Ah, come on, Kenneth! Where's your sense of adventure? 50 cents worth of developer and twenty minutes of time. What the hey! I've spent more on less, and I'll bet you have, too! Live a little! (grin)(posted 9376 days ago)There was recently a case in the news where a kleptomaniac had been caught. He had stolen thousands of items over the years. Many of the items were cameras. One woman came and claimed a camera which she had thought that she lost 10 years earlier. She had the film developed, and the pictures came out OK.
So could film be developed which is 80 years old? Yeah, possible. Ansel Adams quality? Heck, no. I would consider it a success to get absolutely anything from it at all.
Roger: The real question here is what happens to exposed but undeveloped film as it ages. This is B&W, so it's sturdier than color film. The original exposures were made when the film was fresh, so the necessary chemical reactions are complete. I'm betting that not all of the reactions have broken down, so something will be there.
Hmmm, come to think of it, Photographer's Formulary has a kit called Divided D- 76. I just mixed some up. It's a two-part solution, so the highlights won't block up. Part A has the standard mix of chemicals (contains Metol) and Part B is nothing but a Borax solution.
You can order it directly from the Formulary, or maybe a photographic supply store in your area carries their products. Buy it in the 1- litre size. I bought it in the 2-litre size, and it was difficult for me to mix a batch that large.
First, get ahold of some Verichrome film, and by trial and error figure the best development time for it. That would take about three or four rolls to get decent pictures. I would guess to add about 50% time with Part B, and then go for it.
Besides asking Kodak, ask the folks at the Formulary. They might even come up with a custom mixture of something for you to try! :)