xray bags

which is the best xray bags to buy as my sheet film has been affected whislt travelling even with an xray

bag

Russel, your best bet is to ask for a hand inspection. Make sure to tell the inspectors that it is "special film". Since you are using sheet film, that should be obvious. Don't mention the ISO rating, since inspectors often think their xray units don't affect anything under 400 ISO.

 

They may check each and every pack with gloves and a chemical swab. If your film is in boxes, open the boxes enough to be able to pull out the sealed packets. Tell them the seal is for light, and they will probably just test the outside of the packet. Taking the packet out of the box is a demonstration of your cooperation.

 

I did this with 400 ISO 120 roll film. It took a long time to check each packet with the test chemical (which won't harm your film).

 

If you are really serious, make an advance trip to the airport and ask as security supervisor if this procedure will work.

thanks jeff. what about the exposed ones afte the shoot on the box??do u bother even using

xray bags as they might shoot a more powerfull beam??

Russel,

 

Was the sheet film that was affected in the checked luggage? Never put your film in the checked luggage. If you do find a bag that the X-ray can't see through, what do you think will happen? The bag will be pulled and opened. Then someone will riff through your films to make sure there is nothing in there, "Looks like just a bunch of thin plastic pages to me" and you won't be there to explain or stop them.

Lead film bags are a waste of time. Lead does not stop X-rays, it merely attenuates them. To be effective, the lead has to be thick enough that a bag that will hold a box or two of sheet film will weigh two or three pounds. Even that won't be enough for the intense X-rays used for checked baggage.

 

I have used lead bags in the past, only to exceed my weight limit for carry-on without any benefit. They simply removed the film from the bags and sent the bags and film through the X-ray separately. Now I use Zip-Loc bags for film, keys and coins. The same bags can be used as a raincoat for equipment - don't leave home without 'em.

 

The X-ray machines used for carry-on baggage are too weak to affect film, even after a dozen passes or more. Nor can they be adjusted by the operator. The only adjustments are to the viewing screen, which highlights objects though to be a threat. Film is simply not very sensitive to X-rays unless phosphors are deliberately added to increase that sensitivity. Despite several years of obsessing in Photo.Net, nobody has produced any objective evidence of film damaged by X-rays, even at ISO 3200.

 

You may get an hand-inspection in the US, but certainly not in Europe or the UK. I suggest you stop worrying, use slower film, go digital, or travel by ground.

 

The swab is simply a clean, felt-like material which collects dust particles which may contain explosives or drugs. The swab is inserted into a gas chromatograph for analysis.

Do they even sell those lead airline bags any more?

Edward is right on in my experience. I haven't put higher speed film through, just because I rarely use it...but I have never had ISO400 film or slower damaged and that is with 5-6 passes on some of my rolls of film. In the US unless you get a particularly small airport or an inspector who doesn't know the regulations you can get a hand check of film, and I usually do as I figure why not. So long as I take my rolls out of their canisters and stick them in a zip lock bag most of the time they just glance at the bag. Sometimes they will inspect each roll with the swab test...but even then for 20 rolls it has taken me 2-3 minutes to have it all hand inspected.

 

Check baggage is a no-no as the x-ray strength seems to be at least an order of magnitude higher (or more). I guess with checked baggage their policy is if there are stow-aways in the baggage they want them dead from x-ray radiation before they can get to their destination.

Russel, just what the others said. Never check film through, when the xray equipment encounters a solid object, it boosts power until it can see what is in there. Exposed film is just as vulnerable as unexposed film. You really ought to talk, in person, with you film in hand, to a security supervisor at a local international airport, and ask how to best carry your film. despite all the horror stories about airport security people, if they are approached nicely they usually respond nicely.

I think it could be useful to check out the poster's web-site, not particularly because it indicates that he's a well-known photographer, but also that if you're going to work internationally out of Singapore, chances are you've been on a few planes and understand that putting film in checked baggage is a no-no. Presumably if, against the odds, the problems he refers to are the result of putting film in checked baggage he'll say so and we can all go back to sleep.

 

That said, my experience is like others here- travel a lot; Carry film and exposed film with me without lead bags; don't get hand inspections; use film to 400ISO regularly and on occasion faster; and zero examples of X ray fogging.

 

So I guess I'd be interested to understand whether Russel's problems were a one-off or occur consistently, happen particularly at one airport or everywhere, and whether he's considered the possibility that film might fog for different stimuli than an airport hand-baggage X Ray machine. The thing that crosses my mind is that very occasionally an airport might use a hold baggage type scanner for the hand-baggage line.

thanks guys!.the film was always in a carry on bag.will definately ask for A HAND CHECK but

they sometimes want to xary the 8x10 film box... film cannisters are no problem.

I also agree with Edward. I spent a lot of time when I was at Kodak looking at radiation test results. I avoid using 800 speed film that has less than a year until its expiration date, but I don't hesitate to put it through the carry-on x-ray inspection. The radiation in one pass through the machine is equivalent to 3 to 5 days of background radiation.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1035.shtm

 

"We recommend that you do not place your film in lead-lined bags since the lead bag will have to be hand-inspected."

 

The TSA does the screening of airline passengers at most airports in the USA, and they set the rules. It is worth reading what they have to say on the subject.

 

I realize that there are still companies that sell lead-lined bags. I can't understand why - in the USA, they serve no purpose. They're no good for protecting your film in checked luggage - the scanning methods used will damage your unprocessed film no matter what - and they are no good in carry on luggage; in fact, they'll tick off a TSA agent in a second. Try it sometime.