Bradley - If your negs were exposed to clean water, they will be fine assuming you don't damage them trying to dry them. I wouldn't let them dry in the sleeves. You were smart to keep them wet. If they dry in the sleeves or in contact with cardboard or almost anything else, then you could have problems - film tends to stick to things if touching something when it dries. One thing to be careful of - film is more sensitive to scratching when the emulsion is wet. Also, do not immerse in hot water OR rapidly change the temperature of the water they're in (in either direction). To do so can result in reticulation - fine cracks in the emulsion (crazing) caused by too-rapid expansion or contraction of the gelatin which holds the emulsion. What I would do is proceed from here as though you had just finished developing a roll of film in the darkroom: Remove the film from the sleeves and wash in clear water. You've already done this enough, I think :-) . Rinse in photo-flo solution to avoid spots from hard water leaving mineral deposits on the film (a drop or two of detergent in a quart of water will work as well). Squeegee the water off with a film squeegee or clean wet fingers (I prefer fingers - less chance of scratching). Then hang the film in a dust free environment until dry (clothspins on a string stretched over the bathtub will do). Then place negs in new sleeves and you're done. You can salvage the contact sheets the same way, except don't bother with photo-flo rinse (will save you lots of time vs. having to print up new proof sheets for all your negs). Feel free to e-mail if you have further questions. (I know the agony of losing precious negatives). Best wishes, Mark Parsons
