How to handle film immediately after developing it?

Hi everyone,

1) Could you give me some advice on how to handle the film immediately after developing it?

2) How should I hang it to prevent it from curling, when should I cut it, and where should I store the negatives?

Yesterday, after developing it, we hung the film and used small tweezers at the bottom to keep it taut, but after that it started curling.



3) How can I remove these stains, which I'm sure aren't scratches, but appear to be wetting agents or dried water?

use two fingers to 'squeeze' off the remaining water. the, hang up to dry in a dust-free environment. Add a weight at the bottom of the film strip to stop it from curling while drying. Let it hang for several hours or overnight kepp totally dried negatives in plastic sleeves such as 'Print File.'
print

Here's some reading, all on this forum, that I dug up using online search:

To be clear - it's absolutely fine to ask questions even if they have been asked before. But neither does it hurt to have a quick look if perhaps there's already some useful advice out there, somewhere.

RalphLambrecht said:

use two fingers to 'squeeze' off the remaining water. the, hang up to dry in a dust-free environment. Add a weight at the bottom of the film strip to stop it from curling while drying. Let it hang for several hours or overnight kepp totally dried negatives in plastic sleeves such as 'Print File.'
print

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1) but how much time take to be dry the film ?

because i generally develop to my friend house but after that i have to carry the film to my house and is difficult to do that !

2) immediately after it is dry i would like to cut and carry with me in more confortble way, using a binder. but at the same time i don't want to risk to place the film in the binder that is not completly dry.

3)we have some weights, but is there any addiced weight to buy for example on aliexpress ?

4) in what proportion do I cut a roll of film?

5)To avoid stains, when I hang it up, can I use a microfiber cloth or specific microfiber clips that don't scratch to help with drying and remove any water residue?

You should develop your film in a place where you can let your film hang to dry overnight.

You may want to curl it into a container full of water, take it home, and then attend to drying it there.
I hang mine to dry in the shower stall - preferably over-night.
If it is a dry day, I run the shower for a short time first, to bring the initial humidity higher.

Rosssiiii said:

4) in what proportion do I cut a roll of film?

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I let my size of my negative storage sheets determine that - but nothing shorter than 4 frames of 35mm because shorter strips are more difficult to handle.

The curl seems to be more of an issue in polyester film base. Shouldn't be but it seems so. What's the film stock you're using?

MattKing said:

You may want to curl it into a container full of water, take it home, and then attend to drying it there.
I hang mine to dry in the shower stall - preferably over-night.
If it is a dry day, I run the shower for a short time first, to bring the initial humidity higher.

Click to expand...

This is a good idea.

Rosssiiii said:

1) but how much time take to be dry the film ?

Click to expand...

Depends on the conditions in the room; anything from about an hour up to several hours. You have several options:
* Open a nice bottle of wine and enjoy quality time with your friend as your film dries
* Leave the film there and come back for it the next day
* Do what @MattKing suggests (but be careful, wet film is fragile)
* Develop your film at home

Rosssiiii said:

2) immediately after it is dry i would like to cut and carry with me in more confortble way, using a binder. but at the same time i don't want to risk to place the film in the binder that is not completly dry.

Click to expand...

So don't cut and sleeve the film while it's not completely dry. Simple. Pro-tip: if you hang film to dry, it's usually the bit at the very end, at the bottom, that's the last to dry. If the emulsion in the center of the film (so between the sprocket holes) is still a little tacky, the film isn't dry yet.

Rosssiiii said:

3)we have some weights, but is there any addiced weight to buy for example on aliexpress ?

Click to expand...

I use clothes pins, clamps from the hardware store or whatever is available. Don't overthink it.
Also, while weights on the film will help a little, it's not a guarantee that all the curl will be gone.
If you store your negatives in sleeves and put a weight on top, they generally flatten out in a matter of days or weeks.
A little curl doesn't hurt.
Don't worry about it.

Rosssiiii said:

4) in what proportion do I cut a roll of film?

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Depending on storage and any processing; I generally cut in strips of 6 frames. Some prefer 4 or 5. Strips of 5 frames can be assembled onto a single sheet of 8x10" paper for contact printing, apparently. If that matters to you.

Rosssiiii said:

5)To avoid stains, when I hang it up, can I use a microfiber cloth or specific microfiber clips that don't scratch to help with drying and remove any water residue?

Click to expand...

Yes, read any of the links I posted earlier for various strategies for avoiding drying marks.

RalphLambrecht said:

use two fingers to 'squeeze' off the remaining water. the, hang up to dry in a dust-free environment. Add a weight at the bottom of the film strip to stop it from curling while drying. Let it hang for several hours or overnight kepp totally dried negatives in plastic sleeves such as 'Print File.'
print

Click to expand...

Not necessary. There is a chance of scratching the film with your rough skin against soft emulsion. Use a wetting agent and let the film air-dry in a dust-free environment. A clip, like a clothespin can be used to weigh the bottom end to hold the film straight. When the film is dry, cut it into lengths to fit an archival negative page. That should be sufficient. Note that some films are curlier than others but the negative holder for your enlarger will hold it flat when printing, or better yet, a glass negative holder that sandwiches the film between two small sheets of optical glass. Preferably one the has been treated to prevent Newton rings.

The time it takes to dry film varies depending on room temperature and humidity. When I lived in Southern Italy, my apartment was a block from the Adriatic it took 4 to 8 hours depending on the time of time of the year. In the winter I would have my film processed at a local camera shop. I now live in the America Southwest, with Air Conditioning and dry air in the summer as little as an hour, in the winter, 2 to 3 hours. Some films curl more than others, I shoot a lot of Foma and stopped using Foma 120 as it curls way too much. Foma 35mm curls more than Kodak but not to the point that is difficult to insert into negative pages.