My film is drying right now!! The drops dont move!!

[BetterSense]

If you are in a hurry paper towels actually work too. Fold them over a few times, wrap around the film, and pull thorough. Dry in 15 minutes. I don't do this as a matter of course, but I have done it and it works.

 

[ozphoto]

You know when you need to replace Photoflo (in my case Agepon) - the excess water won't run down the film, it'll just sit there. I use John's method when I process film too - if the slight resulting bubbles don't slide downwards, I tip the stuff away, mix a new batch and re-dunk it.

 

[clayne]

Guys the "mix on the fly" method isn't really that slower. You use a small eye dropper and drop a ml or less into 500ml of water. This is about the same time as just pouring 500ml of working mix into the tank - sans the time it takes to unscrew the cap, suck a ml into the dropper, drip, and close the cap. Maybe 30 seconds needed. What you don't lose is another canister to yet another working solution, nor do you risk mold, contamination of the WS, etc.

 

[martinhughesireland]

Buy a new hand water sprayer. Fill the sprayer with distilled water and add a few drops of photoflo.

Hang your negs up, squirt the front and back of each frame twice starting at the top and working down. Never touch the negs just let them dry themselves. Then leave the room and come back when they are dry.
M

 

[alxsav]

I use Ilfotol as wetting agent diluted in deionized water. I use 0,2 -0,3 ml per 500ml of water. Too little Ilfotol and you get water marks, too much and you get wetting agent residue. The recommended dilution by Ilford is too much. Then I hang the film in a quiet place in my darkroom to dry. It takes around 2 hours to be ready. I think that 120 films tend to dry more clearly than 135.
Another solution I have used is the Tetenal Stabilising bath (as part of the Tetenal Colortec e6 kit). It is used as a stabilizer and wetting agent. It gives crystal clear films. But it contains formaldehyde...

 

[Chris Nielsen]

The only size Ilfotol I could get was so big that I don't think I'm ever going to finish it, hence no motivation to re-use it. Awesome stuff, makes my life much easier

 

[alxsav]

Me too, I can find it only in 1L bottles. It would last for over 6000 films! (Using 0.3ml per 500ml of water, enough for 2 films).
But it spoils quickly so you must throw it away and buy a fresh one...
It happened twice to me so I divided it in four 250ml bottles and I keep them in the fridge.

 

[Matt5791]

Ilfotol is only available as a 1 litre bottle from the manufacturer.

 

[avandesande]

I let mine soak overnight in distilled water with a couple drops of photoflo- always comes out perfect. I like letting it sit because you don't have any bubbles in the solution or if you spray the negatives down(with pf soln).

 

[photomem]

I am not sure this is possible, but one of my photo instructors ( same one who said the drying cabinet could dry negs in 20 mins) said he accidentally left a roll in photo-flo too long, about 2 hours I believe, and it lifted the emulsion off the film. I am very skeptical about this unless the solution was mixed way too strong. Anyone ever heard of anything like this?

 

[Tim Gray]

I reused photoflo for awhile until one day the nasties had grown and left sludge all over 4 rolls of film. I started mixing it up on the spot. It takes about 15 s to make (I do it in between inversions while developing). Pour it in the tank, invert twice, let it sit for 30 seconds. Once I hang the film up to dry in the tub, I then pour the photoflo on each strip from the top, letting it run down the negatives.

I'd have no issues with reusing mixed up photoflo in a single session, or across a day or two. I just wouldn't let it sit for weeks in a jug.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I reused photoflo for awhile until one day the nasties had grown and left sludge all over 4 rolls of film. I started mixing it up on the spot. It takes about 15 s to make (I do it in between inversions while developing). Pour it in the tank, invert twice, let it sit for 30 seconds. Once I hang the film up to dry in the tub, I then pour the photoflo on each strip from the top, letting it run down the negatives.

I'd have no issues with reusing mixed up photoflo in a single session, or across a day or two. I just wouldn't let it sit for weeks in a jug.

It takes a lot of rolls of film to develop [pun] sludge in PhotoFlo. I suggest that you consider forming a committee to discuss the possibility of having a steering committee appoint a focus group to looking into considering scheduling a discussion about replacing old PhotoFlo after 2,000 rolls of film.

Steve

 

[fschifano]

It's almost ridiculous to argue the merits and demerits of re-using Photoflo. We can argue endlessly about how long it takes for the crud to appear; but over time, particulate matter will form in the working strength solution. These particles will stick permanently to your film when dry. Yes, you can re-use it the same day. Considering the very low cost in use, it makes absolutely no sense to save it for another day.

 

[Tim Gray]

That's how I feel Frank.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It's almost ridiculous to argue the merits and demerits of re-using Photoflo. We can argue endlessly about how long it takes for the crud to appear; but over time, particulate matter will form in the working strength solution. These particles will stick permanently to your film when dry. Yes, you can re-use it the same day. Considering the very low cost in use, it makes absolutely no sense to save it for another day.

I do not save it forever; I replace it when I mix new chemicals - ~15 rolls of film or 2 months when I replace the hypo, if not earlier.

My point was that it can be reused, but there is no reason to keep it so long that it has sediment.

Steve

 

[Ronald Moravec]

If you see spots, you need photo-flow. The spots will dry in place and gunk in the water will remain.

With PhotoFlow, the water sheets off and never has drops.

My experience has been, cutting down Photo Flow to less than 1:200 will cause problems unless you use distilled water.

Let it dry, then rewash 5 min and dry.

 

[Anscojohn]

I let mine soak overnight in distilled water with a couple drops of photoflo- always comes out perfect. I like letting it sit because you don't have any bubbles in the solution or if you spray the negatives down(with pf soln).

*******
I would be very dubious about allowing this much wet time for film.

 

[clayne]

I let mine soak overnight in distilled water with a couple drops of photoflo- always comes out perfect. I like letting it sit because you don't have any bubbles in the solution or if you spray the negatives down(with pf soln).

You should NOT let film soak in water overnight unless you like risking your emulsion sliding off the base. There's zero reason to let film "soak." These are not clothes.

 

[clayne]

It's almost ridiculous to argue the merits and demerits of re-using Photoflo. We can argue endlessly about how long it takes for the crud to appear; but over time, particulate matter will form in the working strength solution. These particles will stick permanently to your film when dry. Yes, you can re-use it the same day. Considering the very low cost in use, it makes absolutely no sense to save it for another day.

Some people think they're somehow ahead by saving 30 seconds (even though that time can be interleaved between other tasks anyways).

 

[Fellipe de Paula]

I'm using a "generic" photo flo made by a lab here in Brazil and I'm still getting marks where the drops have dried... I'm using distilled water btw.

 

[Anscojohn]

I'm using a "generic" photo flo made by a lab here in Brazil and I'm still getting marks where the drops have dried... I'm using distilled water btw.

******
Try cutting down on the amount. Use it half recommended strength. And, are you sure your distilled water is distilled?

 

[ozphoto]

Yes please don't soak your film overnight!!!

Had the misfortune of processing a film late one evening and then had friends drop by whilst it was in the wash phase.
Needless to say, beer started flowing, I forgot and the emulsion took a vacation - into the bucket I had my film in.

Nasty way to learn a very important lesson; and haven't made the same mistake in the past 20 years. Once you've done this one - you won't ever do it again!!

 

[steven_e007]

I had similar problems with my films showing drying marks. I took some excellent advice from the Eddie Ephraums book 'Elements', which fixed my problems completely:

1. Don't guess your photoflo dilution, MEASURE IT. The bottle will give a recommended dilution.
I use a syringe and put 2.5ml in 500ml to get a 1:200 dilution. Having the right concentration makes a big difference, too weak and it doesn't work - too strong and you get streaks. Use a decent brand of photoflo, too. There ain't anything special about it - but the stuff I use does what it is supposed to do at the recommended dilution.

2. Give the stuff time to work - the film needs to sit in the solution for a while (but minutes, not hours...)

3. Use demineralized water. Some people here have suggested distilled. Where I live this is very hard to obtain, very expensive and IMHO not neccesary. Demin water was easier and cheaper, being used for steam irons and car batteries. Trouble is, car batteries are now all of the 'sealed for life' type and some marketing twerp realised you can charge 5 times the price for steam iron water if you put colouring and a nice floral fragrance in it! It is now actually very hard for me to find (unscented) demin water, too... So I use water that has been boiled and then left to settle before being poured carefully off leaving the last few inches behind. It seems to be good enough.

4. Not Eddie Ephraum's suggestion, but it works for me: I always use a rubber blade squeegy (like a pair of car wiper blades) which I rinse carefully in the photoflo solution to be sure there is no grit or dust on them - then give the film one good smooth wipe from end to end, then hang it up to dry.

Point is - if your photoflo is doing it's job and you use a squeegy - the film should be covered with a thin layer of water which dries quickly and fairly evenly. You shouldn't really have 'drops'. Not big ones, anyway. I'd be suspicious of your photoflo...

 

[BetterSense]

The thing is, if you water is absolutely pure, you can have drops all over your film and it will be fine, because the water will leave nothing behind. I get ultrapure water from the research lab where I work and I can rinse film in plain ultrapure water, shake it off, and hang it up. There will be droplets of water all over the film, but they just go away and the film is fine. I usually mix in some photoflo, though, at about 1000:1.

 

[Maris]

I use PhotoFlo and hang my films at a 45 degree angle. That way the drops only have to move the short distance across the film to get off the picture area. If the drops dry where they stop a drying mark will happen for sure.