When the Photo-Flo Fails
What To Do?
Michael Elliott — Fine Art Film Photographer-Flâneur and Londoner at Massive
If you hadn’t noticed I’ve written a fast and dirty guide to building your personal black and white film at dwelling. If you have not checked it out go do so now. The final element of the improvement procedure is rinsing the film to take away the remaining chemical compounds and then a final wash in a rinse help like Photo-Flo.
A conversation I was possessing with a person on Facebook led to the query “What can I do if I have washed my negatives and they have drying marks on them?”. I believed about this — and I’ve knowledgeable it prior to myself. It really is a actually frustrating issue and there is not a single standout course of action.
Why does residue form?
Residue types on the film due to mineral deposits in the wash water that are left on the film when the water dries.
Rinse help (basically a surfactant like dish-soap) reduces the surface tension of the water to let the water to move freely off the film prior to it dries and deposits the minerals.
When as well a great deal rinse help is utilised bubbles can kind that — rather counter-intuitively — trap the residue.
When as well tiny rinse help is utilised the water can not slough off the film swiftly sufficient prior to it dries and deposits the mineral scum.
To re-wash or not?
The 1st issue is — if you have not reduce the roll into strips and it is nevertheless hanging it is fairly quick to fill a tank or basin with distilled water and add Photo-Flo once more and then run the roll via the rinse remedy once more.
Hold the film at each ends preferably with the film clips nevertheless attached with the shiny (non-emulsion) side facing the bottom/sides of the tank. Utilizing a rocking motion dip the film into the rinse remedy and then move your left hand up and ideal hand down then left hand down ideal hand up repeating a handful of instances. Eliminate shake the excess off and hang. Normally squeegee — only with gloved hands (marigolds perform effectively for this) — to assure there is minimal residue most likely to collect.
An option remedy
If you have — then it is nevertheless achievable to re-wash having said that it is fairly annoying. In these situations I could possibly propose a remedy named “PEC-12” (photo-emulsion cleaner). Along with the fluid the firm sells a pack of lint-free of charge pads.
Squeeze a couple of drops (no much more) onto 1 of the pads fold it in half then holding 1 finish of the strip with a pair of tweezers run the strip via the pad. The pad folded more than ought to cover the complete of the emulsion and backing sides of the strip permitting you to clean in 1 motion from finish to finish.
Bear in thoughts that if you use as well a great deal PEC-12 fluid it will leave its personal residue on the film so be much more sparing than liberal.
Conclusion
At the finish of the day when building your film your self at dwelling you ought to aim to use distilled water for the final rinse only (exactly where you add the Photo-Flo). You do not have to have to use distilled water for any other remedy.
This would minimise the likelihood of mineral deposits becoming left on the film as the water dries ought to you use as well a great deal or as well tiny Photo-Flo.
If you do handle to discover drying marks on the film just after it is dried if you have not reduce the film into strips just re-wash in a new batch of Photo-Flo remedy.
If you have reduce into strips you can use a remedy named PEC-12 and some PEC pads to gently wipe the marks away.
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