I am going through old 35mm negatives old Alice Cooper and would like to scan them. Question is that they have a buckling/curvature to them that I would like to flatten out. Any suggestions based on experience with this issue?
Using my CanoScan FS 4000 US I find that both trannies in single frames as well as b/w negs in strips appear perfectly sharp on file. There was ever a curve on film, as you probably remember from darkroom days, a curve that runs along the length of the film. It doesn't seem to affect anything, though I suspect that kinks or blisters are going to be pretty impossible to defeat.
I wouldn't try to fix the problem mechanically if its more than the natural curve; drum
may be the answer, but unless the buckle is gradual and even I'd suspect stretching has occurred and I don't see how such a piece of film could ever be held flat against the glass, oil notwithstanding. You could always pick the worst affected shot and try sending it off for professional scanning and base the 'worthwhile' factor against what comes back to you from that.
Good luck.
Rob C