Spotone solvent?

[Erik L]

Hi Folks,
I have an old set of 6 bottles of Spotone b/w retouching dyes. Some are dried out but the dye is still there in powder form. Does anyone know what the solvent that they used would be? Is it as simple as distilled water or maybe a mix of water and alcohol or some such solvent? Thanks for any help.

 

[revdoc]

I still have a set of 3 Spotone dyes from over 30 years ago, and they seem to just be water based... no odour that I recall, no toxicity warnings. Anything volatile like alcohol would make them dry too fast. Plus you are supposed to dilute and remove them with water, so they're clearly compatible.

 

[Bill Burk]

I added water to mine and they reconstituted just fine. I think I wrote something on the bottle to keep track of it.

That’s what you dilute it with to use it anyway.

 

[Erik L]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the lesson!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hi Folks,
I have an old set of 6 bottles of Spotone b/w retouching dyes. Some are dried out but the dye is still there in powder form. Does anyone know what the solvent that they used would be? Is it as simple as distilled water or maybe a mix of water and alcohol or some such solvent? Thanks for any help.

AFAIK just water

 

[F4U]

Automotive windshield washer fluid.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Automotive windshield washer fluid.

how did you come up with that?

 

[F4U]

how did you come up with that?

It's what I use to dilute cheap craft paint for using it in an airbrush. It works somewhat better than plain water. Further it deters the growth of fungus, unlike plain water.

 

[MattKing]

I would be concerned about isolated spots of very dilute alcohol on my prints. I would recommend water instead.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

Distilled water.

Doremus

 

[GregY]

Howdy Erik, I just use water & it works like a charm.
BTW your old huge drymount press is still in use!

 

[Erik L]

Howdy Erik, I just use water & it works like a charm.
BTW your old huge drymount press is still in use!

Glad it’s still working Greg! I miss it sometimes as now the biggest I can mount myself is 11x14, then again it would have to double as my kitchen table as I have no room for it in my little shack I live in