Found film

[LocalHero1953]

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I recently bought some IXMOO and FILCA reusable film cassettes from a used equipment dealer. I dismantled one and was taken aback to find it loaded with film, with FP4 hand-written on the leader. That one was obviously lost, but I weighed the others and identified one other that contained film. I had a roll of Delta 400 waiting to be developed, so chose to put the two together in one tank - they seem to have the same development times in HC110. 

Today I opened both cassettes in a changing bag and loaded them into spools and the tank. I then checked the leader I had snipped off: this time labelled XP! A bit of internet research suggested I could still use B&W chemistry with XP2/super, and even that the development time I use for Delta 400 could be good enough.

It has turned out just fine, if a bit dense. It looks like a family day out at London Zoo, most probably in the 60s from the clothes and hair. I wonder where this FILCA has been all this time.

Here are a few of the more interesting ones (there are a lot of less interesting shots of elephants, penguins, polar bears and mountain goats).

Has anyone else found exposed film in purchases of s/h stuff?

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Edited March 13, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[fotomas]

Exciting. I always hoped such would happen to me too, but with no luck until today. About a year ago we found a loaded cassette with a glass plate inside. Could be about 100 years old. We developed it, but i t was all black:(

But if the film really is XP2 the pictures couldn't be from the sixties. XP2 was introduced in 1991. XP1 in 1981.

[LocalHero1953]

1 minute ago, fotomas said:

Exciting. I always hoped such would happen to me too, but with no luck until today. About a year ago we found a loaded cassette with a glass plate inside. Could be about 100 years old. We developed it, but i t was all black:(

But if the film really is XP2 the pictures couldn't be from the sixties. XP2 was introduced in 1991. XP1 in 1981.

Thank for the reminder about XP1 (the film was labelled as XP) - I should have checked. I have to say it looks earlier than 1981, but I can't argue with the date of XP1 (I remember it being introduced!). There is no info on the film edges at all.

[fotomas]

I agree that the scenes look older. Maybe the film isn't XP1 then, especially if there is no writing on the edges.
I just have a look. On my XP1 films there are numbers under the pictures an above is written: ILFORD XP1 400 SAFETY FILM 

Edited March 13, 2022 by fotomas

[LocalHero1953]

Just now, fotomas said:

I agree that the scenes look older. Maybe the film isn't XP1 then, especially if there is no writing on the edges.
I just have a look. On my XP1 films there are numbers under the pictures an above is written: ILFOR XP1 400 SAFETY FILM 

Thanks. As this was bulk film, I wondered if they'd left frame numbers off, but I expected to see the brand and type. The film base is stiff and thicker than Delta 400. It is tightly curled, but that could be just age.

[fotomas]

Ilford XP should look milky if wet. If it looked clear then it wouldn't be XP, but an normal BW film.

[LocalHero1953]

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2 minutes ago, fotomas said:

Ilford XP should look milky if wet. If it looked clear then it wouldn't be XP, but an normal BW film.

No, it didn't look different from any other B&W film - it must be something else then.

Edited March 13, 2022 by LocalHero1953

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

Bought my M6 from a gentleman in Ireland (Dublin IIRC)  7? years ago (possibly more).  Still had a part used film inside.  He didn't want the film back and as I'd opened the camera (in a darkish room I didn't bother having it developed.

[ianman]

I was given a TLR recently which had a partially exposed film in. It’s a colour Kodak but I haven’t developed it yet.