I have no success in removing

baachitraka · Aug 11, 2011

the stains left after drying.

I develop, stop, fix and wash 5-8 times and let it dry.

Even a smallest water stains looks really ugly on the print. My boss recommend hand-soap at final wash...what are your recommendations?

markbarendt · Aug 11, 2011

Photo-flo or LFN

Soft sponge

Wade D · Aug 11, 2011

Yes, a dip in Photo Flo or LFN after the wash will get rid of the spots. Hand soap or dish washing soap is not recommended. It has other chemicals such as fragrance that can hurt film over time.

jordanstarr · Aug 11, 2011

Edwal LFN is a low-foam rinse agent...amazing. I used to use photo-flo, but after using this...never again.

If you have hard water, you'll need to use distilled water for a final rinse and to mix with the Edwal LFN or have a soft water filtration system. Water spots come off with a wipe of a negative cloth if you do it as soon as the film is dry (not waiting days later).

Rick A · Aug 11, 2011

I only use Edwal LFN, forget Photoflo it leaves residue on your equiptment. It only takes one drop of LFN to one pint of distilled water to clean film before drying, and may be reused several times before discarding. Do not wipe film with anything as you chance scratching the emulsion. Shake the excess water off while film is still in the reel before hanging to dry.

baachitraka · Aug 11, 2011

http://www.adox.de/english/ADOLUX/ADOLUX/ADOFLO/ADOFLO.html

Any experience with this wetting agent.

hoshisato · Aug 11, 2011

I use deionized water for the last two washes which removed the problem for me; I pick it up relatively cheap in 5l or 2.5l cans at the supermarket or at the car store.

Juri · Aug 11, 2011

I use distilled water. Since it's completely clean, there can't be any residue left on the film. Also quite cheap. Perhaps more expensive than wetting agent in the long run, but easier to find. For that reason I haven't tried any dedeicated chemistry, but diswashing liquid left blots on the film.

Monito · Aug 11, 2011

I've always used Photoflo with tap water and never had problems with spots or residues on the film or the equipment. The tap water has not been anything exceptional, not too hard or soft, just ordinary tap water in three different countries in three different decades.

bsdunek · Aug 11, 2011

markbarendt said:
Photo-flo or LFN

Soft sponge

That's what I do. I have a couple of old photo sponges which I use very carefully. I did find the Photo-Flo would cause Newton's Rings. I mix more dilute than Kodak suggests, and it works well.

Gerald C Koch · Aug 11, 2011

If you use Photo-Flo di not use too much. Use 2 to 4 drops per 250 ml as a final rinse. You only want to break the surface tension of the water. If you use too much you will get greasy spots. Then use a photo grade sponge to gently remove any remaining water.

Monito · Aug 11, 2011

I've always let Photoflo do its job and flow the water off on its own without attacking the film with a sponge or squeegee. Film after washing is particularly vulnerable to scratching and spotting if you apply any device to its surface like a sponge.

sly · Aug 11, 2011

The Adox wetting agent is not familiar over on this continent, but looks like it's meant for the job.

Give it a try.

My well water is not drinkable. I use bottled watrer to mix with the photoflo for a lst dunk before hanging to dry. No sponges for me either, just asking for trouble.

baachitraka · Aug 11, 2011

1+700 is the recommendation for Adolux Adoflo and that comes in 500ml bottle.

mr.datsun · Aug 11, 2011

baachitraka said:
the stains left after drying.

I develop, stop, fix and wash 5-8 times and let it dry.

Even a smallest water stains looks really ugly on the print. My boss recommend hand-soap at final wash...what are your recommendations?

Your question cannot be answered without a more detailed description.

What side of the negative are these stains on? Can you see them easily with the naked eye?

If they are on the shiny side of the neg I would be surprised if they did not come off with the gentle application of a lens cloth and a little hot breath.

fong · Aug 12, 2011

Not to hijack this thread, but I've been having similar problems. Here's a scan of a negative I recently developed. You can see the white spots across the negative (they extend across most of the frames of this particular roll), which appear as small, mostly-transparent specks on the shiny side of the negative. I have this happen to me VERY often.. usually a rewash + some massaging in water gets rid of some of the specks, but some are usually leftover and others tend to re-form the second time around.

For rinsing, I generally follow the 1+5+10+20 "Ilford" method followed by a dunking in some water with PhotoFlo. I've been experimenting with finger-squeegeeing vs. non-squeegeeing to see if that helps, but I always end up getting either milky stains (maybe PhotoFlo residue??) or specks after drying.

Help!

Monito · Aug 12, 2011

fong said:
Not to hijack this thread, but I've been having similar problems. Here's a scan of a negative I recently developed. You can see the white spots across the negative (they extend across most of the frames of this particular roll), which appear as small, mostly-transparent specks on the shiny side of the negative. I have this happen to me VERY often.

Are they always in the same place, relative to the margin of the film?

fong · Aug 12, 2011

Monito said:
Are they always in the same place, relative to the margin of the film?

Pretty much, IIRC. Usually either within the top or bottom third of each negative. Almost never in the middle.

Monito · Aug 12, 2011

fong said:
Pretty much, IIRC. Usually either within the top or bottom third of each negative. Almost never in the middle.

Look to your film hangers to see if they are retaining moisture or debris and dribbling it on the film. Also, make sure that you are using sufficient solution in the tank.

dnjl · Aug 12, 2011

Distilled water is the key. Soak your finished roll in a bath of distilled water for a few minutes. I do that and the negatives come out perfectly clean, even without photo-flo or anything like that.

bblhed · Aug 12, 2011

Photo-flo is what I use.

Use whatever wetting agent you want, but use one. Do not use dish soap, that is for dishes, not film, not cars, not skin, dishes and that's it, if you want to get crazy you can wash the sink with it.

fong · Aug 12, 2011

Monito said:
Look to your film hangers to see if they are retaining moisture or debris and dribbling it on the film. Also, make sure that you are using sufficient solution in the tank.

Hmm, I'll check for that next time. I use wooden clothespins to hang and weight my negatives, I hadn't thought that they might be causing the specks. Still, considering the specks go nearly the entire length of the film, I'm not entirely convinced it's because of them.

I have no success in removing

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