Water Evaporation Spots on Film

[dokko]

OK, in that case I see how an acidic fixer will help. Since my workflow always includes an acidic stop bath, I've never had this problem. I guess it's a potential concern if you use a water stop and a neutral fixer.

I'be been using water stop and an alkaline fixer for several years now - luckily I never had this problem, despite the very hard water here. very clean negatives.

I usually develop in Xtol 1+1 or 1+2, and as mentioned, I use a final soak in deionized water.

 

[Ian David]

I'm surprised how this is still a topic, it's such a simple solution that only has benefits and no downsides. very cheap too (I reuse the deionized a few times before dumping)

I assume it is still a topic, in part, because that solution by itself doesn't work perfectly for everyone every time. The water supply and darkroom conditions are different everywhere. I imagine not all 'deionised water' is equal either. Wetting agent is sold and used for a reason - when used correctly it too is a simple process and does the job.

 

[dokko]

I assume it is still a topic, in part, because that solution by itself doesn't work perfectly for everyone every time. The water supply and darkroom conditions are different everywhere. I imagine not all 'deionised water' is equal either.

true, it's easy to assume that what works for one person also would work for another person, which is not always the case.

still, I find it difficult to imagine that this wouldn't work everywhere.
we have very hard water here (20 °dH) and the process involved is very straight forward. I use cheap deionized water from the drug store/supermarket meant for household purposes (ironing).