What would happen if I boiled a roll of infrared film?

gazefuzzy · Apr 2, 2014

I've become interested in ways of purposely damaging 35mm film, since I have a ton of expired film in my freezer at the moment for experimenting with. I've seen examples of people boiling color film for a few minutes to achieve a color shift or a melted emulsion but what would happen if I boiled a roll of Kodak HIE? Since the film is heat sensitive would it just go totally "overexposed"?

Tom1956 · Apr 2, 2014

Send it all to me.

gazefuzzy · Apr 2, 2014

Roger Cole · Apr 2, 2014

You would destroy a valuable and now very limited resource. Unless it's been poorly stored in which case you'd just further destroy something that's already worthless.

frank · Apr 2, 2014

It will go totally overexposed. Don't do it.

Down Under · Apr 2, 2014

You would have infrared soup, I suppose. Add a little chicken stock, soy and ginger, and, well, who knows?
Personally, I wouldn't eat it.
Nor would I bother destroying a perfectly good roll of film. Shoot and process it instead.
Your post gave me my laugh for today. Thanks!

jcoldslabs · Apr 2, 2014

Nothing wrong with experimenting, especially if you have lots of old film to play with. My guess is it would fog pretty severely, but why not try it and find out?

Jonathan

snapguy · Apr 2, 2014

whole roll

You don't have to boil a whole roll. You might try a lower heat with another partial roll. Don't forget the drawn butter.

pstake · Apr 2, 2014

I'm not positive, but I think the entire internet would crash, causing worldwide pandemonium.

I've never done it so I can't say for sure.

Post your results here; but if I'm right, we'll never get to see them.

Dr Croubie · Apr 2, 2014

I'm more interested in how you think you're going to boil a roll of film in total darkness?
Regular pot? Not dark enough, especially once the lid starts banging from excaping steam.
Pressure cooker? Possible.
Boiling water in a darkroom? Not the safest idea.

But still, as it's IR-sensitive, boiling will probably just fog/overexpose it all. Why not just leave it next to / on top of a heater for a while instead?

bdial · Apr 2, 2014

Heat will damage any film by producing fog,and if the heat is intense enough physically. But HIE is not sensitive to heat in the same way that a thermal imaging camera is, for example. It has little or no sensitivity that far down the electro-magnetic spectrum. In getting boiled it wouldn't react differently than any other film subjected to similar temperatures.

Color can withstand higher temps than most B&W, boiling HIE would probably just melt the emulsion off and leave you with clear substrate.

What a

RattyMouse · Apr 2, 2014

I would definitely NOT boil film in nitric acid.

NedL · Apr 2, 2014

You could take a photo of a boiling cauldron... over a fire... among the trees... under a dramatic cloudy sky.... from an angle... a photo of thinking of what would happen if you boiled a roll of HIE....

RattyMouse · Apr 3, 2014

N-butyl lithium will damage film. Do not boil film in this liquid.

Tom1956 · Apr 3, 2014

Well, being the less learned in the group in the field of chemistry, I'm still aware that boiling film in dihydrogen monoxide is the most commonly used, and it's effects on film can be easily surmised without need of further experimentation. We already know that inhaling even small amounts can lead to instant death. An extremely noxious chemical. I advise against this undertaking, strenuously.

RattyMouse · Apr 3, 2014

Boiling hydrofluoric acid should NOT be used as a stop bath.

David A. Goldfarb · Apr 3, 2014

I agree that you would probably just boil the gelatin right off the film, but before that happened, the Analogue Enforcement Team would arrive to restrain you and confiscate your film, preventing further damage.

RattyMouse · Apr 3, 2014

David A. Goldfarb said:
I agree that you would probably just boil the gelatin right off the film, but before that happened, the Analogue Enforcement Team would arrive to restrain you and confiscate your film, preventing further damage.

People should not really be messing with boiling nitric acid anyway.....

winger · Apr 3, 2014

David A. Goldfarb said:
I agree that you would probably just boil the gelatin right off the film, but before that happened, the Analogue Enforcement Team would arrive to restrain you and confiscate your film, preventing further damage.

I'm with this one. I would certainly try something like this with a film that still exists or that wasn't great to begin with. But not with HIE. If I still had any left, it would be shot from a pedestal and handled with gloves. There would also be curtsying. I miss HIE - can you tell?

edcculus · Apr 3, 2014

If you boiled even one roll of HIE, the analog gods would instantly strike you down.

pentaxuser · Apr 3, 2014

David A. Goldfarb said:
I agree that you would probably just boil the gelatin right off the film, but before that happened, the Analogue Enforcement Team would arrive to restrain you and confiscate your film, preventing further damage.

If they are as good as Lee Marvin's M Squad there might be a television deal here

pentaxuser

What would happen if I boiled a roll of infrared film?

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