Jesus, holy lord Christ . . . way back to 1976 . . . !
I made a set of Kodachrome and Ektachromes when I graduated from Utah State
University and set out East to Cheyenne, Wyoming where I was the only
photographer on the grounds of the Centennial Rodeo shooting color film.
The slides, since 1967 are immaculate and still sell occasionally, despide
having resided for some years in an 'archival box' I bought in Venice, CA
circa 1969 that was rusted beyond belief. Contents perfect.
I guess it depends on what you consider 'aged' as to 'preservation' and all
that.
S. Shapiro
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gregory Fraser" <Gregory.Fraser@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students"
<photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:56 AM
Subject: RE: Dirty slides
You're far luckier than I. I had an aunt and uncle who never allowed
anyone into their house although they lived 10 minutes from me. After my
uncle died my aunt let me into the house. It had not been cleaned in
roughly 50 years. Every room was full of refuse. Rats had been living in
the house for years.
My uncle had been an amateur photographer and in his old darkroom they
had piled bottles of food that had long ago smashed forming a sticky,
slime over much of the contents. I dug down through old vacuum tube
devices and rusted tools and was able to pry open a cabinet door enough
to see that it was full of slides. Most of them were strewn about the
cabinet and embedded in food slime but I grabbed several slide trays and
my aunt let me keep them. Upstairs was where the real treasure was.
Under piles of unused fabric, dishes still in their 30 year old
packaging, right next to the Edison Victrola were prints and slides all
the way back to boxes of glass plates. A truck load of family history.
My aunt had told me she had named me as executor of her estate so I took
just a few slides at a time when I visited her. When she died I found
out she had been convinced by a 'financial advisor' at the Toronto
Dominion bank to make the bank her executor. The financial advisor (it's
hard to say that without cringing) assured me they would allow me access
to all family papers and photographs. However, when all was said and
done they threw out the whole lot.
I was going to include the woman's name in this email for prosperity but
I can't find it now. Probably better to let it go.
Greg
: I was cleaning the basement today and buried in the corner was a box
: that contained, among other things, a bunch of Kodachrome slides from
: 1976.
:
: The slides are dirty with 30+ years of dust and grime. I am looking
for
: nondestructive methods of cleaning them. This forum seemed like the
: best place to start asking for help and advice
:
: TIA,
: Bob
