Processing roll of film that got pop spilled in it.

[serjohn]

<p>I have a friend who shot a roll of Tri-X and had brought it to a lab to be processed. When the lab looked at it they noticed it had had something sticky on the canister and film that they would not process it. My question is is there a way to salvage it, ie put it in the tank without winding it on the reel and soaking it with water or something? Also it has been frozen since as far as I know. Will this have any effect on trying to save it or not? I would of course let it thaw before I do anything and it was shot a number of years ago. Thanks in advance for any help.</p>

[kevin_hess]

<p>soak it in distiled water replace the wate at least twice before you try to unroll it it should be ok be aware that the water wii take some of the emulsion with it but many photographers pree soak films it softens them up a bit.</p>

 

[serjohn]

<p>Kevin, do you mean put the canister in the tank without opening it or do you mean open the canister and then soak the film that way. Also after i dump the water the second time how long should i wait until i put the tank back into the changing back to wind the film onto the reel. Thanks again, John</p>

[trevor_martin]

<p>You're saying the actual film canister had the pop spilled on it right? If so then as long as the canister wasn't sitting in a cup of the pop then I would be surprised if much if any pop actually reached the film. My guess would be if some pop did get past the felt than it would be restricted to the leader. If that's the case once you open the canister you might be able to feel any stickiness on the film and would be able to just cut it off. </p>

<p>To soak go ahead and put the film on the reel first, it will ensure that the film isn't touching itself anywhere.</p>

<p>If the pop penetrated further then as Kevin says above soak it for awhile and it will probably be fine, soaking doesn't hurt the film. I see no reason to clean off the canister, it's just going to be thrown away anyways. I presoak some films such as tmax all the time to help remove some of the dye, I've never heard of presoaking taking off some of the emulsion.</p>

[kevin_hess]

<p>Trevor has it right if it is in a canister I would open the canister and see if the paper is stuck if it is stick the film put the paper and all in the water. I would hold on to the canister they are harder to find now most 120 is in foil packs so clean it up and hold on to it they make great storage containers for smal objects.</p>

[serjohn]

<p>This is a roll of 35mm film if that makes any difference. Thanks again for the advice Kevin and Trevor.</p>

[kevin_hess]

<p>for 35 not 120 not sure how i got the idea it was 120 just pop it all canister and all in the water let it soak five or six minutes replace the water do the same 3three to for times and then develop as normal.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>There appears to be some confusion here over terms. The cassette usually refers to the disposable or reusable container for the spool onto which the 35mm film is rolled. The cassette is what's loaded into the camera. The cassette will have a slot with light seals, through which the film passes when in use.</p>

<p>The "cannister" usually refers to the plastic container (aluminum in ye olden dayes) in which some 35mm film cassettes are stored. Some bulk purchased 35mm film is delivered in paper thin plastic or mylar type tear-open packaging, not in those rigid plastic or aluminum cannisters. (Cannisters are also reportedly useful for storing dried herbs. I have no direct personal knowledge of such usage, of course, but I read about it in a book.)</p>

<p>Occasionally the term "cannister" is used interchangeably, leading to confusion. For clarity, most film manufacturers use the terms as described above.</p>

<p>If you're talking about soda spilled on the cannister and none got inside onto the film, there's no problem. If the spill was on the cassette, there's a problem. That's why the film would need special handling.</p>

<p>Unless you plan to process the film yourself it's not a good idea to soak it. Once exposed to water you'll need to develop the film promptly. It cannot be dried and re-spooled into the original cassette without risking damage to the entire roll.</p>

<p>If you can't develop the film yourself the only solution is to find a lab that's willing to accept your signed waiver to absolve them of any damage claims. It will have to be a lab with facilities to custom process by hand in a small tank, since they won't want to risk contaminating their deep tank or other processing line.</p>

<p>An alternative is to find a local school or community darkroom and ask a student to process it. Again, you should be willing to waive any damage claims since nobody can guarantee satisfactory processing of this film.</p><div></div>

[serjohn]

<p>It was a cassette that got pop spilled on/in it. I am going to offer to process it for him since I have the things needed and I don't know if there are any labs in the Twin Cities that hand process film any longer. Thanks to all for the advice.</p>

[lowell_huff1]

<p>You might give UNIVERSAL COLOR a call. 763 535-6435</p>