Freezing film. Worth while? Any tips or tricks?

I'm going to buy as many rolls of APX25 in 35mm as I can. I'm assuming that the best way to store them is to put them in the freezer. Any tips on storing and thawing it would be greatly appreciated.

Freezing does slow down all chemical processes, so it should be worth

while. It is common practice with IR films, and to avoid

condensation of moisture on the film leave the film out of the

freezer, but in the sealed canister for a few hours before putting it

into the camera.

I've used frozen B&W film (T-max 100) that was 5 years out of date

with good results. Infrared film will last maybe 1 1/2 to 2 years past

its data with acceptable results. Beyond 2 years major fogging occurs.

I store all of my film in the freezer along with the pork chops as a

standard precaution. Let the film warm-up for 2-3 hours before opening

the box.

Re Gene's experience with IR film, I have had mixed experience. I

have a few rolls of 35mm Kodak IR film in the freezer which is five

years out of date and (as of three months ago) had no fog problems.

OTOH, a few sheets of 4x5 IR film I shot this summer which was two

years out of date (and had been frozen the whole time) was so fogged

as to be worthless.

Greetings,

 

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Freezing is an excellent way of prolonging the shelf life of film.

Just make sure you pack it so as to avoid condensation, both inside

the freezer and out. I've used Tri-X that was frozen for 20 years

and it was great.

 

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Regards,

My 3 inputs to this thread:

 

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1. I have read somwhere, in a reasonably trusted book, that you

should in theory freeze film at 0C to -10C (err, 32F down to, erm, a

bit less than this)

I have tried comparisons myself with -10C and -20C (the difference

between a refrigerator freeze draw and my large freezer) and I saw no

difference whatsoever, but the test was only for few weeks.

 

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2. I chill film in the fridge first before freezing it (in unopened

original packing, supplemented by press-seal freezer-food bags to

stop the boxes going mushy with condensation upon defrosting). I am a

little paranoid, but I feel that -ve thermal shock might somehow

stress a film. Also, it stops the freezer warming as it struggles to

freeze down the 200+ 120-size rolls of APX25 you just dropped in it...

 

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3. Gene, I'm not sure I fully understand the significance of your

standard precaution of including pork chops :-)

 

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PS - if you are freezing something like TMZ or D3200, why not slip it

into those redundant x-ray bags you bought a few years ago? They are

too heavy to carryanyways and delight perverted x-ray operators at

London Heathrow Airport who insist on first emptying the whole bag

then x-raying the contents upwards of 10 times in a row, all the time

telling you that "X-rays don't harm film Sir, only magnets can do

that" :-(

These bags may stop some of the enviromental radiation that might fog

these fast films stored for a couple of years past the use-by date.

Gord,

 

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Lead bags don't stop cosmic rays, and that is what is fogging long

sorage of fast films. Heck, the earth itself barely slows them down.

 

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As tot he freezer temp, it doesn't really matter. Chemical reactions

are slower by a factor of two for every (I think) 10 degrees C

reduction in the temp. So the lower the better. You will NOT see

any difference in a few weeks. A few years of testing would be

required.

The pork chops give a 1 to 1 1/2 stop ISO speed boast :)