Kodak 35mm Slide Preservation

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atct86 · #1 Post by **atct86** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:08 pm

Does anyone know if it is safe to store 35mm kodachrome slides in kodak carousels, or should they really be stored in the sheet protectors?

I am looking to truly preserve them for future generations.

#2 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:44 pm

you might ask this one of Kodak..
or research the kodak web site if there is one..
film is not very "archival" i think..

so the next question is "how long" do you want these slides to survive..?

also, why not transfer to digital..?
and store them on a CD..?
i know that there may be a loss of quality..

atct86 · #3 Post by **atct86** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:24 pm

As we speak I am scanning them. However I would like to do my best to archive the orginal slides which are still in very good condition.

Keeping them in the carousels would be easiest so i could use my projector.

#4 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:37 pm

I don't think the carousels would be any problem. IMO, what really matters is the environment they are stored in. Probably an ideal environment would be cool with an inert atmosphere like (dry) argon or nitrogen. If you put the carousels in a sealed container and pumped in inert gas, they would probably last a very long time. The inert gas may have to be replaced from time to time. These are just my ideas.

As Bill Morrow suggested, Kodak would be a good place to start. Yes, they do have a website. You could also look for (Google) news stories and articles on the archiving of Hollywood films. This is basically the same material, and they are very interested in preserving the originals.

atct86 · #5 Post by **atct86** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:44 pm

Thanks ill look around some more.

I have a dark, and fairly airtight ceder closet that I was planning the stuff in.

Do you think ceder would be bad for the slides?

#6 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 11:37 pm

atct86 wrote:Do you think ceder would be bad for the slides?

I don't know. Cedar is fairly aromatic, so the aromatic compounds might not be good for the film. I would think a plastic or metal container that has a pretty much airtight seal would be the best.

Note; I am not really a photo enthusiast. I come from a general engineering background. I do have some experience with chemical interactions - in a general way. Take what I say accordingly.

#7 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 11:55 pm

bugs don't like cedar..

like gom says, it is aromatic..
and i'm sure that that is not good for the film..

kodak will be the final word..

FrankK-F · #8 Post by **FrankK-F** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:34 pm

My nickel's worth on storing your Kodak slides and film -- cool, dry, sealed and dark. Your enimies are mold on the emulsion, and deterioration of the cellulose backing of the emulsion.

My other point is more a question .. just what is the archival life of a CD and DVD disk? I remember some discussions on a filmscanner's list a couple of years ago, with varying claims. Does the type, e.g. R vs RW, make a difference? Are the various brands using different chemistries that affect durability?

Frank K-F

atct86 · #9 Post by **atct86** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 10:58 pm

I was worried about cd life, so i bought Mitsu CD-5 disks which are arhival quality, and rated as the best out there.

I still will recopy them in the future.

Never ever trust a RW disk!

turbolium · #10 Post by **turbolium** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:32 pm

Sony cds hold pritty good

but generaly my cds go bad in 5 years

Thane_Bitter · #11 Post by **Thane_Bitter** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:26 pm

Atc86,

Assuming your slides are really Kodachrome (K-14) process, not Ektachrome (E-6), and your store them appropriately, (more below) they will out long out live you. Film is very archival, some more then others, but I think with minimal research you will find that Kodachrome is extremely stable. Without trying to start an analog vs. digital debate (Aghhhh!

) I think for practical purposes you’re wasting time and money digitizing them (unless you have a VERY good scanner). Since it sounds like you enjoy looking at them from time to time, you could have a duplicate set of slides made (either in Kodachrome again, or for less money and faster processing as any other slide film), put the duplicates into the side trays and store the originals. Keep the originals in an archival grade slide box, or in plastic slide preserves (a company called Print File makes them) and then store these in a sealed plastic bag (preferable made out of polypropylene) with a desiccant bag. Chromes can be degraded by light, heat, moisture & gases and of course physical damage. Like CD-R & DVD-R, the dye in slides will fade out over time, and heat will accelerate this. Moisture & dust may lead to the formation of fungus which will feed of the gelatine (animal derived) and slowly eat away at the image. Certain chemicals vapours might also effect the dyes, or film base, and of course if mishandled you could scratch the film. If you are really really serious about keeping images for a long period of time, freeze them. It does require specialized equipment and is obviously expensive as well, but you can decelerate image fading to a point your slides will last for hundreds of years.
That said, having a digitized format is also desirable, you still can store the originals and just view them all by computer or media entertainment system. That said you will have to recopy the media from time to time, and possible have to change file formats.
If you have the time and money, do all three: duplicate to film, scan to digital, and store the originals!
This is Kodak’s own information on storage http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer ... 30/e30.pdf
If you have a spare afternoon check out http://www.wilhelm-research.com on the longevity of image media (very early photographic process through today’s inkjet/digital processes).
Thane

turbolium · #12 Post by **turbolium** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 10:18 pm

in 20 years you can face some serious trouble watching that slides, imagine if you have 5.25 floppy with something and you want to get stuff from there, i dont even know the place there i can do it or go and use 5.25 floppy drive (except i guess the local library))))

so i guess im in flavor of back ups (hate doing that takes soooo much time)

+ imagine how you grand kids will look at you in 20-30 years with slide presenter )))) (totally uncool imho)

atct86 · #13 Post by **atct86** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:20 pm

I am scanning with an Epson 4990 Photo scanner, which is one of the best scanners under $1,000 and makes incredible scans from 35mm.

I am taking them out of the carousels and putting them in Print-File archival sheets in archival binders. Then they will be put in a dark enclosure, possibly near wine.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d102/ ... ide056.jpg

That is a 35mm Kodakrome slide scanned at 3400dpi at highest wulaity jpeg. originally 3.9MB.[/url]

#14 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:45 pm

While I am unfamiliar with the archival sheets you mention, I will say that you do not want any plastic sheet to come in direct contact with the slide film. It may end up sticking over time. This is probably because of the plasticizers they use to soften up hard plastic (a common method used for plasic wrap).

atct86 · #15 Post by **atct86** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:28 pm

http://www.printfile.com/products.cfm?A ... 11#product

Kodak 35mm Slide Preservation

Kodak 35mm Slide Preservation

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