Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Found Film:1960's Kodak Tri-x

Next is another iconic film Kodak Tri-x-pan. I know a little more about this film, it came from a professional photographer and was shot in a 1960 Rolleiflex link
Here is the film:



I processed the film in stock ID11/D76 for 9 mins. I had some idea of the content as the photographer has written on the paper seal 'Warrington & snow scenes.



Sure enough on developing the images there were several snow scenes of a house and some shots of a seed factory.


A close up of the people and seed sacks.


The close-up shows the name of the company 'Gartons' and a google search quickly showed me that there was indeed a Gartons of Warrington seed factory, although they are no longer trading.
Here is another shot of the factory



And finally a shot of the house in the snow



Possibly the photographers house?
I think this film was shot between 1960-65, I know the camera was a 1960 F3.5 Rolleiflex and I think (though can't be sure) that Kodak stopped using metal spools for 120 in the mid '60's
© Images and text Mark Antony Smith 2007

9 comments:

tuscland said...

Hi Mark,

Very exciting post, again.
Last june, a friend told me about photography, so next month, I went to a Leica store in Paris and bought a beautiful M6 with a Konica 50 f2 lens (my finances are not up to the Leica standards, yet :-) ).

A few rolls have passed … reading blogs and discussion forums on the web trying to understand the basics and tricks of photography (I always need to understand a problem before I can feel I am free from technical issues and concentrate only on artistic matter).

Then tuesday evening, I read all your blogs. It was VERY interesting, and I LEARNED a lots of things. At last there is a clear comparison of B&W films.
I was so excited that last morning I went to boulevard Beaumarchais (this is where the photo stores are in Paris), and bought a full processing kit. Now I will be able to process my own films, thanks to you.

So again, thank you for you blog!

Best,
Camille Troillard

Photo–Smith said...

Camille,
Thank you so much for your reply, people such as yourself are the reason I started Photo Utopia.
I plan more film and developer tests in the future.
Also if you need fast advice you can e-mail me
At:
digital dot camera (at) virgin dot net
Oviously the dots are "." and the at is "@" done to avoid spam.
I will answer all you questions if I can.
Have fun with your photography!!
regards
Mark

Charlie Wood said...

Hello Mark
I have just posted on my blog some new found film pictures from a roll of FP4 from a metal Voightlander Brillant.
I think I have unearthed a chemistry lesson from the 1980's

Charlie

Charlie Wood said...

You can tell this is the 1960's. No dust masks or safety boots, All hand-ball no warehouse forklift.

I have a new toy in the shape of a very nice 1936 ContaxII & 5cm f1.5 uncoated Sonnar.

Keep your metal Kodak 120 spool these spools never get chewed up by temperamental old folders.

Charlie

Photo–Smith said...

Thanks Charlie
I was given a 6x9 Folder just yesterday. Its a Bessa about 1931-40? vintage.
Very slow F6.3 lens speeds 1/25-1/100 T&B, scale focus.
I have put through some of the cheap Fortepan 120 from Retro, quite a difficult beast to master, need to remember to focus!
So far I'm on a 50% success rate, but dull days and 100ISO mean 1/25 F6.3 in some cases, I'll give it a good work-out on a sunny day.

Charlie Wood said...

Hello Mark

I have a Bessa to its shoots 6x9 or 6x4.5 with a mask, Mine has the Skopar lens and a compur shutter, looks a bit rough but it all works as it should.
Use a SLR as a combined spot meter and rangefinder.
Retro photographic has 120 ortho film I have some ortho in my bessa at the moment.
If you have red windows on your folder cover them with black insulating tape and only uncover when you wind, to avoid fogging on pan film. A handy tip from very old camera book. Wind your folder to one of the squares/circles before the frame number just before you take a shot wind on to the number, this way your film will be taught and flat hopefully.
Good luck with your folder.

Charlie

Richard said...

you might want to check out ebay auction item 350001779233, an unexposed roll of old ilford.

Unknown said...

I have a two exposed rolls of Kodak Kodacolor circa 1953 and one unexposed roll of Kodak Tri-X from the same time period. How would you recommend developing the Kodacolor film?

Photo–Smith said...

Noah
The Tri-x is really possible, I'd use either D76 or possibly HC110 fogging will be high but you may get an image.

The colour film will not be able to go through any colour chemistry as the emulsions weren't hardened, they will literally 'fall off' the base.
My best advice would be to clip test (cut off a small strip 6" long) and develop in a B&W developer, it will give mono results and they will be grainy-you might get something...
Mark