Printing with an emulsion flaw

[f/stopblues]

I have a negative with a tiny circular mark on the emulsion where it looks like there is just no emulsion there. Of course it’s on the winner from this roll!

I’d like to know how you all would approach printing this? Correct the negative before printing somehow? Take out the black speck on the final print with a razor and spot it it to blend? I’d love some tricks.

Apologies for the negative pictures! All I had was a light table and a cell phone. The dust is just on the neg sleeve. This is Bergger Pancro 400 in 120 (through a pinhole).

 

[Patrick Robert James]

It looks worse than you think. To the right of it is a smear in the emulsion as well.

If it were just the one dot, you could use a Pigma Micron pigment pen to put a black dot over the defect and then just spot the print. I don't know how you could deal with that smear though.

 

[Hilo]

Don't do anything !

It is a lovely image and the flaw belongs to it

 

[Photo Engineer]

That is a classic "COMET". It is a coating defect from bubbles in the emulsion during coating. You should contact the manufacturer. This film did not get adequate inspection I would guess. That one should have been easy to detect.

PE

 

[M Carter]

You can use iodine/thio bleach on a dry print with a shaved toothpick to knock down the black parts of the print, and then use spotting dyes to even it all out. As a lith printer, I've gotten very good at this (black spots can form on the print as the developer ages).

 

[Photo Engineer]

These are not black spots, they are clear voids.

PE

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I would spot the negative with Kodak Crocien Red (if you can find some), or spotting inks. Then spot the print...with something like Spotone (if you can find some!) If the black dot on the print is tiny, I'd lightly scrape it down with a scalpel, until it closely matches the surrounding tone...

 

[scheimfluger_77]

You can also apply a very dilute bleach with a 0000 brush. It works well, just take it slow.

 

[M Carter]

These are not black spots, they are clear voids. PE

They'll darn sure be black spots on the print, though. I'm referring to using iodine "dry" bleach on the print, not the neg, and then touching up with spotting dye. (I specifically mentioned "use iodine/thio bleach on a dry print", but heck, I skim posts as much as the next guy!) I do 100% love the dry bleach though, I can shave a bamboo cocktail stick down to about a haird's width for peppering on lith prints.

 

[M Carter]

You can also apply a very dilute bleach with a 0000 brush. It works well, just take it slow.

Have you tried iodine/thio/alchohol bleach on dry prints? It really gives you fantastic control.

 

[laser]

Please identify the film that had this. This will help others to avoid the same problem.

 

[Photo Engineer]

They'll darn sure be black spots on the print, though. I'm referring to using iodine "dry" bleach on the print, not the neg, and then touching up with spotting dye. (I specifically mentioned "use iodine/thio bleach on a dry print", but heck, I skim posts as much as the next guy!) I do 100% love the dry bleach though, I can shave a bamboo cocktail stick down to about a haird's width for peppering on lith prints.

Sorry. You are correct.

Note that on the negative it goes from image to dark to clear which will present quite a problem in any print for any method of recovery.

PE

 

[scheimfluger_77]

Sorry, i meant to say i was referring to work on a wet print. I wasn’t aware of the iodine method. I tried spotting a negative once and made such a mess that I resolved to do spotting on the print, not the negative.

 

[M Carter]

Sorry. You are correct.
Note that on the negative it goes from image to dark to clear which will present quite a problem in any print for any method of recovery.
PE

Indeed, that's a tough one - though if it were back-in-the-day, I'd start a spotting business, lith printing with old papers I've found I can fix some really jacked-up prints if I just zen out with the bleach and dyes! I really enjoy the process and the challenge. I had a pack of Forte PWT that had flaws or damage in the emulsion but i saved a bunch of prints, couldn't bear to toss the last of the PWT!

 

[John51]

That is a classic "COMET". It is a coating defect from bubbles in the emulsion during coating. You should contact the manufacturer. This film did not get adequate inspection I would guess. That one should have been easy to detect.

PE

How would the inspection be done?

 

[Photo Engineer]

At Kodak, we used an IR scanner that mapped defects and then programmed around them for slitting and chopping.

PE

 

[Nodda Duma]

Curse those coaters who allow coating flaws!
*shakes fist*

 

[RauschenOderKorn]

I´d cover the spot on the film with fotomask and then despot the positive.