4by5 Negs

Making 2L of working strength Ilfotol is crazy. If it's anything like Photoflo, it won't keep well over time. The solution doesn't oxidize or break down like a developer will, but it does play host to some sort of bacterial growth that manifests itself as white particulate matter in the bottle. Bad news. That crap will stick to your negatives and make a real mess of things. All you need are a few drops of concentrate per 1/2 litre of water to do the job. Simple way to do this. Fill a small tray with 1 litre of water. with a medicine dropper, add 4 or 5 drops of wetting agent concentrate and mix well. Dip a sheet of film into the tray, rock the tray a few times, and remove the sheet. If there are any water beads on either side of the film, add a couple more drops and repeat until the water sheets off with no beading. That's it. Discard the dilute wetting agent after use.

Will try that Frank.

Maybe this is what is causing the stickiness. But I do change my water everytime so there's no possibility of bacteria growth. I've also ordered some dropper measures from formulary to solve these problems.

Thanks.

Look at the bottle of PhotoFlo! Some is 1:200 and some is 1:600. When all esle fails, read the directions.

Note to self: When reaching for the Hypo, remember that PhotoFlo will fix neither film nor prints.

Steve

I introduced Ilford's Washaid in between my fixer and final rinse. The stickiness has gone.

ashokgoyal42 said:

I don't have a pipette, but I prepare 2L of Ilfotol using 50ml to 1950ml as recommended. I prepare new wetting agent every time.

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Two liters mixed up at once?

I don't think it keeps. Do you use that much all at once? I did that (made a big batch) once many years ago and stuff grows in there if you keep it too long.

ic-racer said:

Two liters mixed up at once?

I don't think it keeps. Do you use that much all at once? I did that (made a big batch) once many years ago and stuff grows in there if you keep it too long.

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Most good Wetting agents do keep a short time mixed up they usually have anti fungal agents etc, but they all differ.

Usually in labs with deep tanks the final tank was the wetting agent, it would last a few weeks. You did get a build up though, films shed gelatin.

Ian

i don't use the recommended dilutions but
i put a tiny bit in the cap of the bottle of photo-flo
and dribble a few drops in the tank, or tray or film washer.
it is the last liquid that touches the film before it is hung to dry.
4x5 - 8x10 with a clothes pin.

if your film has residual stickiness, you might be using too much wetting agent.
it only takes a tiny bit ( a bottle is a lifetime supply ).

ashokgoyal42 said:

OK, here goes - I read Rapid Fixer and Washaid details (yet again). Rapid Fixer is Ammonium Thiosulphate, and Washaid is a hypo eliminator. Hypo is Sodium Thiosulphate. SO ... technically there's either an issue with my washing/rinsing process or the temperature at which I'm doing this process which is resulting in that stubborn sticky drop (I tried to remove it with a lens cleaner -total disaster).

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

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i wouldn't use hypo eliminator.
it is not recommended for modern film or paper.

ic-racer said:

Two liters mixed up at once?

I don't think it keeps. Do you use that much all at once? I did that (made a big batch) once many years ago and stuff grows in there if you keep it too long.

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I now use Foma Flo of Formulary. And I prepare it at the very end by dropping a few drops into a tray of distilled water. I use Ilfords WA only when I'm doing like 4-6 sheets of 4x5, and that too i when the films are in the fixer.

Thanks for asking -- I had kept some to use but changed my procedure after these discussions.

ashokgoyal42 said:

Thanks for asking -- I had kept some to use but changed my procedure after these discussions.

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Were you able to get a 4x5 enlarger?

Nope ... still looking. I found an Devere on ebay but shipping costs and other details are a big issue.

One of the most important things about PhotoFlo (and its equivalents) is that it needs to be mixed in very well. It behaves much like washing-up detergent. If you don't mix it in well, it is likely to leave a sticky residue on your negs. I reckon that was most likely the cause of your sticky drops. As others have said, you shouldn't generally need a hypo-clearing agent for washing your film.

Ian

iandavid said:

One of the most important things about PhotoFlo (and its equivalents) is that it needs to be mixed in very well. It behaves much like washing-up detergent. If you don't mix it in well, it is likely to leave a sticky residue on your negs. I reckon that was most likely the cause of your sticky drops. As others have said, you shouldn't generally need a hypo-clearing agent for washing your film.

Ian

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In that vane, do not mix it a little stronger than recommended. The dilutions that the manufacturer gives has a safety margin between making film sticky and not being effective.

Steve

If you want to systemize your use of photoflo, get yourself something like this dropper bottle:

http://www.storables.com/Shop/Travel/Essentials/?launch_pg=itemPage&launch_sel=1004452&launch_pg_sp=true&title=1+oz+Dropper+Bottle

You can then transfer the PhotoFlo to the bottle, one ounce at a time.

Next, you need to measure how many drops from this bottle it takes to dispense a millilitre (ml) of PhotoFlo. When I measured this, I came up with 60 drops in 5 ml, or 12 drops per ml. This is because this particular bottle dispenses very small drops.

When I PhotoFlo my film, I use either 400 or 600 ml (depending on format). This means I use either 24 or 36 drops into 1/2 the water used, and then dilute to final volume.