Fire safe for 12X20 negs

I've been gradually having more and more paranoid fantasies about

losing all my 12X20 negs in the event of a fire. I could replace

most of the other stuff we own with insurance, but re-shooting years

of negatives would be kind of a pain! This actually ends up being a

bit more complicated than I had imagined. Most drawer files for negs

and prints are not fire-safe. I went out and bought a UL-rated fire

safe large enough for 12X20 negs, and then got it home to read the

fine print and find that "fire safes" keep fire away from your

belongings, but they don't keep the temperature from going up!

Specifically, the UL 2-hour rating allows the temp inside the safe to

go to 400 degrees: wouldn't be much of my negs left after that!

Various companies sell tiny fireproof "document files," but these are

quite small, mostly designed for floppy discs and the like, and are

only rated to keep things at a safe temp for a few minutes. If I'm

counting on the fire spontaneously going out in half an hour, I

probably might as well not bother with the safe.

 

So, bottom line: what are the paranoid and archivally-obsessed

members of the forum doing for fireproof storage of bigger negs?

 

Thanks as always for your thoughts,

 

Nathan

The only complete safe alternative would be to rent a safety deposit box. I know they have some big enough for 12x20, but is it worth the expense? You would have to decide this. When I lived in the US I had mine in my gin safe, along with cameras etc. As you said, it does allow the temperature inside to get up to 200° but I figure if the fire gets that hot, the least of my problems was the negatives. Here in Mexico the houses are made of brick, so fires are not that common and usually contained to furniture.

The measures you take must be in a direct ratio to their value, both real and sentimental, and the depth of your paranoia. You could install an elaborate alarm and sprinkler system, or keep them in a climate controlled water proof vault underground, or hire a 24/7 everchanging guard, or get a 10 hour UL rated safe like banks have, and for the future, shoot at least 2 negs of everything, and store them in different locations. The possibilities are nearly endless. Also, get a BIG, comprehensive, all risk insurance policy.

You could keep a set of archival prints in a different location from your negs, and in the event that you lost the negs, you could make copy negs from the prints. If you live in a house on some property, you could also build a fireproof blockhouse, which is not unheard of in the art world.

The most simplistic solution to your posted question from both from a cost and effectiveness perspective is to purchase one of those military surplus storage tubes that are designed to keep moisture and dust at bay and dig a hole and bury the sucker in your backyard (or a location of your choice) deep enough to get below the permafrost (if you live up North). I would put some silica dessicant in with the stored materials to render harmless what little moisture may be associated with the contained air. Sealing the negatives in plastic would also be a good insurance policy. Anywhere in the house is a fire risk.

 

Statistically, if you look at the numbers for pure risk of experiencing a house fire, the best thing you can do is throw away the ash trays and stay on the patch. All will be very well with the products of your sweat and determination. Good Luck!

You haven't been shooting 12x20 very long, so you can't have too many negatives. I'd say you should make copy negatives of all your prints, and/or have the negatives professionally scanned, and keep them at your office. Starting now, always shoot two negatives of everything, and keep one of the negatives at your office. If you have an enclosed porch or deck, put a freezer out there and keep your negatives in it. It is the last area of a house which a fire is likely to destroy, and there is quite a bit of protection with the insulation of a freezer.

I would love to know from Bill what a professional scan costs for a 12x20 negative? Does it require rather specialized equipment or is the format size independent of the process?

 

Thanks

Several years ago, I read about a lab that burned down. Everything that was in their refrigerator survived. So, as someone suggested, buy a small chest type freezer (about $200) and keep them in it. You don't even have to plug it in.

Nathan, since you already have the safe, why not make it "fire-proofer?" Put it somewhere where water won't leak into it---if you have a fire there will be lots of water hosed on your stuff---build a wood form around your safe 6"-12" of space all around, and mud that sucker in with concrete. It the very least go see the forestry dept. folks and talk them out of a surplus fire shelter to throw over your safe. A fire shelter is a big bag of tough,fire proof, reflective material forestfire fights carry. If they get caught "behind enemy lines" they can climb into the shelter and let the fire burn over. Of course oxygen is nice to have too, but you get the idea. FWIW, the California Dept. of Forestry used to give 'em away for people to use as camp "fire pans." Good Luck!

The fine print on firesafes that you see only after you have purchased one makes it clear that it is good only for persevering the information on the paper. The paper might even be damaged some, but the information would be readable. The fine print makes it clear that film and computer magnetic media probably won't survive a fire in a firesafe. The product that should work is a "media safe". These are designed to preserve computer magnetic media and maintain a low temperature during a fire. They cost a lot more than a firesafe but should do the job -- I would check with the manufacturer or carefully read their product literature before making a purchase. If you use google with the words "media safe" you will find a lot of information.

 

On some forum a firefighter answered a question after firesafes, and, as I remember, he said that he was curious about whether refrigerators would function as fire resistant storage and so he took to looking at the contents of refrigerators that were in fires and found that the contents were usually damaged. I would be cautious about a do-it-yourself approach. If you really want to safeguard your negatives, it would be best to use a solution that is designed for the purpose.

Consider a fireproof filing cabinet. One caution: they weigh a ton, and you

need to have a well-supported floor beneath the cabinet. Moving one is, well,

memorable.