Developing Old Films

[pbccon]

I am developing some exposed old films taken by the late husband of a
neighbour. I have successfully developed Ilford FP4, FP3 and HP3 in
Microphen 12 min. but am now onto the older more difficult films.

Because of the uniqueness of each film, I cannot experiment but have
to get it right (ish) first time.

The films are:

120 Kodak Panatomic X 120 1960s?
620 Kodak Super XX Panchromatic 1960s?
127 Kodak Super XX Panchromatic 1960s?
127 Gevaert Ridax Ortho Superchrom 1940/50s?
127 Standard Ortho 1940/50s?
24x36 mini roll film (not 35mm) Lumiere Super-Lumichrome 28o develop
by date Dec 1945
24x36 mini roll film (not 35mm) Lumipan probably 1940s also

Can anyone help with development advice please?

David Morris

Accrington, Lancashire, England.

[EDGY01]

This topic has been covered periodically within this group. The conditions to
which the latent images were exposed AFTER exposure are absolutely critical.
If they weren't kept in the freezer since 1960, I doubt that you'll have a
usable image. Latent images begin to deteriorate immediately after the silver
is exposed to light. Remember how they always say 'process promptly?' The
conditions the film is subjected to can influence the loss (deterioration) rate
to some extent. Films from an arctic expodition were found a few years ago
from the teens,--and they managed to get something out of some of them,--but
temperatures were always less than freezing.

I have personally processed films but to 15 years old and found them to be a
waste of time. Someone, though, here, can tell you some particular chemicals
that can assist in that recovery,--but most of the time, unless they're shots
of some incredible, historical event, it won't be worth the money to go through
it all.

dan lindsay

[Francis A. Miniter]

Hi David,

I saw your post earlier this week, but had no time to look things up
until today. In the 1967 British Journal of Photography Annual, p. 236,
the following development times are given for development of the
respective films in D-76:

Kodak Panatomic X Mini Film 7 minutes
Kodak Panatomic X Roll Film 9 "
Kodak Super XX Sheet Film 16 minutes.

On the other hand, the Amphoto Photographic Lab Handbook from 1969 gives
(at page 46) 7 minutes for Panatomic-x mini or roll film at 68 degrees
with full strength D-76; and does not mention D-76 at all for Super XX
sheet film but instead recommends HC-110 (Dil B) for 7 minutes or DK-50
(full strength) for 5 minutes. I do not find any information for Super
XX other than for sheet film.

I am unable to find anything yet on the other films mentioned. I would
suggest you look for earlier issues of the BJ Photography Annuals and you
will probably find the information you need.

I engaged in this process over the last year and have had some reasonable
success, even with films that spent the last 20 years in a hot attic.
The older the film, the greater the risk of fogging. That would suggest
doing one at a time and determining whether you need to add an
anti-fogging agent to the developer and increasing development time
accordingly.

Good Luck.

Francis A. Miniter

[Richard Knoppow]

The problem is that Kodak, at least, changed the emulsion of some of
its films over the years. Tri-X, Plus-X, Panatomic-X, etc., of fifty
years ago were not the same emulsions of thirty years ago and
development recommendations can be very different.
In general, the older emulsions too much longer developing times.
This may be in part due to the early charts being designed for higher
contrast than was considered desirable later but I think the emulsions
were made thinner and probably other changes made.
Sometimes the age of roll film can be told from the design of its
backing paper, sometimes you just have to guess.
The latent image stability of film made for the last fifty or sixty
years is surprizingly good. A number of people who have processed very
old exposed films have posted here that they have had good results and
printable, if not perfect, images.
Generally "normal" development is suggested. Extended development
tends to build up fog faster than the image. Anti-foggants tend to
destroy what is left of the latent image so are not desirable.
If Kodak, or anyone else, knows of any magic method to recover
images from old film they seem not to be talking.

>pbccon wrote:
>
>> I am developing some exposed old films taken by the late husband of a
>> neighbour. I have successfully developed Ilford FP4, FP3 and HP3 in
>> Microphen 12 min. but am now onto the older more difficult films.
>>
>> Because of the uniqueness of each film, I cannot experiment but have
>> to get it right (ish) first time.
>>
>> The films are:
>>
>> 120 Kodak Panatomic X 120 1960s?
>> 620 Kodak Super XX Panchromatic 1960s?
>> 127 Kodak Super XX Panchromatic 1960s?
>> 127 Gevaert Ridax Ortho Superchrom 1940/50s?
>> 127 Standard Ortho 1940/50s?
>> 24x36 mini roll film (not 35mm) Lumiere Super-Lumichrome 28o develop
>> by date Dec 1945
>> 24x36 mini roll film (not 35mm) Lumipan probably 1940s also
>>
>> Can anyone help with development advice please?
>>
>> David Morris
>>
>> Accrington, Lancashire, England.
>

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dick...@ix.netcom.com

[David Littlewood]

In article <39b6cefe...@news.gn.apc.org>, pbccon
<pbc...@gn.apc.org> writes

>I am developing some exposed old films taken by the late husband of a
>neighbour. I have successfully developed Ilford FP4, FP3 and HP3 in
>Microphen 12 min. but am now onto the older more difficult films.
>

I have a distinct memory of reading a few years ago of someone who
developed some very old films (i.e. films exposed many years previously)
by inspection (presumably using a very dim safelight of colour
appropriate to the film) and got some quite useable results. You *may*
also need to use a fog inhibitor (benzotriazole?).

Whatever, you will need to do some research, as it will be a fairly well
established technique. A few weeks of checking will hardly add much
deterioration, and if you get it wrong you don't get another shot.
--
David Littlewood
London
Energy Consultant and Photographer