Pre washing film

[jeremy rundle]

Should I pre was/soak ilford film before processing

Thanks

 

[pdeeh]

not to be discouraging, jeremy, but there are a zillion threads on this subject already, and Ilford also have information on the subject easily available.

to save you reading the rest of the thread though. the answer is yes, no, never, and always

 

[MartinP]

The manufacturer doesn't think it is necessary.

What do you want to achieve by doing so?

 

[bvy]

to save you reading the rest of the thread though. the answer is yes, no, never, and always

And of course, "it depends."

The thirty pages that will inevitably follow can be distilled to this.

 

[pdeeh]

of course, a foolish omission on my part.

 

[jeremy rundle]

That is the proble, some say yes some say no some have no idea, I was hoping for a 100% yes or no

 

[jeremy rundle]

The manufacturer doesn't think it is necessary.

What do you want to achieve by doing so?

I think I am contaminating the film before developing,, or is it me

Thanks

 

[pdeeh]

I know this is a bit of a radical idea, but you could always try just following the manufacturers' instructions and see how your film turns out.

 

[jeremy rundle]

3,518 posts, I suppose you get fed up with new peoples questions

I have

 

[LAG]

Should I pre was/soak ilford film before processing

Thanks

Yes 100%

not to be discouraging, jeremy, but there are a zillion threads on this subject already, and Ilford also have information on the subject easily available.

to save you reading the rest of the thread though. the answer is yes, no, never, and always

Thanks again for the laughs

The manufacturer doesn't think it is necessary.

With more reason to do it!

And of course, "it depends."

And "some times"

 

[jeremy rundle]

 

[pdeeh]

I think I am contaminating the film before developing,, or is it me

Thanks

dust and scratches won't be eliminated by a prewash, and if the spots are not dust then the chances are you have crap in your developer, fix or wash water. or all three. or you have dust and hair on your scanner.

if you start with "I've got unwanted marks on my film" rather than "is a prewash necessary?" you'll get better answers!

 

[jeremy rundle]

Thanks, please make allowance for the fact that i am dyslexic and rely on a computer to help, it not every one is as eloquent as some

 

[RattyMouse]

Should I pre was/soak ilford film before processing

Thanks

No. Completely unnecessary. A waste of time and an additional chance for something to go wrong.

 

[jeremy rundle]

Bril thank you

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Yes 100%



Thanks again for the laughs



With more reason to do it!



And "some times"

no 1000%

 

[LAG]

I think I am contaminating the film before developing,, or is it me

Your question will almost certainly be answered that It's you

dust and scratches won't be eliminated by a prewash, and if the spots are not dust then the chances are you have crap in your developer, fix or wash water. or all three. or you have dust and hair on your scanner.

And you are very close to being right with "film to digital step", but I'd bet on "the drying stage" too, (anyway prewash is out of the question then)

 

[darkosaric]

My logic is:

one shoot developer (like Rodinal) --> no pre-wash
developer that I will use more than once (like D76 full strenght) --> pre-wash is a yes, specially when developing medium format films.

 

[MartinP]

The picture you posted is too small to show enough detail to identify the marks clearly. However, to avoid chemical debris and drying marks in general...

a) always filter solutions before use when they were mixed from powder or when they have been re-used. This can be achieved by placing some cotton-wool in a funnel spout and allowing a funnel-full of water through it to get rid of any loose fibres, before filtering the chemical. Wash the funnel and renew the cotton-wool for each chemical.

b) After processing and washing, allow a final few minutes soak in distilled water with a tiny amount of photographic wetting-agent in it. Dry the film without any further wash/rinse and avoid using a squeegee on it. Drying can be done conveniently in a shower stall or bathroom. Run some hot water first, to create steam in the air which then helps reduce the amount of dust particles floating in the room.

 

[Wallendo]

I have some old panatomic-x bulk film stored for years in an unknown environment.. If I don't do a pre-wash, I get strange spots on my negative.
None of my modern well-kept films require a pre-wash.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[MattKing]

The responses to your question may have a religious tone to them.

I have good, consistent results using a pre-wet or pre-rinse (terms more commonly found then pre-wash) and replenished developer. I've adjusted my developing times (slightly) to account for the changes that occur because of the pre-wet step.

Most of the manufacturer's material is silent on the issue of whether or not to use a pre-wet step.

A pre-wet has positive advantages if you need to temper films, reels and tanks to a particular temperature - significant for black and white film processing and very important for colour film processing.

I get the nicest colours when I dump out the rinse water prior to adding the developer .

The most important word in the foregoing is "consistent". Whatever you decide to do, do it consistently.

 

[StephenT]

Should I pre was/soak ilford film before processing

Thanks

Ilford recommends against it. I used to, then I started getting strange streaks on 4x5 negatives. I ceased prewashing and the streaks went away. I use Ilford in 35mm, 120, and 4x5.

If I use a staining developer like Pyrocat-HD, I do presoak for 2 minutes.

 

[Vaughn]

And of course, "it depends."

The thirty pages that will inevitably follow can be distilled to this.

Do I have to use distilled water?

 

[klownshed]

Never.

Unless I'm using a Jobo in which case:

Always.

 

[bvy]

Do I have to use distilled water?

It depends...