Rewashing negatives with water spots?

GarageBoy · May 28, 2013

So I have a few negs which I washed improperly and now have water and dust spots all over them
I've also cut them already
Can I rewash, use photo flo and hang them by their sprocket holes?
Thanks

MattKing · May 28, 2013

GarageBoy said:
So I have a few negs which I washed improperly and now have water and dust spots all over them
I've also cut them already
Can I rewash, use photo flo and hang them by their sprocket holes?
Thanks

Yes, but be careful as the extra handling can lead to scratches.

tkamiya · May 28, 2013

I do that all the time!

I make a "hanger" with paper clips that goes into the sprocket hole. I make a "weight" that goes to the other end of the film out of the same stuff. The short strip will curl badly as it dries, so without a weight, you'll end up with a coil. I wash them by carefully reeling strips into my developing reels, so the imaging surface doesn't touch anything during the re-washing process.

ToddB · May 28, 2013

Yes.. like everyone said. sqeegee them with your photo-flo fingers, not the rubber ones. Your sure to scatch them with those.

cliveh · May 28, 2013

It may not be necessary to rewash them if you just have a few water marks. These only tend to form on the shiny side of the film, so lay the strips in turn shiny side up on something clean like a negative page. Then breathe on them as you would to mist up a mirror and then wipe them gently with a lens cleaning cloth. If the spots don't disappear, dab a bit of ethanol on the cloth and wipe again.

Michael W · May 28, 2013

Soak them in distilled water or something similar like demineralised.

hoffy · May 28, 2013

The question needs to be asked, are the water spots ACTUALLY causing any visible issues when enlarging? I get drying marks occasionally and find that indeed that they are on the shiny side only. I have also found that quite often, they don't appear to make too much of an issue when put in the enlarger.

But, as they say, your mileage may vary...

GarageBoy · May 29, 2013

On a... ::cough:: flatbed ::cough::
I can see the spots as weirdly colored splotches
This was the first roll of film I processed and I like quite a few of the shots on that roll

tkamiya · May 29, 2013

Cough:scanner:cough shows stains, scratches, and water spots far more clearly than an enlarger. I don't know why but it does. I had one like that but printed just fine on my enlarger.

What I usually do is to soak my film in weak acid (like stop bath) to losen the calcium content of the stain, then soak long time in filtere/distilled water. Then rinse, photoflo, and dry. It usually works.

I wouldn't scrub it with alcohol as you have a chance of scratching the film. Even if it is on back side of film, it can show. I've done it.

Herzeleid · May 30, 2013

I have recently tried a different rinse formula that I have found in APUG. To prevent future rinsing problems I would recommend that.
1 oz ilfotol/foto-flo mixed with 7 oz isopropyl alcohol, becomes the stock solution.
Use it diluted 1+25 or 1+24. It works better than plain foto-flo imo. I used bottled water for final rinse and no problems spotted in cough:scanner:cough.

R.Gould · May 30, 2013

If I get water marks on negatives I soak them again in Wetting agent for a minute or so, shake the film and if it 120 I simply hang it up to dry, if it is 35mm I hang it up, take a sheet of kitchen towel folded and wipe the shiny side of the film, turn the folded towel over and wipe the film twice more, never get a drying mark and never get a scratch, whatever you do NEVER, NEVER,EVER WIPE THE EMULSION SIDE of the film with anything, fingers, towel as as sure as eggs are eggs you will get a scratch
Richard

Rudeofus · May 30, 2013

tkamiya said:
What I usually do is to soak my film in weak acid (like stop bath) to losen the calcium content of the stain, then soak long time in filtere/distilled water.

I was wondering whether a final swap/rinse in very dilute hydrochloric acid would do the trick, it would dissolve all the calcium and leave no residue by itself as it is a gas. Has anyone tried this?

cliveh · May 30, 2013

Rudeofus said:
I was wondering whether a final swap/rinse in very dilute hydrochloric acid would do the trick, it would dissolve all the calcium and leave no residue by itself as it is a gas. Has anyone tried this?

De-ionised water as a final rinse for 30 seconds will ensure no drying marks.

limnidytis · May 31, 2013

Rudeofus said:
I was wondering whether a final swap/rinse in very dilute hydrochloric acid would do the trick, it would dissolve all the calcium and leave no residue by itself as it is a gas. Has anyone tried this?

If you have hard water marks washing in stop bath will usually remove them. Then wash as usual. I have hard to very hard water so I always do a final rinse in distilled water after washing. It costs something but it saves me a lot of grief with water marks. I would not try HCl as it might dissolve the hard water stain as well as damaging the gelatine.

GarageBoy · Jun 4, 2013

Thanks
Will try with a simple rinse/photoflo+distilled

Rewashing negatives with water spots?

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