Old Negatives (Page 7): That's what I'm thinking. Why the need for the frame as long as they are centered. You might need to level them with PP but that's not a big deal.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

spinkick wrote:

Its actually not as difficult as you think. I put mine on the flatbed scanner and they came out fine

That's what I'm thinking. Why the need for the frame as long as they are centered. You might need to level them with PP but that's not a big deal.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

pounder35 wrote:

That's what I'm thinking. Why the need for the frame as long as they are centered. You might need to level them with PP but that's not a big deal.

pounder35,

Most film sheets (negatives) have a slight curl in them, even the 35mm film. To get a good sharp scan you need some type of frame to secure the film flat on the scanner glass.
It may well add to the serviceability of the scanner to shield the light sensitive elements on the Scan head from constant bright light with spill over lighting.

Michael G

b.dehautdessert

Since scanning and printing old negs is what I do for a living, I'd like to chime in. First, get a pro to clean them. Best advice so far. I use a V600 and V700 for scanning mostly, though I do use a Nikon CoolScan for 35mm at times. Looked at the V500 and apparently it only scans up to 120 size negatives. For larger ones you could do multiple scans of the same negative and stitch them together with photomerge in CS or CC (maybe Elements too--not familiar with the latest versions). That's what I had to do with the V600 until I got the V700 and it works well. The person who mentioned mold hit it dead center--that is frequently the case with old poorly stored film and positives. Nothing is going to get that out. Don't even try. It etches the surface. I have lousy luck with Epson's version of ICE, only the Nikon seems to do it right, but can't hurt to try.

krosno7

That was my problem with mold also. For the better (more desirable) negatives, I suggest a scan before the cleaning step, just in case the cleaning degrades them, because it is difficult to heal some damage.
Just a thought.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Armadillo wrote:

pounder35,

Most film sheets (negatives) have a slight curl in them, even the 35mm film. To get a good sharp scan you need some type of frame to secure the film flat on the scanner glass.
It may well add to the serviceability of the scanner to shield the light sensitive elements on the Scan head from constant bright light with spill over lighting.

Michael G

Seems like a thin sheet of glass would work except for a glare or reflection problem. Someone mentioned this earlier.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

pounder35 wrote:

Seems like a thin sheet of glass would work except for a glare or reflection problem. Someone mentioned this earlier.

pounder35,

Yes, a thin sheet of glass would work to some degree, and as you mentioned there is the possibility of glare, reflections, and finger prints. Another problem with glass is the probability of thin films adhering to the glass surface as you try to lift the scanned negatives from the scanner. Or, the film moving into undesired positions as you place the glass over the negatives on the scanner window.

I am taking all these suggestions from my HP Flat Bed Scanner with the attachments to scan 35mm negatives and transparency slides. It uses a 35mm holding frame, and its own external, plugin light source. When scanning film the light from the scan head turns off, and only the photosensitive scan head moves under the scanner window.

Michael G

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Armadillo wrote:

pounder35, br br Yes, a thin sheet of glass would... (show quote)

After looking closer at my Epson V500 I noticed the connection from the scanner body to the lid. I've scanned mostly slides and some negatives and a few documents. I never paid attention to the light source as far as off or on. Now you given me another project to put on my schedule. Thanks a lot! :lol: :thumbup:

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

pounder35 wrote:

After looking closer at my Epson V500 I noticed the connection from the scanner body to the lid. I've scanned mostly slides and some negatives and a few documents. I never paid attention to the light source as far as off or on. Now you given me another project to put on my schedule. Thanks a lot! :lol: :thumbup:

You are very welcome.

If we can point you into a different direction to resolve the problem, we have succeeded in providing some level of support.

Michael G

Accelerator

joe_flippin wrote:

I have some very old negatives dating back into the 30's and 40's maybe even older that I am trying to print. I bought the Epson V500 but it will not take the negatives. How can I print them?

They are 5 1/2 by 3 1/4 and they are very dirty. How can I clean them? Can I use plain water or do I need to buy a special solution?

Thanks, Joe Flippin

Don't know if the stuff is still available Joe . You might check B&H in NYC, but what I have and have used many times is Kodak film cleaner. Pretty heavy duty stuff with instructions on bottle. Kadak catalog # used to be CAT 195 6986. Used to cost 4.50 for 4 ounces liquid.

Photoman74 Loc: Conroe Tx

Definitely get help from a professional working with film.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

Armadillo wrote:

You are very welcome.

If we can point you into a different direction to resolve the problem, we have succeeded in providing some level of support.

Michael G

I'm so used to running in circles you'd just confuse me. But thanks anyway. :lol: :thumbup:

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

pounder35 wrote:

I'm so used to running in circles you'd just confuse me. But thanks anyway. :lol: :thumbup:

pounder35,

I have run in circles so many time, but I never did catch my tail. :lol:

Michael

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

joe_flippin wrote:

I have some very old negatives dating back into the 30's and 40's maybe even older that I am trying to print. I bought the Epson V500 but it will not take the negatives. How can I print them?

They are 5 1/2 by 3 1/4 and they are very dirty. How can I clean them? Can I use plain water or do I need to buy a special solution?

Thanks, Joe Flippin

hello,

what you want to do, is go to a local camera store and ask for photo clearing agent (i used to use photoflo). buy an 8x12 plastic pan and was one or two negatives at a time and rinse, gently with tap water. the way to do that is fill pan with water, put negatives in said pan and run water, gently, into aforementioned pan for about 30 minutes. making sure you circulate the negs.

at end of being a real photographer, rather than a digital image maker (ahem) you will have clean negatives, and all will be well, once again, in the kingdom of film!

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

wj cody wrote:

hello, br br what you want to do, is go to a loca... (show quote)

Photo-flo was marketed as a drying agent to keep spots and streaks off negatives as they dried but I also used it for cleaning after the negatives were dried. Never had a problem.
:thumbup:

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/chemistry/bwFilmProcessing/photoFloSolution.jhtml?pq-path=14039