Slide storage

[nick_h5]

<p>Hello,<br>

I just wondered if im storing my small collection of mounted slides correctly,for long term storage. I purchased a couple of logan metal slide file storage boxes,and i keep each slide in individual polyester slide sleeves in the box. A friend recommends to glass mount the best ones, but im concerned about moisture developing on the glass over time?.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

 

[larrydressler]

<p>Well I would just put some H2O absorbing Silica packages in with the slides in the sleeves and change it every 4-6 months more during humid months and maybe even see about putting a rubber seal around the box or even using a wrap of rubber tape around the lock and lid areas.</p>

<p> The Glass mount thing is not a good idea.</p>

[nick_h5]

<p>Thank you for the advice Larry.</p>

<p>I guess then the Logan boxes are not airtight, and are letting humidity in?. Any other storage system out there,which is worth considering instead.</p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

<p> </p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Cool and dry. Air conditioning is what you want.</p>

[larrydressler]

<p>I don't know about the Box you have but every little extra helps. Short of using a box with a vacuum gauge on it I doubt you could prove any manufacture claims.</p>

<p> The perfect box would allow you to put inert moisture free gas into it then vacuum it to a negative point and then have it hold that point.</p>

[randrew1]

<p>I'm not sure about the inert gas idea. The typical loss mechanism for cyan dyes is a reduction reaction. A little bit of oxygen will help prevent this. I would also hesitate to eliminate all moisture. Bone dry gelatin will crack very easily. 40% rh at 70 F in the dark will protect most slide films for a century or more. </p>

[larrydressler]

<p>LOL Ron that is why we have this place. Salt mines are used to store old things.. Salt absorbs moisture. It has normal Earth gasses... Thing is only place I know where temp is the same and Humidity is the same is a salt mine or if you want I figure you could build a vault with Huge Salt walls and use an AC in it... but then again we are talking Out of the reasonable.<br>

So Ron what gas mixture would you think would be useful with the "Perfect?" An Argon O2 mixture? NO2? Nitrogen Oxide is inert but has o1 that will make 02 as soon as it finds another electron.</p>

<p> Just wondering.</p>

<p> </p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Terry, I stored many good images in glass slide mounts (because I worked for a distributor of a major brand at one time). Moisture did ruin a lot of those images, and I'm sorry I did it.</p>

 

[richard_eaton1]

<p>Glass mounts were probably OK for physical protection of slides which were to receive regular and extensive use and handling, but I'd definitely not use them for archival storage. <br>

If not used for a while glass mounts trapped humidity and some films also appeared to release something from the emulsion which marked the glasses.</p>

[randrew1]

<p>Salt mines are also free of radiation. They are usually far enough under ground that they shield cosmic rays. Since sodium and chlorine have no radioactive isotopes, there is no terrestrial radiation in a salt mine. Kodak used to store some high speed film in a freezer in a salt mine.</p>

<p>Since there are at least three different dyes in a color film and many other chemicals that can cause staining, there is no one atmosphere that will prevent all fading. The archivists at the Eastman House Museum are the worlds experts. They store film in ordinary air, but in controlled cool, dry, and dark conditions. </p>

[larrydressler]

<p>Thanks for that info Ron.</p>

[nick_h5]

<p>Thank you very much for info everyone.</p>

<p>One last thing if i may. Does anyone use the printfile slide preservers?.On searching through the forum,seems this system is popular for archival purposes also.Any pros or cons to this system?,or is it just a personal choice over the archival boxes.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

 

[charles_stobbs3]

<p>I think Ron hit the nail on the head. Most slides carry the seeds of their own degradation. I recently opened a standard Kodak yellow box containing slides from 1960. The Kodachrome slides looked like new. Some Gevacolor slides stored in the same box were badly faded. The box had been in my bedroom closet most of that time (in eastern Massachusetts with its seasonal variations in temperature and humidity).</p>

[jim_jones3]

<p>Most of my Kodachromes have survived well for up to 58 years while stored, tightly packed in groups, in metal or plastic slide file boxes. The tight packing reduces exposure to air borne contaminants. Slides stored in projection trays or single slots in files sometimes attract fungus.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

<p>Does anyone know if Kodak boxes were designed/impregnated/constructed so as to retard color slide deterioration?</p>

[john_markanich]

<p>Don't overlook fire and flood, with fire being the more dangerous of the two. I keep my 'best' slides in glass mounts, in plastic boxes in a data safe along with a reusable silica pack. A data safe is not the same as a common fire-proof safe available at places like Staples. It's a specialty item designed to protect heat sensitive materials that have a flash point below that of paper. Data safes are heavy and offer less space inside when compared to a common fire-proof unit of the same size but are really the only answer for the on-site fire protection of film. <br>

Looking to the future they are the only true on-site protection for digital media too.</p>

[ukhov]

<p>-stretched in dark place,it is light what call moisture</p>

[red_buckner]

<p>My Agfachrome slides from the 1970s have almost completely faded, but both Kodachromes and Ektachromes are unchanged. My Cibachrome prints from that time are also perfectly preserved. They have always been in a shoe box in a closet. </p>

[shiang_wang1]

<p>I use Print File and Adorama slide storage box with good result. The insert bin are made out of acid free cardboard paper. Over 20 years, I haven't seen any problem, except it attracts lint. Or maybe it has more to do with the paper mount than the slide box. I prefer archival box over slide sleeve because it is easier for me to transfer them to the projector or scanner. I think the choice is personal.</p>

[Paul Lewis1664881697]

<p>I love the Logan Electric storage boxes. I store all my slides in them.</p>

[stephen_schoof1]

<p>I like PrintFile sleeves kept in Adorama's archival Binder Boxes stored in an air-conditioned room.</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>My Ektachromes and Kodachromes in the original Kodak slide tray in the Kodak box look perfect from 30 or more years ago. I keep them in the closet. I live in NYC with its high and low humidity. I just happened to look because I've begun to scan them.</p>

[sanjay_chaudary]

<p>Hi terri,<br>

where are u at? Which country are u in? I might be able to share some information</p>

[sanjay_chaudary]

<p>Hi,<br>

I had a fungus problem with one of my lenses a few years ago and canon singapore suggested this nice appliance. I stay in Chennai, Tamil Nadu where relative humidity is more than 80% thanks to its proximity to the coast.<br>

The appliance that he suggested was dry cabinet. Theres a japanese make (toyo ) and also a singapore make ( digi - cabi). The digi cabi is nice : plug the dry cabinet into an electric outlet and it maintains humidity within set range. The analog version fluctuates a bit, but suits my purpose. There is a digital version too - more expensive . It keeps it at exact RH. power consumption is low. has protected my equipment so far. 120 Ltr version cost like 175 USD.</p>