Question How to develop a WW 2 film

[Croco]

Hello i am new here and have a Question:

 

How or who can develop a WW 2 film from an ME 109 airoplane? It is a earth found, i found it with metall detector near the rests of an ME109. (It´s the last part what i have from this airoplane- so you don´t have to ask if there are more parts from it). The film coils was lying mayby three meter from each other, the cam was 8 meter ago. One of them is empty , the second is 3/4 film on. The coils having a diameter from round 9cm and are 16mm wide. On both is AGFA pressed on and on one is a Label (2x3cm)to see which was scratched of. I was in unknown numbers of Photo studios and labories, but all wanted to keep the film or i should let him and pick up it later:rofl:- thats what i never will do. At all was the same reaction, fist laugh , but in the dark rooms they didn´t laughed anymore. The first lines was brocken and white- 5 lines down it changed to brown color. Until this starting point we cut it in a dark room. I found one person who really wanted to help, but he has no experiance to such old thing and he didn´t want to risc something, because he means the possibility that something is on is high. Some studios sayed they damage there baths because there rests of sand and earth on it.

 

So Question: It can´t be such difficult to develop a film in a seperate bath or found someone who can do this and let have a view on it. I only want to know if there is something on and what. Who can help?

[Tony B]

Firstly welcome, and then What a question! I'd suggest you contact a local museum. They would have knowledge of the conservation laboritiories. You might contact AGFA themselves.

[Croco]

Thanks for Welcome.

This points you named i visted. The museum´s say you can give it and mayby the develop- you can forget this . Agfa say : "nice , send to us and we will see. But you can´t stay or wait at development" I request more and phoned whit a Agfa Person he says" Agfa is too much in the new Media - such Films are developed Outsides" so the possibility that the film is going under there ( outsides) is too big. The greedy of some persons to get such film is too much, i saw it in many photo studios ( first laugt, looking on it in the dark room and than the situation changed) I often heared" let the film here and come some days later" and on .. I know this guys and was also told by friends that you can´t trust them.

I was told by the friendly photograph ( see upper) that the development is only a short time of a few minutes to fix the Photo´s on the film.It´s like branding so he told me, after this fixing bath you can see on the negativ if something is on or not. After this both you take normal ligthand nothing happens even more. So i can´t understud that the development of my film is such a problem.

[Snapper]

Welcome.

 

I would suggest you contact people who use film cameras still - maybe via a local camera/photography club in your town to see if they can develop the film. The film will need great care to get it out of the container and then developing without fogging it. I would seal the container in a black plastic sack of some sort and keep it in a dark place until you can do this. The film will be brittle and you have to consider whether the chemicals will have deteriorated. It depends on what kind of film stock is in the camera - some can be very dangerous when exposed to the air and will catch fire like phospherous at worst, or just fizzle up. The chemicals may have gone enough for the film to remain blank. It might even not have been exposed. This is a major challenge. Do you not have a national film archive you could approach in your country to handle this for you? If the film survives into an exposed negative it will be a good thing, but you have to consider many issues - not least the safety aspect. But I would press on and get it done. If the film is blank you still have the stuff you excavated and an interesting story. Keep us informed please.

 

Mark

[antarmike]

Are these likely to be stills or motion picture.

 

How about the National Film Archives at Berkhamsted who have much expertise is old nitrate film and the like. I know they usually work with developed film, but it might be worth asking the question.

[andreadavide]

I'd go the "Serious film museum" route.

Even if you aren't allowed to stay with the film while it is developed you are sure that is in the hands of someone who will treat it with the respect (and expertise) needed by such a piece of history.

 

BBC history may be interested in making a piece on this (and this may cover the expenses, if any in developing-restoration).

 

I know that anyone of us when finds some important relic tend to be jealous, but some documents belong to History...

 

Andrea (some of the things I collected during the years are now in a couple of museums, with just a tiny label saying "thank you", but it's enough to me).

[Croco]

@ antarmike

The pictures will be motion pictures/ a short sequence.

 

@anderadavide

I see it also as document with a historical worth. not in financell - in the thinking worth.

Please remember that at the crash the pilot died and the question is what he filmed before.

So I don´t give the film out of my hands, until it is developed.