Alternative to wiping film between fingers.

[tokam]

The pertinent point is that the water from air-con or dehumidifiers is not distilled water. It is residual condensate from whatever humity in your rooms has been removed by the units. I agree, autoclaving films is a bit extreme and while the film is wet it would probably result in reticulation of the emulsion.

Peace and Merry Christmas to all.

 

[koraks]

It's indeed condensate, technically. Coincidentally, it is excellent for uses like steam irons, steam cleaners and final film rinse.

 

[Richard Searle]

I use the alcohol wipes that are used in nail bars and that the nurse uses. Available on eBay.

 

[aparat]

I've tried just about every method under the sun to get rid of drying marks. The only thing that works for me for 35mm film is final rinse in distilled water and then five minutes in a salad spinner. Virtually no drying marks remain, and those that do persist, I clean off with the Edwal Anti-stat Film Cleaner.

 

[foc]

Please let’s stop it with nonsense squeegee, rodinal magic recipes, and stand devevelopment. It’s all nonsense.

Whatever about the rest, the squeegee is NOT nonsense (be careful what you say..............................)

"A high quality, well maintained, properly used squeegee in the hand of an experienced operator is not the work of Satan".
How did I do?

Excellent The brown envelope is on its way ! !

 

[foc]

I do a final rinse with distilled water and then use a squeegee too. Never knew it was such a controversial tool until I joined this site!

It can be an angry mob with pitchforks and torches sometimes because of admitting to squeegees.

But the select and chosen few that know how to use one, they will be rewarded with mark-free negatives.

 

[snusmumriken]

You must be pretty tall or shoot 120.

I reckon he means when it’s still in the reel.

 

[snusmumriken]

I did a lot of manual labor lately and just got a scratch through almost a whole roll of 135 TRIX.
It puzzled me in the beginning but then my hands started catching on micro fiber and apparently I have a lot of rough death skin on my hands.
Any alternatives and workflows?
I still have some Kim wipes.

Softer parts of your anatomy?

 

[MattKing]

"A high quality, well maintained, properly used squeegee in the hand of an experienced operator is not the work of Satan".
How did I do?

Excellent The brown envelope is on its way !

This may result in my having to return the envelope, but ....
There are a lot of qualifications included in what I posted.
And most would have trouble fulfilling them all - particularly the "experienced" one.
foc ran a small commercial lab where the equipment was designed for use with "high quality, well maintained, properly used" squeegees, and was almost by definition "experienced".
I don't recommend using a squeegee for most.
They do work great though with RC prints.

 

[relistan]

It can be an angry mob with pitchforks and torches sometimes because of admitting to squeegees.

But the select and chosen few that know how to use one, they will be rewarded with mark-free negatives.

Squeegees, whether or not to pre-soak, stop baths, and stand development really trigger some folks.

 

[John Salim]

In case some of you didn't realise it, motion picture processors use multiple 'wipers' ( squeegees ) throughout the machine - developing tens of thousands of feet of film without scratching.
Productions have to trust their priceless footage is safe through these machines.

John S

 

[Sirius Glass]

Squeegees work well for cleaning windows and glass shower doors. No PhotoFlo required for those.

 

[cliveh]

Watch this 2 minutes in:-

 

[logan2z]

Watch this 2 minutes in:-

I don't think I'd personally do that, but I guess one could make the argument that the film is dry at that point and the emulsion is less subject to damage than it is when wet. But probably still not a great idea.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Distilled water and Photo-Flo (actually I use Fuji's version. Dry-Well). I've never ever wiped a negative.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Ha! Motion picture lines can also afford to spend hundred of thousand of dollars or more apiece on their machines. Picking up a four dollar squeegee at your local auto parts store ain't the same thing. But yeah, just use what works for your tile and shower door - an abrasive pad and some product containing phosphoric acid. That should get rid of any susceptibility of the emulsion to water marks!

 

[foc]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[NB23]

View attachment 324579

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Words like:
Marketing
Amateur
Scratch
Scratches
Why is my film scratched?
Do I really need to have my film dry 2 minutes faster?
Drip
Dripping
Etc.


Also the following words: Labs do this to save time and energy. Money over care.
Labs use exhausted fixer, exhausted developers. Labs are in it for money. Labs develop 100 rolls with one D76 bag.
Labs will always tell you that your camera is under exposing, and you will never know since you don’t have the power to analyze your equipment because you do not develop yourself but let a Lab do it for you.

How many words is that? I could go over 1000 easy.

 

[MattKing]

It is unfortunate when people suffer from dealing with poorly run labs.
Almost all the labs I've used were/are meticulous and careful. They are also normally more expensive then some of their competitors. They rely on constrol strips and other moderately expensive means of maintaining quality, and they have sufficient volumes of work for that to make economic sense.
The quality of choices available to me locally is quite good. I realize that isn't the case in many areas.
If they use a squeegee, I would trust them that it would be "a high quality, well maintained, properly used squeegee in the hand of an experienced operator".

 

[DREW WILEY]

I doubt employees in film manufacture itself are wearing linty sweaters and instruments with built up grime. Those are true clean room operations. And comparing that to casual darkroom habits, or typical home darkrooms, is ludicrous. In other words, if a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe that very picture would result in a thousand less words on this thread excusing sloppy procedure.

 

[foc]

Words like:
Marketing
Amateur
Scratch
Scratches
Why is my film scratched?
Do I really need to have my film dry 2 minutes faster?
Drip
Dripping
Etc.


Also the following words: Labs do this to save time and energy. Money over care.
Labs use exhausted fixer, exhausted developers. Labs are in it for money. Labs develop 100 rolls with one D76 bag.
Labs will always tell you that your camera is under exposing, and you will never know since you don’t have the power to analyze your equipment because you do not develop yourself but let a Lab do it for you.

How many words is that? I could go over 1000 easy.

Yes it is always someone else's fault.
You must have had a bad experience with a lab, to have such indept knowledge of their workings.

 

[foc]

By the way most of my previous comments/posting were meant to be "tongue in cheek " but I obviously hit a nerve.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I just use distilled in the final rinse with Ilfotol and that takes care of 99% of drying marks. If I had to do any kind of wiping of wet negatives I'd just use clean hands, which are made of chamois after all...

I used to tie my films to the back bumper of my jeep and go for a spirited drive, and that dried them right off.

;-)

they also dry in the microwave within 40s.

 

[henryyjjames]

After I wash my film, I soak it in PhotoFlo then I hang it to dry without wiping it. it dries evenly without streaks, spots or scratches. Works when I air dry or use a drying cabinet.

 

[Craig]

I think the most important thing is the water. If you have hard water, you're going to get drying spots. The suggestion of a rinse in distilled water is a good one.