Negative Retouching: which products?

Hi all,

I need to fix some scratches and pinholes on my 8x10 negs, and wanted to know which currently available products people are using for this purpose, pencils, brush ons, whatever. Thanks.

GB

This should help:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

"CROCEIN SCARLET DYE" can be found on ebay

Hello,
Depends on the scratch. A scratch on the base side shows up white in the print, on the emulsion side it will print black. An HB lead pencil is very good. Crocein scarlet is not easy to use. Works on emulsion side scratches very well when applied to the base side. The pencil also does it best when worked on the base side. There is no magic
way to hide any scratch, nose oil is recommended by some, but with 8x10 the pencil has been the tradishional tool.
Any art supply store carries drafting pencil leads of different hardness, they also carry the lead holders. They look a bit like an Eversharp pencil. I have a lead holder for each grade of lead which has worked for me for nearly 60 years. You must sharpen the lead to the sharpest point you can get. The tip should be tapered from about an inch
and a half or more above the the sharpened point. To do this a piece of fine grit sand paper and fold it into an
envelope 2 inches wide or so and 2 1/4 inches deep. Tape the sides with masking tape so the lead won't dribble
out on your hands. Place the holder with at least 2 inches of the lead sticking out into the open end of the sandpaper sack. Gently pump and rotate the lead up and down untill it is ground to a tapered shaft with the sharpest
point you can get. If the lead point breaks when you try to apply it to the negative, your using two much pressure. The lightest touch possible with the lead on the negatives surface is what works best! Hurrell, Bull, Weston and Adams. Most everyone else also used this method.

Buy several grades of lead above and below the HB. Try them all!

Good luck,
Charlie............................................

nose grease (from the outside of an oily nose) can work wonders on scratches on both sides in my experience... Just rub some on and clean it off after you're done. This will work on mild to moderate scratches, but no really bad ones.

Another more extreme solution is silicone oil. This would be difficult with 8x10 but...

A great deal of scratches can be eliminated it printing by floating your film in silicone in an'oil emersion carrier'. I have one for 4x5, but not 8x10. It is tricky and messy, but does work on a great many scratches. The same silicone oil can be used in the same way as nose grease too

For 'pin holes & dust spots' I've actually found that print retouching dye can be use on the base of the film to minimize the spot in the final print quite well.

Good Luck,

Corey