[GKC]

The high cost of 8x10 film provides the most excellent reason not to screw up.
It forces one to pay attention to the details.

 

[Alan Gales]

I always save a sink of dishes to wash before handling film. But you are right, get the oils off the fingers, which do not produce any oil on their own, and don't touch one's face which produces oil aplenty.
And I do not like gloves either...I'd have to cut a finger off (the glove) to be able to use a fingernail for unloading holders for sure!

That's the best reason I've heard for washing dishes!

I wash my hands with Dawn first.



For the OP. Be careful there are no spiders in the box of film. You never know. It could happen right?

 

[Sirius Glass]

That's the best reason I've heard for washing dishes!

I wash my hands with Dawn first.



For the OP. Be careful there are no spiders in the box of film. You never know. It could happen right?

Dawn go away I'm too good for you ...

 

[Alan Gales]

Dawn go away I'm too good for you ...

Are you sure? Here is Dawn.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Lights out.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Lights out.

Red or amber light need to be out also.