Kodak Photo Flo

[logan2z]

What is LFN?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/16726-REG/Edwal_EDLFN3_4_LFN_Wetting_Agent_for.html

 

[faberryman]

If you get in the habit of giving your tank and reels a good soak and rinse with warm/hot water, right after you hang up your negatives to dry, you will be okay. My tank and reels are over 30 years old. No issues.

I have never had an issue with residue on my stainless steel tanks and reels. I just rinse them under the tap when I am finished using them. I have read in these page members who have had to scrub their plastic tanks and reels with a toothbrush to remove residue (sometimes referred to as gunk) which they have said is PhotoFlo.

 

[logan2z]

I have read in these page members who have had to scrub their plastic tanks and reels with a toothbrush to remove residue (sometimes referred to as gunk) which they have said is PhotoFlo.

I've sidestepped that issue by never placing reels in a wetting agent (Photoflo or LFN). I open up the reels and dump the film roll into the wetting agent/distilled water mixture and then agitate the film for a minute before hanging to dry.

 

[mshchem]

I use PhotoFlo with reverse osmosis water for final rinse of black and white film. I leave film on my Jobo reels, drop the reel with the film for about 1 minute in the solution, hook on a film clip, pull the film off the reel, hang up the film, toss the empty reel into hot water. Never have had any problems over the decades.
I doubt that I have used more than a quart of Photoflo 200 in the last 40 years, 99 and 44/100's of that went through the sanitary sewer system.

Everything uses surfactants.

Simeticone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sirius Glass]

I use PhotoFlo because water or distilled water causes spot and streaks.

 

[mshchem]

I use PhotoFlo because water or distilled water causes spot and streaks.

I agree. I don't know if I have ever tried using absolutely pure water, neat. Using a wetting agent like good old Photoflo levels out the water and speeds drying.

 

[btaylor]

What is LFN?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/16726-REG/Edwal_EDLFN3_4_LFN_Wetting_Agent_for.html

I got a couple of bottles in a darkroom lot I bought about a decade ago, and they had been in storage a couple of decades previous to that- I’m still working on that second bottle! Works great at high dilutions. My water is very hard though so I use distilled water for that final rinse.

 

[Radost]

LFN Failed miserably. It says 1 drop if using distilled water.
Really sucked... I have some horrible spots. Not everywhere. But Bad.
bulk loading some film for test shots to evaluate more.
I always do but will make sure everything is cleaned.

 

[Sirius Glass]

LFN Failed miserably. It says 1 drop if using distilled water.
Really sucked... I have some horrible spots. Not everywhere. But Bad.
bulk loading some film for test shots to evaluate more.
I always do but will make sure everything is cleaned.

Usually LFN works, try a bit stronger or weaker to see if that helps. @MattKing recommends trying Isopropyl alchol. After that consider using PhotoFlo. Your local water is the driver on this and what works in other areas will not be the same for you.

 

[logan2z]

LFN Failed miserably. It says 1 drop if using distilled water.
Really sucked... I have some horrible spots. Not everywhere. But Bad.
bulk loading some film for test shots to evaluate more.
I always do but will make sure everything is cleaned.

The directions say to use 1 drop per 16 oz of distilled water. How much distilled water did you use?

It also says to agitate the film for 1 minute before hanging to dry. How did you agitate?

 

[mshchem]

LFN Failed miserably. It says 1 drop if using distilled water.
Really sucked... I have some horrible spots. Not everywhere. But Bad.
bulk loading some film for test shots to evaluate more.
I always do but will make sure everything is cleaned.

You need to use the same amount, not less, when using distilled water. The surface tension of pure water is roughly equal to that of hard water.
LFN is a good product, you need at least 2 or 3 drops per 500ml.
Hard to beat good old Photoflo 1 ml in 250ml. I mix up 500ml at a time, dunk 1 reel at a time. Mix fresh every time.

 

[John Wiegerink]

LFN Failed miserably. It says 1 drop if using distilled water.
Really sucked... I have some horrible spots. Not everywhere. But Bad.
bulk loading some film for test shots to evaluate more.
I always do but will make sure everything is cleaned.

I like LFN better than PhotoFlo, but that's just me. I have never had a problem with LFN either in a pre-soak or a final rinse.

 

[logan2z]

I like LFN better than PhotoFlo, but that's just me. I have never had a problem with LFN either in a pre-soak or a final rinse.

+1

Has worked well for me when following the manufacturer's instructions - 2 drops in 32 oz. of distilled water, 1 minute of agitation.

 

[mshchem]

I know a fellow who swears LFN is the greatest thing ever. He's probably developed 400,000 rolls of film over the years. He used good city tap water, and 3 or 4 drops of LFN per liter, let film hang, no heat or drying cabinet. Perfection.

 

[guangong]

wipe off between two fingers and let it air dry. The residue left behind by Photo Flow is of no consequence unless too much of it was used, in which case rewashing is recommended.

That’s also my working method.

 

[mshchem]

This is my situation. I'm where everyone says "do you want this?" Not sure when K-mart was selling glass bottles of Photoflo, probably the late 60's. The small 4 oz bottle is what I always used, "1/2 cap per 20 US fl.oz." That's the little tiny metal cap

.

 

[Radost]

The directions say to use 1 drop per 16 oz of distilled water. How much distilled water did you use?

It also says to agitate the film for 1 minute before hanging to dry. How did you agitate?

400ml Less than 16oz
I span the real 135 and 120 with my washed clean finger
Brand new FIxer and developer used.
My stop bath is old. I wonder if that introduced some gunk.

 

[snusmumriken]

Hard water area in my case. Wash film in tap water, final rinse in de-ionised water + Tetenal Mirasol (1ml per 350ml water). Shake off excess water while in spiral. Hang to dry overnight at room temperature with weighted bottom clip. Rinse spirals briefly. No issues whatsoever. Mirasol is anti-static and anti-fungal.

There are so many posts here about drying marks and sticky reels with Photoflo that I would now never touch the stuff.

 

[wiltw]

Antifreeze and alcohol???? I always thought it was a detergent.

Not simply used as antifreeze ingredient. In the European Union, it has food applications,for cosmetics and pharmacology. Propylene glycol is a compound which is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US FDA and is also approved for certain uses as an indirect food additive. Propylene glycol is also approved and used for topical, oral, and some intravenous pharmaceutical preparations in the U.S. and in Europe.

 

[Bill Burk]

I have a meme for this..

 

[GLS]

I never had much luck with traditional wetting agents, ending up with residues quite often.

Several years ago I switched to using a final rinse of 95:5 deionised water : pure IPA, and now always get pristine results.

 

[DREW WILEY]

You should always use distilled water for the brief final rinse of film, no matter what your tap water quality is like. All it takes is a couple of drops - a tiny amount - of Photoflo or Ilfosol in a pint or even a quart or liter of water to do the job.

Wilt - Not all glycols are the same. You are aware of fatal amounts of PEG in toothpaste made in the PRC, and sold in Latin America, aren't you? That was as infamous as melamine being added to baby formula, around the same general timeframe. But if you know better, it's been nice chatting with you while we still had the chance ... The only animal it doesn't seem to poison are marmots, which have the remarkable ability to capture and store both antifreeze and rattlesnake venom in their fat, rodenticides too. Early season, just out from the snow, they'd chew through radiator hoses up to get at it, up at the Mineral King trailhead.

 

[cliveh]

I never had much luck with traditional wetting agents, ending up with residues quite often.

Several years ago I switched to using a final rinse of 95:5 deionised water : pure IPA, and now always get pristine results.

Amen

 

[Roger Cole]

Although Photoflo seems to be almost universally recommended as a way to eliminate drying marks/water spots, I had a terrible time with streaks when using it - and I did mix it with distilled water and at the 1:200 dilution recommended by Kodak. The problem could have been a function of my hard water or maybe I needed to use an even higher dilution than 1:200, but I switched to LFN and have never had a mark since - and no need to finger-squeegee. I also find it more convenient to use - just two drops in 32 oz. of distilled water and you're done.

I always got streaks too at the recommended dilution and I too changed to LFN but the real problem is indeed that even 1:200 is too strong. Cut that in half and it works fine.

 

[Roger Cole]

Not simply used as antifreeze ingredient. In the European Union, it has food applications,for cosmetics and pharmacology. Propylene glycol is a compound which is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US FDA and is also approved for certain uses as an indirect food additive. Propylene glycol is also approved and used for topical, oral, and some intravenous pharmaceutical preparations in the U.S. and in Europe.

The antifreeze we commonly think of and that's toxic is ethylene glycol, not propylene. Propylene is much, much less toxic and GRAS.

Antifreeze - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org