Is this use of Photoflow problematic?

Rafal Lukawiecki · Dec 7, 2012

Sirius Glass said:
The problem using PhotoFlo in a Jobo Expert Tank has been validated by Jobo and Jobo makes that recommendation for those tanks and those tanks alone.

As I don't use Jobo, I'm not familiar with that advice, Sirius. Would you mind sharing if their advice also applied to other wetting agents, such as Ilfotol or LFN? Many thanks.

Sirius Glass · Dec 7, 2012

Rafal Lukawiecki said:
As I don't use Jobo, I'm not familiar with that advice, Sirius. Would you mind sharing if their advice also applied to other wetting agents, such as Ilfotol or LFN? Many thanks.

Jobo states that of all wetting agents.

Sirius Glass · Dec 7, 2012

Gerald C Koch said:
None for me either. But I use only 2 or 3 drops of Photo-Flo for 250 ml of water. Just enough to reduce the surface tension of the water. Photo-Flo uses an anti-foaming agent that contains a tallowate component which can leave a greasy residue. A periodic soaking overnight in a 2% solution of sodium carbonate helps clean any reels.

A minor detail, it helps to read the instructions and follow them.

fotch · Dec 8, 2012

jeffreyg said:
I have been seesawing rolls of film through Photoflo in distilled water in a Tupperware container with no problems for forty years. I only use the mixture for one session and then discard it, thoroughly rinse and dry the container. Since I just use a few drops of Photoflo each time it is the least costly of all the materials involved.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Amen. Simple, easy, works.

sepiareverb · Dec 9, 2012

Rafal Lukawiecki said:
Sepiareverb, what was the nature of the issues you had with PhotoFlo that others didn't cause? By the way, I thought Sistan was not a wetting agent, but an anti-silvering protective solution ((there was a url link here which no longer exists) I think), but I have no experience of it. Got a bottle, though...

PS. MSDS lists Potassium thiocyanate as 15-20% and Polyoxyethylated Octyl Phenol as 5-10%.

I've had streaks with PhotoFlo and none of the others. I've always mixed chemistry very carefully, to the directions till I find a reason to do otherwise. My final rinse is now a mix of Sistan and Sprint End Run.

Jim Jones · Dec 10, 2012

Sirius Glass said:
And I have never had a problem with PhotoFlo but then I only have 50 years of experience with it.

Me too, with the final Photoflo 200 rinse diluted much more than Kodak recommends with the film on SS reels in a tank.

Noble · Dec 10, 2012

sepiareverb said:
I've had streaks with PhotoFlo and none of the others. I've always mixed chemistry very carefully, to the directions till I find a reason to do otherwise. My final rinse is now a mix of Sistan and Sprint End Run.

May I suggest you just posted a reason not to follow Kodak's directions? I wash medium format film in 500 mL of distilled water. There is no way I would put 2.5 mL of Photoflo in there as Kodak suggests. I wouldn't even put in a milliliter. I use a medicine dropper and just put in a few drops. As everyone else is posting you only need enough to break surface tension. This thread is comical because Photoflo is the last chemical you really should reuse. It costs literally nothing to mix it up new for each session or as I do for each roll of film. Distilled water is a greater expense at ~$0.84 a gallon.

Is this use of Photoflow problematic?

Rafal Lukawiecki

Sirius Glass

Sirius Glass

fotch

sepiareverb

Jim Jones

Noble

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