Can You Bulk Load 35mm and then Freeze?

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bwcolor

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If you place the 35mm cartridge in a sealed film canister can you then freeze the film, or does water condensation become a problem?
 
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No. It also works if you keep the cassettes in a sealed container, like a ziploc bag, until it reaches room temprature.
 
I'm not sure that we are talking about the same thing. I always keep frozen 35mm factory cartridges in their sealed canisters until thawed.

I keep one-hundred foot reels frozen and do not unpack until thawed, but once I have transferred (loaded) the film to the reloadable cartridges, can I place the reloadable cartridges in the freezer? I'm suspecting that I can not. Humidity in my house is not controlled and I can bet Kodak carefully controls humidity when loading their films in cartridges.
 
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Yes, you can freeze the bulk loaded carts. Just put them in a freezer storage bag and freeze them. Just be sure to give them several hours to warm up when you take them out before opening the storage bag so condensation won't get to them. Done it for years. Works fine.
 
Thanks to all ... The last time I reloaded film was 1968, or so. I've been working up my nerve to give it another try. All the supplies are in the closet. I even found some old Kodak unused cartridges from the same era.. The film is new...

Thanks again..
 
But I think the answer depends to some extent on how much humidity--water vapor--could have been present before the film was put in the freezer--ziplock bag or not. At the moment I'm thinking that even if there were some significant humidity, the film was warm before going in the freezer; thus there should be no condensation on the film or cassette. And therefore, there should be no water to freeze onto the film. But I could see how some mist could form inside the ziplock bag. I agree that condensation forming on the cold surfaces when the film comes out of the freezer is the greater risk.

I think the answer is to try it with a small quantity to se what happens. All theories should be verified by experiment!
 
When you put the cartridges in the ZipLoc bag - squeeze the air out of it before closing it. This way you get rid of some of the moisture laden air. It is usually no problem - but allow the bag to thaw out before opening it. Also do smaller bags - say 10 rolls/bag as that means you dont have to thaw out a full bag and re-freeze it.
I do it all the time as I tend to load 50-100 rolls at a time (it is boring so you try to do it all and then not have to think about it!). I usually leave a 10 roll bag out overnight before opening it - but a couple of hours should suffice in normal room temperature.
 
bwcolor said:
If the film cartridge is tightly sealed in individual canisters, then why the need for a ziplock bag, other than for organizational reasons?
Click to expand...

I just described the way I do it. I throw out the plastic containers, they are bulky. My system is simply 10 rolls in a small ZipLoc bag in my left jacket or vest pocket and as I shoot, the exposed films goes in an another bag in my right pocket. Some time saving and volume.
Occasionally I tape film containers back-to-back and just let them rattle around in the bag. Less chance of cassettes being crunched by cameras.
 
A good way to get the air out of a ZipLoc is to insert an ordinary drinking straw at one end of the top; close the lock as far as the straw; suck the air out; and then, as quickly as you can, pull out the straw and zip the last fraction of an inch. Then, there really is very little air in there.

Like Tom, I'd freeze 'em without the canisters (less air per film with the ZipLoc), though unlike Tom, I'd put 'em back in the canisters to carry 'em when they're thawed.

Cheers,

R.
 
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