old rolled negatives

[gejza_cepela]

Hello,

last year I found some old B&W 35mm negatives which weren't cut

into strips but rolled.In order to scan them on my machine I had to

first cut them into 5 frame pieces and later I worked hard to sleeve

them.It was an difficult task.The negatives were acting like an alive

snake twisting and rolling back to its original shape.Now the

negatives are wedged under pile of books and when I checked them

yesterday they still look the same and didn't seem to straighten up a

bit.Is there any way to make the negatives nicely flator will I have

to wait another hundre years for the strips to ease up on the rolling

tendency.Thanks, Gejza C.

[lex_jenkins]

You might try rewashing the negatives. Perhaps soaking them for 30 minutes in a solution of distilled water with a wetting agent like Photo-Flo, LFN, etc.

 

Since you've already cut the roll into strips you can either load each strip onto a reel or simply soak each strip in a tray or other container.

 

Dry the negatives with a bit of tension. I'll either clip a hemostat on the end of the strip or stretch the film diagonally, slipping a paper clip in a film sprocket hole at either end.

[rick_jones5]

Just as you, I found several rolls of uncut 35mm film at an estate sale. I cut them into 5 frame strips and put them in individual sleeves storing them under a weight. Originally they curled so badly it was impossible to proof them. Now they are almost perfectly flat. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly how long that took. Frankly, I had forgotten about them until I read your post. My point is they finally did flatten under constant pressure.