Flat Negatives!

[oscroft]

This is just to thank someone, but I can't remember who 😀

In a thread quite recently, someone mentioned a way to get negatives flat after developing - when they're dry, wind them back on a developing spool with the emulsion side out. Well, I did exactly that with some rolls I developed last weekend that were quite concave, and left them overnight. Result: perfectly flat negatives, for the first time in more than 35 years - I can't believe I've gone so long without thinking of it 😀

So whoever suggested it - many thanks, I am in your debt.

 

[sienarot]

Interesting.....

 

[crawdiddy]

Sounds like a good idea. Is there any chance of causing the emulsion to crack by doing that? Just curious.

 

[rover]

I don't think so Diddy. I have rolled negatives emulsion out and they left them in a zip lock bag for a day or so to flatten them out. This sounds like a safer method than mine.

 

[oscroft]

I've scanned some of the negs now, and there's no sign of any damage to the emulsion. I think that might have been a concern with some of the older emulsions, but with modern thinner and stronger emulsions, I'd be very surprised if there's any real risk of damage.

 

[Keith]

That's something I've been doing for a while now ... I actually cut them into strips of six ready to scan and load them into a cardboard tube (the inside of an old toilet roll) emulsion side out and only remove them as I scan them. Neopan 400 is particularly bad I've discovered and this has been a godsend!

 

[Socke]

interesting, I'm just fighting with Classicpan 400 and an Epson V500. I have to give this a try.

 

[Morca007]

Hmm, very interesting, I'm going to have to give it a try.

 

[cosmonot]

I will definitely try this with the next roll of Fortepan 400 I soup. This stuff curls like no other film I've ever seen, but only in the 120 size... The 35mm stuff seems fine. Some people seem to go so far as to recommend drying on the reel with the emulsion out. I'm thinking I may just spool it up that way to begin with.

 

[photophorous]

I doubt I was the one who suggested it, but I do this all the time. Usually an hour or two is all you need, but I've been known to leave mine rolled backwards for a few days sometimes (because I get busy) and the only negative effect (no pun) I've seen is that it can cause them to curl rather sharply (lengthwise) at the end nearest the center of the reel. Lengthwise curl doesn't seem to hurt my scanning like curl across the width does, but I'm sure that depends on your scanner. If you just leave them for a few hours, that's not a problem.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

One method Ive found for flattening negatives is to scan them. A funny effect Ive found when scanning negatives on my scanner (Microtek M1) is that they completely straighten out when the batch scan is over. This might be the result of the heat coming from the scanner or the film strip holders or the combination of both. But before I scan film I leave them in for a little while to straighten out.