I scan vintage Koadchrome slides on Polaroid SS4000. Check my website for a
Kodachrome dating
guide:
It is impossible for any scanner to focus properly on the 50 year old ones,
generally they all have excess curvature of the film plane. So here is my
workflow:
1. cut a slit in the top of the mount, parallel to the sprocket film edge,
right under the words "Made In USA" (or "Fabrique En France" etc.)
2. Use a spatula or knife edge to separate the film from the small strip of
heat seat that locks the inside top edge to the mount core. Practice on a
couple of blanks until you get this straight. I come in from the other side
of the slide, the side that says Kodachrome, I come in with the spatula
right at the top of the image and slide it up to just under the word
"Kodachrome" or "Kodachrome Transparency" etc.
3. use photo cotton gloves and a pair of tweezers to carefully pull the
slide out of the slit you cut. It comes out very easily and can be replaced
with no damage.
4. Kodachrome film with red mounts is coated with a varnish. It is
recommended that you remove this with Edwall or Kodak film cleaner. The
varnish usually has more dust spots than the image has. Over half your
spots will be gone. Use very soft toilet paper (do not use lens cleaning
tissue) and after every swipe you take, use a new surface because the
contaminants may scratch the film on the second swipe. The reason Kodak
applied this varnish is because Kodachrome film was softer and more fragile
than b&w film until 1957 when a hardener was added to the processing chain.
5. To ensure perfect focus, get a Gepe slide mount with anti-newton ring
glass. You have two options here: full frame or trimmed.
For a regular scan, mount your slide film into the Gepe mount, but use only
the top glass. It will be perfectly flat and in focus.
For full frame, take the glass out of the mount and put it on top of your
slide in the film carrier (not the slide carrier). You will need practice
so give yourself some time.
I am making 13x19 enlargements and they are outstanding quality. Tack sharp
from corner to corner. The better slides have great economic value as
publication and digital print sales and your time spent doing this work is
well worth the effort.
good luck
Tom Robinson
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