Squeegee or no Squeegee

[Bruce Osgood]

I squeege roll film with fingers wet with fotoflo to remove the suds.

 

[resummerfield]

......I have always squeegeed my film with a pre-moistened sponge squeegee (Yankee)after using Photo-Flo for 2 minutes. I have yet (40 years) to get any scratches from the sponge. I do soak the sponge squeegee for 10-15 minutes first....... I do use a hardening fixer. My film dries faster and cleaner.

Exactly my procedure. Let the sponge touch very lightly the film.

 

[EASmithV]

Never.

 

[Herzeleid]

Tried once, that was enough.

 

[alexmacphee]

Guess how I found out why you shouldn't squeegee a film? All that's needed is a small amount of care at final rinse stage, and the last rinse to be purified or distilled water. I never throw negs away, even unprintable ones, so I still have a reminder in my 1970s file, with a stonking great tramline, to remind me of my folly as a tyro. I think it's good evidence that just taking care of the water quality in the final rinse is what counts, that I live in a very hard water area, where kettles and coffee makers need regular de-scaling, yet my negs never have stains or drying marks. I do give the film a good final shake (in the reel), and although on the odd occasion where I haven't used a few drops of wetting agent the film has still been fine on drying, I do normally use wetting agent. Almost through supersition.

 

[bill schwab]

I squeege roll film with fingers wet with fotoflo to remove the suds.

In my experience, if you're getting that much "suds" on the film, you're using too much photoflo and that can cause problems as well. A couple drops will break surface tension and is enough IMO.

 

[Rick A]

I tried a squeegee once-- it scratched the crap outta my negs!! I've never used one since, except on prints. Photo-flo and distilled water is sufficient, and never use anything INCLUDING fingers to wipe water from negs-PERIOD.
Rick

 

[archphoto]

Used one, a long time ago.
After that I use(d) a shammy, works better for me.

Peter

 

[Bruce Osgood]

In my experience, if you're getting that much "suds" on the film, you're using too much photoflo and that can cause problems as well. A couple drops will break surface tension and is enough IMO.

Very good point, thank you.

 

[Sirius Glass]

After reading posting after posting about the glories of squeegeeing in APUG, I thought that I was alone in the drip-dry section. Where have all of you been?

What do I base my option on? Merely 50 years in photography, but what do I know?

Steve

 

[fotch]

I can only guess that with some reporting good results with removing excess liquid off of a negative and others who have had bad results, that it may be because of one or more of the following:

1. Film has no hardener
2. Fix has no hardener
3. Operator used to much pressure
4. Operator used contaminated squeegee

For what its worth:
I use Kodak and Ilford almost exclusively
I probably used Kodak Fix w hardener, although I also used Ilford fix with no hardener with same results, that is, no problems.

 

[Stoo Batchelor]

Never for me.

R.O water for the whole process and a final soak in R.O water plus Isopropyl alcohol.

Stoo

 

[Chris Nielsen]

Thank you thank you guys - I ditched my squeegee after reading this thread and voila, no more tramlines!! w00t

 

[George Collier]

I make a "pad" of a cotton graphic arts material called "Webril", soak it in P-flo, dry it off as much as possible, rolling the side of a SS tank over it against a clean surface, then gently swab the roll of film once, end to end, each side. Nothing on sheet film.

 

[fotch]

The Squeegee manufacturers and sellers of the world must be demoralized. I better stock up know. :rolleyes:

 

[Perry Way]

I tried a squeegee once-- it scratched the crap outta my negs!! I've never used one since, except on prints. Photo-flo and distilled water is sufficient, and never use anything INCLUDING fingers to wipe water from negs-PERIOD.
Rick

You had crap on your negs?



Seriously, that was my very first experience in photo 101 in High School. The teacher nearly beat us over the head that we needed to squeegee all negs, period, end of story. I had prior dark room experience in Junior High in the print shop and I recalled my teacher then talking about squeegee's causing scratches on negs, no matter how delicately you tried to use them. So after my first roll in High School with what looked like high power lines running straight through most of them (gee, I don't remember high power lines on that still life photo, or that girl's face... hmmmmmmm) I decided to just leave the squeegee part out completely. But I didn't tell the teacher. My next set of negs came out perfect! I think the teacher made us use the squeegee so he could provide instruction for touching up final prints. Interestingly enough my prints didn't need touching up so much after that first roll. It was my secret.

20 years later I'm back at photography again. Got water spots on first few rolls. Asked around... and Jason Brunner gave me a little secret that only he and I know (shhhhhhh!) Now I stick to Photoflo and fingers which have been moistened up for a few minutes and quickly tap dried on my shirt so as to remove the possibility of any callous from also causing problems.

 

[Loren Sattler]

I squeegee negatives but not for water spots. At a dark room workshop, it was suggested that negatives that were squeegeed had fewer defects (clumps of grain?) and produced prints requiring less spotting. I use a double wiper squeegee made for that purpose and never scratch negatives (mostly 120). I dip it in photo flo prior to swiping the film.

 

[ajuk]

Is photoflow something you can get in the UK?

 

[alexmacphee]

Is photoflow something you can get in the UK?

You'll get it here :
http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/

Just type 'Photo-Flo' (note the spelling) in the search box.

Jessops seem to be walking away from traditional photographers, but there are still people like the site above who cater for silver halide photography.

 

[clayne]

HELL no!

 

[Sirius Glass]

HELL no!

Hell no what?

No squeegee?

Steve

 

[Vilk]

oh, yeah! "hell no" here, too!

 

[ajuk]

I see Nova sell it I'll get it the next time I am in Warwick.

 

[dancqu]

I squeegee negatives ... I use a double wiper squeegee
made for that purpose and never scratch negatives
(mostly 120). I dip it in photo flo prior to
swiping the film.

Likely the squeegee you refer to is the eight blade I've
mentioned now then this forum. I've always squeegeed.
For Years I used the Yankee sponge squeegee. The eight
blade though is an nice improvement. Needless to say
and with many rolls squeegeed I've not seen any
scratches.

Film is first soaked in half strength Photo-Flo then hung.
The squeegee is then rinsed in the Photo-Flo and while
dripping wet drawn slowly down the length of the
film. Very soon the film is dry.

I wager not one person contributing to this thread who
looks down on squeegeeing has ever used the eight
blade squeegee. A whole lot of knocking before
trying. The eight blade is well engineered. It
is not cheap. Dan

 

[clayne]

I wager not one person contributing to this thread who
looks down on squeegeeing has ever used the eight
blade squeegee. A whole lot of knocking before
trying. The eight blade is well engineered. It
is not cheap. Dan

Give me a good reason for using a squeegee when I don't use one now and end up with zero problems?