# Disaster - Glassine is stuck to Negatives



## TwoRails (Dec 31, 2011)

Short version: Before I experiment on my own and wind up destroying the negatives, does anyone know how to remove 30+ year old glassine sleeves off of color and B&W negatives?

More info: in the late '60s thru the early '70s I shot a lot of 35mm film.  I guesstamate a couple hundred rolls.  Back then I was told glassine sleeves was the way to go.  Now 30 years later, I finally got a scanner and want to digitize all my old stuff. I found my large box of negatives that hadn't been opened for probably 20 years.  The glassine is stuck to the back side of the film: if I hold the film so I can read the frame numbers, it's stuck to the other, less shiny side.  

I can peel most of it off but it seems almost like it's etched in the film, but i can't really tell.  Here's a crop showing what it looks like when scanned.  It's about 20-25% of the frame.

Please help!!  there are a ton of memories at risk!!


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## ann (Dec 31, 2011)

You could try putting some photo flo into some distilled water and let them soak,. How long, don't know, but I would start with at least an hour. Then re-wash


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## Cruzingoose (Jan 2, 2012)

I share your problem...Years of  wax and moisture has embedded the material into the film emulsion. You could try room temperature water and a few drops of FotoPhlo to separate the sleeve, but the damage is done and quite permanent.  I have also found that after soaking, the emulsions of some C-22 and B&W films will come off with the sleeve. If you know the film to be C-22, do not soak in anything warmer than 75 degrees F, the emulsion will come right off the base. There is no magic other than hours of Fotoshop retouching of each image.


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## Paul Ron (Jan 2, 2012)

I have negatives from the 60s n 70s in glassine bags with absolutely no ill effects at all. The bags simply are getting crispy n are crumbling but no adhesion to the negs or residue at all. Perhaps you stored em in a hot or damp place?

Best advice is soaking em in the wetting solution, the glassines should just disolve, hopefully not doing too much damage to the emulsion. Sorry to hear this happen to anyone's treasures. 

Best of luck

.


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## Cruzingoose (Jan 4, 2012)

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/35608.htmlTwoRails negatives were likely involved in a moisture / humidity for a long time misshap as were mine. I had mine stored away in an inside closet for years. Apparently there was a leak in the roof that went unnoticed until a mustyyodor started to appear. There was no water stain anywhere. 

The emulsion softened just enough and there was just suficient pressure to embed the glassine paper into the emulsion. Very few of my negatives and slides were salvageable. Just keep in mind TwoRails, The longer you soak them the easier the paper will come off,..... but the likelyhood of pulling off and loosing the emulsion increases also.


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## TwoRails (Jan 7, 2012)

ann said:


> You could try putting some photo flo into some distilled water and let them soak,. How long, don't know, but I would start with at least an hour. Then re-wash


Hi Ann.  I can give it a try, but would have to mail order the chemicals as I live out in the boonies and don't feel like taking an hour long drive "to town."    Anybody have any ideas on a homebrew solution?  Plain water?  Alchohol? 



Cruzingoose said:


> I share your problem...Years of  wax and moisture has embedded the material into the film emulsion. You could try room temperature water and a few drops of FotoPhlo to separate the sleeve, but the damage is done and quite permanent.  I have also found that after soaking, the emulsions of some C-22 and B&W films will come off with the sleeve. If you know the film to be C-22, do not soak in anything warmer than 75 degrees F, the emulsion will come right off the base. There is no magic other than hours of Fotoshop retouching of each image.


 Hi Cruzingoose.  Sorry to hear you have the same problem.  Yes, i fear it's into the emulsion.  Thanks for the oversoaking cautions.  Yes, it would take hours of retouching for each frame, and "there's not that much time in the world."  LOL  Maybe just for super keepers, but then I'm not all that good or fast at retouching 



Paul Ron said:


> I have negatives from the 60s n 70s in glassine bags with absolutely no ill effects at all. The bags simply are getting crispy n are crumbling but no adhesion to the negs or residue at all. Perhaps you stored em in a hot or damp place?
> 
> Best advice is soaking em in the wetting solution, the glassines should just disolve, hopefully not doing too much damage to the emulsion. Sorry to hear this happen to anyone's treasures.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for the good wishes, Paul Ron.  Yes, the glassine is quite crispy, but stuck none-the-less.  They've been stored in boxes for 30+ years and I can't remember all the places they've been in (a shed? the house?).  I know they've been in the house for many years, though.



Cruzingoose said:


> TwoRails negatives were likely involved in a moisture / humidity for a long time misshap as were mine. I had mine stored away in an inside closet for years. Apparently there was a leak in the roof that went unnoticed until a mustyyodor started to appear. There was no water stain anywhere.
> 
> The emulsion softened just enough and there was just suficient pressure to embed the glassine paper into the emulsion. Very few of my negatives and slides were salvageable. Just keep in mind TwoRails, The longer you soak them the easier the paper will come off,..... but the likelyhood of pulling off and loosing the emulsion increases also.


Hi again, Cruzingoose.  No water stains here, either, but like I alluded to above, I don't really remember if they were stored in damp conditions (as I've moved a numer of times over the years).  

That is, I'm sure, part of the problem: pressure on the sleeves and negatives.  The box I'm working on right now had photo albums on top of the negatives.  I'll take a good guess that my logic way back then was to keep the negatives flat.  Instead I think I "pressed" the sleeves into the negatives.


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