Viability of Stockpiling B&W Film with Recent Ilford News in Mind

DWThomas · Sep 17, 2015

Ennnh, I guess if I really want to load up on worry, I could look at the various factions offing each other around the world. I could also hang on every word of the anxiety and paranoia trumpeted by the mainstream media in concert with the attempts to keep the Military/Industrial Complex busy. I maintain enough stock of film and chemistry to get me through any sudden inspiration for a project. And I do projects on a drawn out enough time scale I can normally reorder to cover most.

I will be sad if film disappears altogether -- partly because after prices tumbled during the digit@l stampede, I have invested a couple thousand dollars in medium format equipment I couldn't justify to myself for hobby use "back in the day." But in all honesty, if film disappears, I have a working assortment of alternate technology (including pen&ink and watercolor ) that will allow me to continue to produce images. At my age, who knows how long my health will hold, it's conceivable I might have to give up darkroom based work to move into some facility for the decrepit before too long anyway.

I'll deal with it when I get there! :munch:

DAK · Sep 17, 2015

Never mind, I found it all by myself. Sounds like it could be a vote of confidence.

MattKing · Sep 17, 2015

DAK said:
Where can I find the news that Ilford has been sold?

Dave

See the links in the first post here: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Sirius Glass · Sep 17, 2015

Ricardo Miranda said:
It is my opinion that stockpiling film isn't necessary and causes more problems than resolves anything.

You are panicking.

According to Chris, "It is never too late to panic!"

RattyMouse said:
Incorrect. Stockpiling protects you from price increases. Fuji has announced a 20% rise in prices across the board. A $2000 stockpile just saved you $400. That's good money saved.

I keep a freezer stocked with film and a refrigerator stocked with paper to keep those supplies from the hoarders.

Wallendo said:
There is no advantage to stockpiling currently manufactured film. If Ilford discontinues a particular film, there will be more than enough available supply to stockpile at that time.

My film and paper stash is mostly composed of products that are no longer available plus a supply on hand of current products to cover my needs and avoid a shortfall when I will not be able to get more in a few days.

Buy now and freeze to keep it form the hoarders! Panic belongs to those who do not stockpile1.

1 A notable exception is for those who live in New Hampshire where the state motto is "Live, Freeze and Die".

37th Exposure · Sep 17, 2015

Here comes a whole new season of "Doomsday Preppers".....

Stephen Prunier · Sep 17, 2015

Unless Simon announces on here that there's trouble in paradise, I'm not going to be worried. Look how everyone panicked every time Kodak was sold. How'd that work out? Oh wait, that one sucked :devil:

BrianShaw · Sep 17, 2015

You might want to plan on a better source of information!

Regarding hoarding - I'm sure people have already begun. Good luck to them. I'm not, so maybe I'll be needing the good luck.

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 17, 2015

Ilford makes some tremendous quality black and white film. But Their future of continuing same is unknown with their recent sale.

What!? Has Ilford actually said that to you? If not, it's heresy. Ilford has been bought by an investment business. Why the panic and paranoia??
But there's something else. Wildfires are blazing in California, people are losing their homes and their possessions (save for those you have noted as "grabbing their pets and family photos" and to hell with cameras and whatnots, and you are concerned with stockpiling Ilford film!? Gosh, there must be more important things than film to worry about, don't you think?

MartinP · Sep 17, 2015

Stockpiling current products while there is no known end in sight seems a bit premature. Better to invest the effort in more photography and darkroom time?

Having said that, what is the best waterproof case for burying photo-sensitive materials 20 feet down in a desert??

alanrockwood · Sep 17, 2015

I wish I would have hoarded more Plus-X a few years ago.

'nuff said!

BrianShaw · Sep 17, 2015

alanrockwood said:
I wish I would have hoarded more Plus-X a few years ago.

'nuff said!

And I'm glad I did. All I was planning on was stocking up but they discontinued plusx the next week and the prices skyrocketed

ericdan · Sep 17, 2015

Freezing costs are actually quite significant not to mentioned the price of a freezer if you can't fit it in your current one.
I bought a bunch of Provia 400X because that's going away soon. I also buy every roll of Neopan 400 I can find here in Japan.

dwross · Sep 17, 2015

Thank you John!

Andre Noble · Sep 17, 2015

Poisson Du Jour said:
What!? Has Ilford actually said that to you? If not, it's heresy. Ilford has been bought by an investment business. Why the panic and paranoia??...

Denials like this are getting old. People have taken this approach to burying their heads in the sand regarding the disappearance of emulsion for the last 15 or more years, and continue saying the same exact words of disbelief.

The writing is on the wall. Ilford has some awesome emulsions. Be ready to stockpile (within next ten years, max) if you care. Film photography is phasing into a boutique industry and Ilford cannot sustain being a boutique manufacturer - they told us this loud and clear by the sale and Simon's disappearance from this site.

Just face reality please.

removed account4 · Sep 17, 2015

dwross said:
Thank you John!

pleasure is mine !

Sirius Glass · Sep 17, 2015

ericdan said:
Freezing costs are actually quite significant not to mentioned the price of a freezer if you can't fit it in your current one.
I bought a bunch of Provia 400X because that's going away soon. I also buy every roll of Neopan 400 I can find here in Japan.

I already have the freezer that is already working. By adding film, there is less air volume to cool. Therefore there is no additional cost of storing the film.

Sirius Glass · Sep 17, 2015

BrianShaw said:
You might want to plan on a better source of information!

Regarding hoarding - I'm sure people have already begun. Good luck to them. I'm not, so maybe I'll be needing the good luck.

That is why I buy up film before the hoarders can buy it up.

Michael R 1974 said:
I hope people continue to stockpile. APUG wouldn't be the same without threads about dots, blotches and patterns on peoples' frozen film.

In over a decade I have never had any of those problems freezing film.

alanrockwood said:
I wish I would have hoarded more Plus-X a few years ago.

'nuff said!

I bought Plus-X as it was disappearing from the market.

ericdan · Sep 17, 2015

You really think your freezer uses the same amount of electricity regardless of how full it is?

Sent from Tapatalk

Sirius Glass · Sep 18, 2015

ericdan said:
You really think your freezer uses the same amount of electricity regardless of how full it is?

Sent from Tapatalk

No. Actually an empty refrigerator uses the most power. A crammed full refrigerator uses the least power. The same goes for freezers. Once the inside is cold, the cooled mass retains the cold much better than the air does. This is very basic thermodynamics and electrical engineering.

ericdan · Sep 18, 2015

By that logic you would never be able to open your freezer and take anything out.

ericdan · Sep 18, 2015

my problem is that I don't have a U.S. sized fridge/freezer. What I have is mostly used for food. I want to store more film but would have to buy a new freezer just for that and take care of the additional electricity. Maybe this isn't a problem for most other people.

Sirius Glass · Sep 18, 2015

ericdan said:
By that logic you would never be able to open your freezer and take anything out.

Not my logic. The Laws of Thermodynamics. Just because one wants the world to be different will not change the laws of physics et al.

Sirius Glass · Sep 18, 2015

ericdan said:
my problem is that I don't have a U.S. sized fridge/freezer. What I have is mostly used for food. I want to store more film but would have to buy a new freezer just for that and take care of the additional electricity. Maybe this isn't a problem for most other people.

Now we have arrived at the root of your problem. The solution is that you merely need to become independently wealthy or just filthy rich ==> your choice entirely.

alanrockwood · Sep 18, 2015

Basic heat transfer theory would indicate that heat loss occurs at the walls of the freezer and would depend only on the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the freezer, regardless of what is inside the freezer. There may be some additional subtleties, such as the heat required to heat the contents of a newly loaded freezer and the effects of opening and closing the door, but basically the cost to run a freezer should be basically independent of how heavily loaded it is.

Sirius Glass · Sep 18, 2015

alanrockwood said:
Basic heat transfer theory would indicate that heat loss occurs at the walls of the freezer and would depend only on the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the freezer, regardless of what is inside the freezer. There may be some additional subtleties, such as the heat required to heat the contents of a newly loaded freezer and the effects of opening and closing the door, but basically the cost to run a freezer should be basically independent of how heavily loaded it is.

It is dependent on:

temperature difference between the inside and outside of the freezer ==> The inside and outside temperature would not change based on film storage
heat required to heat the contents of a newly loaded freezer ==> Only occurs when new contents are added and therefore would not change based on film storage
effects of opening and closing the door ==> The frequency of opening and closing of the door will not be significantly saved by film storage

That is why keeping a freezer full or nearly full is recommended as a way to save energy by the power companies. Opps. don't you hate when this happens?

Viability of Stockpiling B&W Film with Recent Ilford News in Mind

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