I don't know for sure where the images were taken. They are part of a family archive. The other negatives were in a much better condition. They were found in a Kodak print envelope stamped RIEFFENBERG(?) PHARMACY - KEMPSEY. Some images were indeed taken in Kempsey and have Macleay River Railway Bridge in the background. The photos appear to be taken in the 1950s.Great work, looks like they were taken in Queensland
No problem, this is what this thread is for.
I used standard Photo Flo solution (1 + 200). The negatives were placed in a jar with the solution in an upright position. I let them soak for 2 or 3 days in the fridge. I changed the solution once or twice. The goal is to soften the emulsion enough to separate the sheets but not too much to lose adhesion to the substrate. There is no guarantee that this is always possible, but it worked for me to some extend.
The best advice I can give you is to be patient and handle the negatives very gently. It is very tempting to start separating them before they have soaked enough. This is how I ruined the first frame. Good luck and please share you experience in this thread.
Only tangentially relevant, but you may be interested in Fujifilm's activities after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Japanese-language pages are better, in that they also cover more recent disasters. https://photo-rescue.fujifilm.com/en/This process indicates why the local "Disaster Reclamation Company" get the BIG insurance dollars that they do for just what you did.
They have a team of 3-5 people that "Recover from fire/flood damage" photos and negatives. It's been a few years since I was there. They probably went out business because insurance companies quit paying for such restoration services.
Thank you this is very helpful. I do not know much about Photo Flo, do I use distilled water and how much Photo Flo? It is winter here, does it need to be in the refrigerator if its pretty cool right now? Do you have any tips for how to check if the negatives are releasing? Did you use a tool to gently separate or did you just let them separate on their own? I only have one shot at it, so if you are able to give me any tips I would greatly appreciate it!
do I use distilled water and how much Photo Flo? It is winter here, does it need to be in the refrigerator if its pretty cool right now? Do you have any tips for how to check if the negatives are releasing? Did you use a tool to gently separate or did you just let them separate on their own? I only have one shot at it, so if you are able to give me any tips I would greatly appreciate it!
I suspect my negatives were stored in a high-humidity environment (typical for the region). Its effect would be different from direct water damage.had suffered previous water damage
What are the chances these are nitrate negatives
It's fine I have a lot of others from this set
I know this is asking for speculation , but wondering if using straight distilled water might be the best thing to try first?
You must be very brave now. THEY ARE GONE BEYOND REPAIR or FUBAR, as some say. I'm very sorry about your loss. Only hope: throw them into clear water and leave them undisturbed until they separate by themselves, but chances are, the emulsion will be heavily damaged, and the images will be lost.I have 6x9 cm negatives from probably 1930s that were stored in an envelope for decades and stuck/glued together, see pictures. What would you try to separate them? I was going to try soaking in distilled water, photoflo solution or ethanol (stock or diluted). Any other ideas?View attachment 293202 View attachment 293203 View attachment 293201
Surprisingly, I had some success separating the negatives. I lost some emulsion at the edges of each frame but the rest was preserved. I did exactly what you suggested: left the stuck negatives in a photo flo solution for several days. We are heading into the summer in Australia with the daily temperatures above 30 oC so I put the negatives in a jar and kept it in the fridge for a couple of days agitating gently once or twice a day. (Disclaimer: My wife is a former chemist. Your mileage can differ significantly when you decide to put photographic chemicals in a family fridge). I left the negatives in the solution (still cold) and letting it slowly come to room temperature before hanging the negatives to dry. I'll post the pictures once they are dry and safe to scan.
Is there anything I can do at this stage to further preserve them? Would you harden them? I personally don't think it is necessary but I would like to hear your opinions.
Thanks a lot for your replies. Even the most pessimistic comments were strangely encouraging, sort of "go ahead, there's nothing to lose".
Regards,
Romanko
Thank you, Ralph. No questions were asked. I now have my own fridge in the garage for storing film (and sauerkraut).Romanko, I;m sure you can convince your wife about using the family fridge by reminding her that 30 degrees water and old negatives are a perfect breeding ground for all kind of nasties otherwise.
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