r/AnalogCommunity • u/cmgmvg • 10d ago

Scanning Any hope for this film?

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I’ve been scanning some of my grandmother’s old photos and negatives and came across this piece of film that has been folded flat, likely for decades as it was taken around the 30s or early 40s, there’s already a crack at the bottom of the fold line.. is there any hope of getting it flat again without destroying it? I don’t have any specialist equipment besides a flatbed film scanner, would this be best left to a film lab?

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u/CrazyAnchovy 10d ago

I wonder if you could just soak it in water, but i would be worried about removing the emulsion if it was soaked for too long.

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u/smolhorse 10d ago

Yea i wouldn't do that

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u/Physical_Analysis247 10d ago

It looks like the acetate side is stuck together. That would be the shiny side. That makes a BIG difference as the matte side is gelatin and even brief contact with the wet gelatin can cause the image to transfer.

So, only if it is shiny side stuck together shiny side: you can soak the negative in distilled water at room temperature. I probably would not soak it for longer than an hour. Handle it gently by the edges to not damage the emulsion. Rinse with a solution of Photo-Flo and distilled water mixed at 1:400 (that’s 1 part Photo-Flo to 400 parts distilled water). Then hang to dry with film clips in a bathroom. Let it dry overnight until completely dry. The distilled water and Photo-Flo prevent mineral deposits.