preventing and removing water marks

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

The title says it all.
I need your wisdom.

 

[Kino]

Just enough photoflo; Use too much and you'll have spotting and marks. Use distilled water for this step at a minimum.

Bad spots? Take it back to the fix stage and go forward again. Load it on the reel, put it in the fix and go forward. It's called "rewashing" the film.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

Just enough photoflo; Use too much and you'll have spotting and marks. Use distilled water for this step at a minimum.

Bad spots? Take it back to the fix stage and go forward again. Load it on the reel, put it in the fix and go forward. It's called "rewashing" the film.

Been using tap as a final wash, then distilled as a final final wash (3-4 one minute cycles) and have tried ilford wetting agent.

 

[BradS]

The title says it all.
I need your wisdom.

Photoflo

 

[awty]

I shake the excess water off then squirt the film with i part isopropyl alchol to 5 parts demineralised water (or there abouts) and a couple of drops of photoflo (use a plastic squirty bottle). Just liberally spray both sides, shake excess off and let to dry.
With water stain as others have said rewash.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The title says it all.
I need your wisdom.

removing water marks is harder than preventing them.yhey are hard calcium deposits and after washing a dip in distilled water with a drop of photoflow added will prevent them.

 

[jimjm]

Like many others here have said, final dunk in distilled water w/PhotoFlo before hanging to dry. Never had a problem with water spots.

You're not in Flint, are you?

 

[Adrian Bacon]

My water is relatively hard, so after I'm done washing the fix out, I dump the film into a bath of distilled water and agitate for a minute or so, then dump into a bath of Photoflo/FinalWash.

Sometimes, if I have some film that has water spots on it, then its a quick dunk into 4+1 mix of distilled water and distilled white vinegar, which usually knocks the water spots right off, then into a bath of distilled water, then into the bath of Photoflo/FinalWash.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

Like many others here have said, final dunk in distilled water w/PhotoFlo before hanging to dry. Never had a problem with water spots.

You're not in Flint, are you?

No, other side of the state.

Photoflo

I tried some K64s in caffenol two days ago, used my wetting agent and still got watermarks.

 

[bdial]

Getting the dilution right with photo-flo can be tricky. If you see lots of suds, try increasing the dilution. This is likely true for most wetting agents, but I've only worked with photo-flo.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Getting the dilution right with photo-flo can be tricky. If you see lots of suds, try increasing the dilution. This is likely true for most wetting agents, but I've only worked with photo-flo.

I tried disrilled water alone, which also works and distilled watr with 10%alcohol but that dries the gelatin too much and introduces film curl.

 

[BradS]

No, other side of the state.
I tried some K64s in caffenol two days ago, used my wetting agent and still got watermarks.

"your wetting agent" ...seems like your not using Photflo ?

Are you hanging the negative strip to dry in a clean place?

Getting the dilution right with photo-flo can be tricky. If you see lots of suds, try increasing the dilution.

I have found this to be true too. I usually use a bout half as much concentrate as directed.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

"your wetting agent" ...seems like your not using Photflo ?

Are you hanging the negative strip to dry in a clean place?



I have found this to be true too. I usually use a bout half as much concentrate as directed.

I'm using ilford simplicity wetting agent, and I don't really have many places in my apartment to hang dry my films, but I've found a decent spot. Once my university classes start up this week, I'll also have access to a legitimate darkroom.

 

[Ariston]

I'm using ilford simplicity wetting agent, and I don't really have many places in my apartment to hang dry my films, but I've found a decent spot. Once my university classes start up this week, I'll also have access to a legitimate darkroom.

I've never used one, but I think they sell film squeegees. You could give that a try.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

I've never used one, but I think they sell film squeegees. You could give that a try.

I'll see if my camera store has one tomorrow.
if not, I'll see if I can't have my parents see if they can find my dad's old one.

 

[Kino]

I'll see if my camera store has one tomorrow.
if not, I'll see if I can't have my parents see if they can find my dad's old one.

Oh boy! Hope this doesn't set off the old "use a squeegee" vs "Dont every use a squeegee" debates that runs for pages...

If you use one, use it right. Search here for the subject; you'll find page after page on the subject.

Its one of those

subjects...

 

[Ariston]

Ha! "Squeegees are controversial."

That is not a sentence I have ever heard before, but it doesn't surprise me, somehow.

 

[Sirius Glass]

PhotoFlo and follow the instructions, not the drop or splash. At 1:200 use 5ml to 1 liter of water. Really it is not all that hard. And to avoid future problems ignore those that throw in a drop or a splash, they really do not what they are talking about.

 

[BradS]

Oh boy! Hope this doesn't set off the old "use a squeegee" vs "Dont every use a squeegee" debates that runs for pages...

If you use one, use it right. Search here for the subject; you'll find page after page on the subject.

Its one of those
View attachment 229596 subjects...

...you mean like this one.... https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/squeegee-film.8996/

 

[MattKing]

Sometimes, squeegee = scratches.
Scratches are worse than water marks.
The approach in the following link works with tap water for me, but we have soft, quite high quality tap water: https://www.photrio.com/forum/resources/making-and-using-a-kodak-photo-flo-stock-solution.396/
The strong point of the linked to approach is that it makes it much easier to be consistent with the dilution.
One further point - I am not sure that the labeling for "distilled" water is always accurate.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I've never used one, but I think they sell film squeegees. You could give that a try.

stay well clear of squeeges; they only scratch the film;run the film through two fingers instead.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

I'm trying a rerinse (3min distilled water, using agitation stick, in three one minute cycles), and a soak in my wetting agent (about 3 minutes) and hang drying, this time with two clips instead of one.
also using my fingers as a squeegee three times over.

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

Nope...
going to have to see if I can use a film dryer or see what my friends at the camera shop have to say.

 

[Kino]

If you don't take it back to the fixer, you won't get the water marks off. Just a rinse in distilled water will not do it...

 

[TheGreatGasMaskMan]

If you don't take it back to the fixer, you won't get the water marks off. Just a rinse in distilled water will not do it...

it looked pretty clear when I took it out. But I'll try it if I have to do so.