Testing VERY Outdated Film

[Doc W]

I have several boxes of Super XX and Plus X 4x5 that are very outdated. Heck, you can tell how old they are by the name. I also have a box of 8x10 Tech Pan. All of these boxes have been stored in my basement darkroom which is quite cool most of the year. It can get up to 70F in the summer, maybe a bit hotter for a few weeks.

What test procedures could I use to see if any of this is any good? Should I just shoot a few sheets and develop it according to the specs on the box, or is there another quick test one can do?

 

[wildbill]

Film base+fog test as described in Ansel's The Negative book.
You don't need to use a whole sheet for each film speed test if you exopse it in strips by removing the darkslide in increments.

 

[palewin]

In the same situation I simply shot a few sheets as tests. Again, in my experience, the primary adjustment is the ASA setting, I developed the film normally. In general, for 30-ish year old Tri-X 4x5 film, I found that ASA 25 was in the ball-park. The same test sheets will tell you if the film is hopelessly fogged. If you want, you can get multiple results from a single sheet: pull the slide half-way, expose, then remove the slide completely and make a second exposure at the same setting. Since you are on a tripod, shooting a static scene, half the sheet will have twice the exposure, the same as doubling the ASA, so you will have tried two ASAs on one negative.

 

[moltogordo]

You shouldn't have any trouble with the slower films like Plus-X. I'd try shooting at ASA 80 and develop Xtol 1:1 for 8 minutes or so. Xtol gives a slight speed increase and thus is a good developer for old films. You'll probably get good results.

ASA 400 films and faster, as palewin notes above, are going to be more problematic. Even in the freezer they deteriorate much faster than slower films. Try a shot in your Super XX at 100, and develop it in Xtol 1:1 for 9 minutes. Adjust from there.

Xtol is like D76 but better - it gives a legit 2/3 stop speed increase and is my developer of choice for tabular grain films. It's slightly finer grain and noticeably sharper than D76 or Id11. But if you have D76, use it at 1:1 for the same purpose, and increase developing times by about 15% or so. At 1:1 it gives acutance about the same as HC110. Good stuff. It solved my old 2475 Recording film problems nicely. I have a 100 foot roll. I expose at 125, and do 12 minutes at 1:1 in Xtol, and it works just fine!

 

[Dr Croubie]

I've shot a whole lot of films older than me, from unknown storage conditions.
Half box speed, then Caffenol-L-C, and I get negs better than new film in new devs...

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have several boxes of Super XX and Plus X 4x5 that are very outdated. Heck, you can tell how old they are by the name. I also have a box of 8x10 Tech Pan. All of these boxes have been stored in my basement darkroom which is quite cool most of the year. It can get up to 70F in the summer, maybe a bit hotter for a few weeks.

What test procedures could I use to see if any of this is any good? Should I just shoot a few sheets and develop it according to the specs on the box, or is there another quick test one can do?

Yes.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I've used Super XX from the 70s with normal development in D76. I did use an ISO speed of 100. It looks pretty good, with just a bit of fog.

Storage was at RT.

PE