Ilford Film questions:

Changeling1 · Nov 4, 2005

I tried using Ilford film (35mm) about 12 years ago. I loved the image quality but couldn't deal with the film's tendency to curl up. It was nearly impossible to make proofsheets in a reasonable period of time. After visiting Ilford's site today, I'm impressed with the commitment they seem to have made to analogue b/w photography.

My main questions are:
Does Ilford's 120 and 4x5 film curl up in a maddening fashion and if so is there a reasonable work-around the problem.

I've always loved Ilford's DW FB multigrade paper. Before I buy and try the 120 and 4x5 film I would appreciate any comments that other APUGers might like to share about Ilford film-especially about the curling issue.

Thanks

Lee Shively · Nov 4, 2005

I've used their 35mm and 120 films since the 1970's and don't recall having any curling problems with the film. I've never used the 4x5 films, however.

Did you dry the film on the reels? That tends to make the dry film curly. I always dry my film by hanging it from a line and clipping it at the bottom to keep it weighed down. No curl.

haris · Nov 4, 2005

I am using Ilford 35mm and 120 films, and never had problelms with curling. Do you properly hang film to dry? That is, do you put clip(s) with weight at bottom of film when hang it for drying, and do you leave film to hang long enough to dry? That could be your problem.

pentaxuser · Nov 4, 2005

Lee Shively said:
I've used their 35mm and 120 films since the 1970's and don't recall having any curling problems with the film. I've never used the 4x5 films, however.

Did you dry the film on the reels? That tends to make the dry film curly. I always dry my film by hanging it from a line and clipping it at the bottom to keep it weighed down. No curl.

My experience is similar to Lee. I have a hot air drying cabinet into which the film(35mm) is hung vertically with clips at both ends and YES it is possible to apply the lower heat setting for a VERY SHORT TIME but I'd advise watching the film while it dries. You can see the beginnings of curl and instantly switch to air assisted drying only i.e. no heat. Once it curls with heat it can be straightened by cutting into strips and placing into neg holders and then under a heavy flat object for as long as it takes but better not to let this happen. I use 120 much less frequently but this seems less prone to curl although not immune to it.

When on a college B&W course we use to use the drying cabinet and it was always on the high setting as we had to ensure the film was dry by the end of the evening session. If any of the students forgot about their film for even a few moments too long it would almost curl into a tube!

Quite frankly I'd just use air assisted drying and be patient.

Pentaxuser

jim appleyard · Nov 4, 2005

I've had problems with Ilford films curling and I hung them with a weighted clip on the bottom. I would them cut them, put them in the neg pages and make a proof sheet under a sheet of glass, as I imagine you're all doing. Then that neg page went into a 3-ring notebook where the curl disappears after a short time as it's in there with all the others.

Bob F. · Nov 4, 2005

I air dry 135 and 120 FP4+ & HP5+ with weighted clips. No more curl than any other film I have used. I also air dry 4x5 of the same films with no weights. No curl.

Cheers, Bob.

Thomas Bertilsson · Nov 4, 2005

I haven't had any problems with the 4x5, I think the base is so thick that it won't curl.

With roll film, they tend to be a little feisty, but not too bad. I hang my film to dry underneath a humidifier, and that seems to do the trick.
I don't think they're any worse than Kodak, or Agfa. Some of the Maco, and Forte films I have heard curl horribly.

Hope that helps,

- Thom

timeUnit · Nov 4, 2005

I've had issues with the Delta 3200 film curling a bit. The base on that film seems slightly thicker than HP5 that I often use. The curling went away after the film had been in the binder for a few days. I do my contact sheets on a 4990 scanner (gasp!) and don't use a glass on top, so the curl was a bit annoying.

lee · Nov 4, 2005

I have shot a lot of hp5+ in my life and have no recall of any Ilford film curling. 4x5 5x7 and 8x10 all no curl

lee\c

gnashings · Nov 4, 2005

35mm and 120 - never any curling issues here (although Delta 3200 - a little more than the slower films). I have no experience with sheet film to comment.

However, obviously, Changeling has had the issue arise - which leads me to wonder: perhaps a humidity or temperature issue(I am really just taking shots in the dark here)? Are there factors that can influence this stemming from the environment?

Of course, in the end - try it, its pretty inexpensive to see if it still gives you issues, right?

Peter

BradS · Nov 4, 2005

Haven't noticed any serious curl in the FP4+ in 4x5. The emulsion seems slightly more prone to scratch in processing and handling compared to Kodak though.

jovo · Nov 4, 2005

I've used Delta 100 extensively for many years in both roll and sheet form and never had a problem with curling at all. As others have stated, the base is substantial. The only other film I use at all is Tri-X which does have a slight tendency to curl, but it's not significant, and it's not a concern. (I dry all roll film with metal clips at both ends, and sheet film with only one clip on one corner.)

stephen · Nov 4, 2005

I've been using Ilford film since the 60's, and can't recall any problems. But I do weight the end of 35mm and 120 films and dry at room temperature. Unweighted 5x4 hasn't presented problems.

Woolliscroft · Nov 5, 2005

I have used Ilford film for 30 years and have not had curling problems. I air dry with weighted clips. Tech Pan is the only film I use that curls badly. If you use a contact printer, it will hold the film flat anyway.

David.

Changeling1 · Nov 5, 2005

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll be trying the 4x5 and 120 soon using the above suggestions. It does seem like Ilford's the company to support.

A J Chicago · Jul 28, 2022

I am new to the film developing game. I read all I could on the subject then hung my Ilford HP5 120 rolls on the shower rod with metal clips wider than the film on the bottom ends. The edges curled in (cupped) every time. I live in northern California where the outdoor relative humidity is 53 - 60%, May through August... 60 - 80% other months. I wonder if it is a humidity issue. No one who ever says where they are whether they are having the problem or not. Don't know what the indoor humidity is here (probably close to outdoor since we don't heat that much), but I bet in northern climates it can get pretty low indoors... when the sparks start flying. I wonder if it's purely a low humidity issue or those with the problem (where we are drying over the shower curtain rod with weights) are just getting bad quality rolls? Also, I am not using Rodinal, but CineStill Monobath DF96, with developer and fixer in the same solution. Would be nice to know what developer/fixer was being used, and humidity (what part of the country) in the curling cases.

Sirius Glass · Jul 28, 2022

Some longitudinal curling may occur, however storing in PrintFile pages tends to flatten them out. One could also put the PrintFile pages on a flat surface place a large flat object on top and top it off with a weight and the curl will flatten out.

gone · Jul 28, 2022

I never had problems w/ curling until I moved to the desert. When I dry my film, it's hung in a bathroom that has had the shower run on hot for a while to build up humidity. The door is closed after the film is hung to dry to keep the humidity in.

Same w/ my prints. Had lots of curling/wavy/drying issues until doing the same thing. Now even the FB dries pretty flat w/ just a gentle curve.

35mm Tri-X always curls like crazy at my place.

pentaxuser · Jul 28, 2022

Well it would seem reasonable to conclude that this curling issue is dependent on humidity or lack
of it. Most of the replies back in 2005 suggested that few if any had a problem but these were posters from N Europe where humidity in not low or the U.S. in areas that again are not extremely low in humidity

The problem seems to be reported by Californians so I imagine humidity is low there. It seems to me that those living in "desert-like" areas need to do something to increase local humidity to counteract the extreme low humidity

There may be no other way. The analogy is with another problem, namely extreme heat, where then only solution is "local cooling" of the processing water i.e, there is nothing else to be done. Ilford film does not give a problem in most areas of the world

My sympathies if you have to live in extreme heat and very dry conditions

pentaxuser

winger · Jul 28, 2022

To dry my film:
I run hot water in a stall shower to steam it up before developing the film (I only run it for about 1 minute once it's hot). By the time I'm done developing, the steam has settled (hopefully taking dust with it) but it's still kinda humid. I hang the film and put binder clips at the bottom of the rolls then leave them for 24 hours. The faster something dries, the more it will curl. This method has been working for me (knock on wood) for several years. I only use Ilford (35mm, 120, and 4x5) and haven't had curling problems.

Adrian Bacon · Jul 29, 2022

Changeling1 said:
I tried using Ilford film (35mm) about 12 years ago. I loved the image quality but couldn't deal with the film's tendency to curl up. It was nearly impossible to make proofsheets in a reasonable period of time. After visiting Ilford's site today, I'm impressed with the commitment they seem to have made to analogue b/w photography.

My main questions are:
Does Ilford's 120 and 4x5 film curl up in a maddening fashion and if so is there a reasonable work-around the problem.

I've always loved Ilford's DW FB multigrade paper. Before I buy and try the 120 and 4x5 film I would appreciate any comments that other APUGers might like to share about Ilford film-especially about the curling issue.

Thanks

I process a lot of Ilford films and as long as you hang it to dry with a clip on the bottom, curling is never an issue with anything I regularly develop from them. That's one of the things I like about Ilford films, they are quite flat and easy to handle after dry.

Sirius Glass · Jul 29, 2022

To avoid the longitudinal curling use a wide clip top an bottom with or without shower steam.

John Wiegerink · Jul 29, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
To avoid the longitudinal curling use a wide clip top an bottom with or without shower steam.
View attachment 311332

Those are the clips I use for the top, but I use lead weighted clips on the bottom. I have never had curl with Ilford PanF+, HP5+, FP4+ or any of the Delta films.

GregY · Aug 1, 2022

John Wiegerink said:
Those are the clips I use for the top, but I use lead weighted clips on the bottom. I have never had curl with Ilford PanF+, HP5+, FP4+ or any of the Delta films.

Like John, I've never had curling issues with any Ilford or Kodak films.

Ilford Film questions:

haris

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