1933 Leica I w/vertical rangefinder self portrait prints

[christopher_junker1]

<p>My sister dropped off a box old family photos that I'd never seen. There are three prints of my father with his Leica doing self portrait shots into a mirror. The camera, a Leica I with what looks like an Elmar 50, using a vertical rangefinder and cable release was his 1933 college graduation present. My grandfather bought it used just before Dad's 1933 employment at Kodak. One of the prints has the exposure and film data, 1/60th at f4.5 on du Pont Superia developed for 21 minutes in D76. A little later in the '30s, as Dad spent his career in EK Film Testing, this Leica was used for some of the first 35mm Kodachrome test slides.<br>

Unfortunately the three prints, although still sharp, properly exposed and barely sepia, are curled and dry. I think any attempt to just flatten and scan would ruin them as there are already hairline cracks in the front of the prints. Is there any method to flatten the prints without ruining them so they can be scanned, saved and reprinted? </p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>Old and curling prints can be re-photographed if they are flattened under glass with oil on them. If this is done, you will be left with copy photographs but perhaps not the prints themselves.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>For what it's worth, as my experience has not faced this question before, think about first uncurling a print (try only one first, and the less important of the three, if that is a variable) by submerging it in distilled water for 15 or 30 minutes to allow the print to take its original uncurled form, and then let it dry flat on a screen or fresh towel until it s ready for copying. A very dry print may just crack further if you attempt to force it flat while curled and dry.</p>

<p>Those are neat rangefinders and were offered in either horizontal or vertical formats for coupling to the accessory shoe. I have an angle viewfinder finder that mounts horizontally and looks somewhat similar to the Leica rangefinder accessory.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>Simple humidity may flatten the print. Wait until Summer.</p>

 

[JDMvW]

<p>You can also make a "humidifier box" by getting a tight plastic box large enough for the prints, and putting in a wet sponge (<strong>NOT</strong> in contact with the print) and setting it aside for the moisture content in the air in the box to get high enough to soften the print/paper/emulsion.<br>

Sort of like a humidifier for cigars or tobacco.</p>

[jose_guerra]

<p>Can you post them if you don't ruin them?<br>

Joe</p>

[christopher_junker1]

<p>To all: Thanks for the suggestions. I have duplicate prints of other subjects with the same curling problem so I'll try JDM's method with a small Tupperware container, distilled water and sponge. If it works, the set of three portrait prints will follow and if they flatten without damage, I plan to scan and post them here. Looking at the prints under a magnifying glass, the lens hood seems to have a lever connected through a hood slot to the Elmar's aperature slide that appears to allow moving the f stop withot having to remove the hood. Anyone know if Leica ever made such a hood for the Elmar 50? Sure would be a handy accessory.</p>

[fred_haeseker]

<p>Christopher: From your description, the lens hood you describe was known in the Leica catalogue as the VALOO. Here's a Photonet thread regarding same:<br>

http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00FvHM<br>

I have one that came with the IIIf I inherited. It was in fact made for the Elmar 50/3.5, the original Leica lens. Its purpose was to be used with the Elmar 50 on a Leitz enlarger so the aperture would be easier to adjust in a darkroom. It's also the niftiest hood to use for taking pictures!</p>

[baisao]

<p>I suggest contacting <strong>Film Rescue International</strong> and seek their advice. Even though this is a print, I am certain they have seen in it all. They also seem to be very friendly and enthusiastic about saving these artifacts.<br>

<a href="http://www.filmrescue.com/">http://www.filmrescue.com/</a></p>

 

[christopher_junker1]

<p>To all, thanks for the suggestions. I put one of the old curled prints into a Tupperware container with a damp sponge and the print flattened nicely. As a bonus, the slight cracks on the print seemed to disappear, so letting the print absorb moisture ovenight is a success. However, as soon as I took the print out of the container it started to curl despite putting it between blotter paper with a weight on it. I'll be taking Jim T's suggestion for film rescue.</p>

[james_elwing]

<p>Under glass weight, but between sheets of baking paper plus dry blotter after humidifying and leave overnight maybe.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>If you have a small print of less importance, try the water immersion approach. I don't know why, but perhaps the humid atmosphere doesn't interact to work out all the conditions (stresses, chemical alterations) in the paper that cause the print to curl. I say this with tongue in cheek (read "caution") as my research background has led me to try different things in the past that do not always work out.</p>

[christopher_junker1]

<p>Jim and others, film rescue does prints off negatives, but doesn't do negatives to print or digital off just the prints. They recommend making a digital image of the print with a good digital camera and running that through Photoshop. Getting it flat is critical and heavy metal masks are preferrable to holding it flat with glass, as it doesn't matter if you shoot it wet. This is giong to be interesting if it works.</p>