Wetting agent function / capacity

[Tom Kershaw]

I always use a fresh solution of Tetenal Mirasol wetting agent and steam distilled water for each processing session, whether one film or ten films. Is there any capacity issue with these solutions?

Tom

 

[pentaxuser]

Not sure, Tom. All I can say is that I tend to use the solution several times and make it with tap water. It always seem to do its job properly i.e. I can't say I have ever noticed a deterioration after say 2-3 uses and have never had a problem. It's not so much to save money - it costs very little for each fresh solution- it's just that it saves making it up each time.

pentaxuser

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I always use a fresh solution of Tetenal Mirasol wetting agent and steam distilled water for each processing session, whether one film or ten films. Is there any capacity issue with these solutions?

Tom

The only issue ,known to me, is the fact that if an overly strong solution is used,wetting agent stains can occur,but, a wash in distilled water will fix that problem easily

 

[bdial]

Since the use doesn't really affect the solution, unlike developers and fixers, you could probably use it until it either starts growing things, or it's so diluted from wash water carryover that it's no longer effective.
But, the big question would be why? You don't want film soaking in stuff supporting a bacteria culture, and you need the wash aid to be effective, and the cost is low, so best practice would be to use and discard. If you're doing multiple batches in a short time period you could re-use it for the duration of the session though.

 

[bsdunek]

I tend to agree with bdial, although I do use wetting agent for quite a while. Certainly, if there is any sign of contamination or things growing, it's been around too long. I tend to mix my wetting agent with about twice the dilution recommended. It seems to do a good job. I was getting a texture on my negatives when using at recommended strength.

 

[Rudeofus]

I assume you go directly from wash (using tap water) into final rinse made from deionized water and wetting agent: there may be significant carry over of tap water into your final rinse. Expect 10-20 ml carry over per run with normal film tanks and proper draining between steps. As a result you may end up with residues from tap water hardness on your film if you reuse your batch of final rinse. YMMV.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I use a distilled water/wetting agent final rinse to remove minerals from the hard wash water. In the past, I have used a solution to the point where it didn't want to remove enough of the minerals in the emulsion to prevent drying marks. However, this was in a very hard water area (San Antonio, TX) and a lot of sheets of film through 500ml of solution.

If you have hard water, keep an eye out for this if doing large batches (50+ sheets was what I was doing, 10 sheets should be no problem at all).

I also advocate one-shot use to avoid "growies" in the solution.

Best,

Doremus