Bleaching a part of negative

[varjag]

I have a 35mm B&W neg frame with about 1/5th of its square overexposed (was a light leak in a canister with bulk-loaded film). Can it be cured with bleacher/reducer, and if so which one would you recommend (and how should it be applied)? Or should I forget it and rather burn the defect when printing?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Any kind of local retouching on 35mm is hard to make look good. The bleach will also increase contrast in the area bleached, so it might create another problem to solve. Unless this is the only shot you have of the aliens landing, I'd reshoot.

 

[varjag]

Thanks David.

No, no alien landing, but a street shot; unlikely to reproduce. Perhaps I'll try burning.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Well, it should be pointed out that there are different bleach formulae that either reduce, increase, or maintain contrast. However, the point that local bleaching in a negative as small as 35 mm will be very difficult to control is a good one. If the image is very, very good, and you want the ability to make multiple prints (for sale, say), you might consider making an enlarged copy negative and retouching that to simplify the printing process. If you just want one good one to hang on the wall, then burn in the affected area.