How do I deal with a pin hole on neg?

[Jon Shiu]

I've used a red extra-fine Sharpie to mask the pinhole, but yours might be too small for that. I have used a product called spot pens to bleach the black spot on the print to white, and then spotone it. This worked fine, but have to go easy as the bleach spreads a bit.

Jon

 

[canuhead]

I think I'll try that pin prick trick on a wasted negative, thanks.

 

[Erik L]

On sheet film I often use a tiny piece of ruby lith tape to cover offending dust spots and then spot the print. The tape is easily removed if wanted.
Regards
Erik

 

[MarkL]

There is a very high quality solution if you have a masking system. Basically what you can do is place a piece of film under your negative and expose it to white light under your enlarger. You expose/develop the target film in such a way as to end up with only your black pinhole dot on it. With the masking system the negative and your target film are easily exactly aligned and placed together in the neg carrier (possibly with some diffusion between the two to reduce any edge effects). You would then have a custom made pinhole dodger! You wouldn't have to alter your original neg and the result would be repeatable print to print. This works best on 120 film and larger.

Another approach would be to tape a piece of mylar, or some other opaque material that would take a pencil or pen, on top of your neg. On a light table, try to put a precise dodging dot on the mylar, then try to print through this sandwich. It would be tough to do well, but might at least lighten the dot and make it easier to deal with.

Let me know if any questions,
Mark

 

[tkamiya]

I can report the following so far.

Knifing the print does not work on this surface. (RC Pearl) I can scrape the dark spot off but it won't take spotall afterwards.
Placing a 'fly' on the spot under red light is impossible. I can't see!
I am not stabbing my film.
Under microscope, I tried to put a "dot" on the neg. Even the smallest spot is too big.
Try to use a needle. Ink won't stay on the very tip.
I don't have a registration system so that isn't workable for me.

I might have to reshoot this....

 

[anikin]

I bought one of these just for this reason:
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/19917-Spotpen-Black-Spot-Remover

I have not used it yet though...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Prof_Pixel]

I might have to reshoot this....

If you can't reshoot, there is another way to address your problem, but we'd have to talk about it over on DPUG

 

[Bill Burk]

Even the smallest spot is too big.

Thanks for the follow-up. When I use opaque on negs, I am not thrilled with the white blotch.

But when I'm done spotting, it turns out OK. My work is 4x5 on 11x14 so I don't have as much enlargement as you. But I had the most hope for opaque.

 

[walbergb]

You can get 1 gram (a lifetime supply) for $18 from http://www.scbt.com/datasheet-214776-crocein-scarlet-7b.html

Or Photographers' Formulary 5g for $9.95--enough for 5 lifetimes

 

[Bill Burk]

Hi tkamiya,

In case you want to cry "uncle" and give the job to a professional...

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Katherine Gillis may be able to solve the pinhole problem for you professionally...

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've stippled the base side of the film over the pinhole with a sharp stylus perpendicular to the base, and it's worked well for me with no haloing. The stippling should be compact around the pinhole. Take a scrap neg and create some pinholes and fix them this way before playing with an important neg. You'll be surprised.