How to mix Photo-flo 200

[gb hill]

I stoped in the camera store the other week to get a squeege for getting water off film and the sales person said he didn't recommend them because they can scratch your film. He said he uses kodak photo-flo 200 solution and talked me into trying it. The bottle says mix 1 part sol. to 200 parts water. I hate figuring out part this & part that. I think he said a cap full to a gallon of water, but I can't remember. Does that sound right? Does it work good? He said the water just slides off.

Greg

 

[rodneyAB]

i use the fotoflo...i'm learning to use it, i've been putting a near capful, just up to the threads inside, into two liters...this ratio may be differable depending .. but what i waas just told, is to clip one end of your film to a stable hanging device, then use a finger from each hand, the soft palm side, and squeegee off the fotoflo. i'll have to try this, because i've been useing two fingers from the same hand, with poor results.

 

[gb hill]

The sales person said that after I wash the roll of film, right before I take it out of the tank, to add the photo flo solution for 30 seconds. Take out and hang up the film and all the water will slide right off. Leaving no water spots what so ever. Thats what sold me on trying it. Easy. Just hope it works.

 

[anselwannab]

I use a syringe to meter out small doses. 8 oz is 250ml, so a bit over 1ml per 10oz of film.

I may be a barbarian, but I just squirt that into the tank, pull the film reel up and down thru it. Then I put the film between my fingers and squeege it.

Mark

 

[RayPA]

You don't need to be EXACT on photoflo. I usually put a capful into about 3/4 of a a liter pf water. Otherwise, if you choose to be exact, use a syringe or a small graduated cyllinder, as you would for Rodinal. I squeegee with my index and middle finger.

.

 

[jlw]

Photo-flology:

The camera store guy was right about not using a squeegee -- sooner or later they will scratch the film. Wetting agent such as Photo-flo is a better solution (no pun intended!) The wetting agent lowers the surface tension of the water, so it spreads out into an even film instead of collecting into droplets.

You do have to be somewhat careful measuring out Photo-flo -- not enough and it won't work, too much and it will leave scummy marks of its own.

Measuring it is easy -- just buy a graduate small enough to have markings for individual milliliters, then add 2.5 ml to 500 ml of water. If you don't like measuring every time, just get a black marker and mark a line at the 2.5 ml level, then just fill up to the line.

Don't just dump the Photo-flo in the tank with the film on the reels. The Photo-flo will leave a residue on the reels which eventually can build up enough to affect evenness of development. Instead, mix up the Photo-flo solution separately. After washing, strip the film off the reel and dump it loosely in a plastic container that you've filled with the Photo-flo solution (one of those round, flat disposable refrigerator bowls works well.) Slosh it around for 30 seconds and then hang up to dry. Another advantage of using it this way is that you can re-use the same Photo-flo solution for several rolls of film.

Even if you're using Photo-flo, you still can get whitish marks from minerals dissolved in the water. As the film of water evaporates, the minerals stay behind and get more and more concentrated in the water that remains. They usually take the form of thin lines running the length of the film; they're very hard to get off and a pain to spot out. One way to avoid them is to use distilled water for your final rinse. Another way, which sounds drastic but worked like magic for me: When you mix up your Photo-flo solution, add the same amount of isopropyl alcohol as you did Photo-flo. The alcohol keeps the minerals dissolved until they have a chance to evaporate.

 

[kaiyen]

Isn't it amazing how something as simple as the wetting agent can cause such controversy? We have things like acutance vs. solvent developers, speed increasing vs. decreasing, metol vs. phenidone...and we get this thread with 10 different ways to measure and mix photo flo

All I will add is that I know several folks who _do_ just add a few drops of photo-flo to the tank, after the final rinse, along with a full tank of water, swish it around a few times and let it sit for a minute. Then off the reels and to the hanging. They are very careful about washing, as am I (I don't do photo-flo in the tank, but I do with the film on the reels). I throw my reels in the dishwasher about every month or so.

allan

 

[Buze]

I tried the "few drops" method but this didn't work very well for me, instead I use a ready made solution and let the film sit in it for a couple minutes, then pour back the solution into the bottle for the next film.
This ultimately solved my drying mark problems, on 35mm, 120 and 4x5s.

 

[jlw]

Isn't it amazing how something as simple as the wetting agent can cause such controversy? ... we get this thread with 10 different ways to measure and mix photo flo

There are really only two ways to do anything in photography.

You can start out by following logical recommendations consistently, so that you get consistent results. If the results aren't what you want, then you know which steps to adjust until you DO get results you like.

Or you can start out by following all the shortcuts and tricks your buddy told you about or that you read on the Internet, so that if you have any problems there will be no way of knowing what's causing them or why. If the results aren't what you want, you blame your camera and/or lenses, giving you an excuse to buy new ones.

Either way, you're happy... or not. It's a great system that keeps the eBay and forum world going 'round!

 

[rodneyAB]

Photo-flology:

The camera store guy was right about not using a squeegee -- sooner or later they will scratch the film. Wetting agent such as Photo-flo is a better solution (no pun intended!) The wetting agent lowers the surface tension of the water, so it spreads out into an even film instead of collecting into droplets.

You do have to be somewhat careful measuring out Photo-flo -- not enough and it won't work, too much and it will leave scummy marks of its own.

Measuring it is easy -- just buy a graduate small enough to have markings for individual milliliters, then add 2.5 ml to 500 ml of water. If you don't like measuring every time, just get a black marker and mark a line at the 2.5 ml level, then just fill up to the line.

Don't just dump the Photo-flo in the tank with the film on the reels. The Photo-flo will leave a residue on the reels which eventually can build up enough to affect evenness of development. Instead, mix up the Photo-flo solution separately. After washing, strip the film off the reel and dump it loosely in a plastic container that you've filled with the Photo-flo solution (one of those round, flat disposable refrigerator bowls works well.) Slosh it around for 30 seconds and then hang up to dry. Another advantage of using it this way is that you can re-use the same Photo-flo solution for several rolls of film.

Even if you're using Photo-flo, you still can get whitish marks from minerals dissolved in the water. As the film of water evaporates, the minerals stay behind and get more and more concentrated in the water that remains. They usually take the form of thin lines running the length of the film; they're very hard to get off and a pain to spot out. One way to avoid them is to use distilled water for your final rinse. Another way, which sounds drastic but worked like magic for me: When you mix up your Photo-flo solution, add the same amount of isopropyl alcohol as you did Photo-flo. The alcohol keeps the minerals dissolved until they have a chance to evaporate.

thanks for the tips contained here-in. i have consistently obtained the 'milkyway' of these tiny specs of water borne mineral across the frame. this last step in the film seems to be the area i need to work on the most.

 

[jano]

What Buze said.. few drops didn't work for me.. then one day, I read the directions, so I tried out a bunch into a gallon of distilled water (1:200, forget what it was now, but 1gal is 3.78 L), soaked the film in it, and walla.

 

[davidbivins]

I use the dry martini method. I rinse, remove the reels, pour a few drops (which always ends up being too much because I can't control the flow out of the bottle) into the empty tank, swish it, dump it, then fill the tank about 3/4 with distilled water, slowly. Then I disperse the bubbles, lower the reels back in, let it sit for 30 seconds or so, and pull out the reels. As I pull the film off the reels, I run them through the tank again (dip in one end and feed the film under the surface of the liquid and pull it back up) and hang them. No problems.

 

[gb hill]

I appreciate everyones input. jlw I really appreciated the tip on using isopropyl alcohol to rid hard mineral deposits.I like using dissilled water when i can because I have wondered about the affects of chlorine in developing chemicals. I'm going to follow your technique to see how it works for me. Sounds like from all the different ways you all use photoflo its pretty hard to screw up. So how many times can you reuse this stuff before it's effects are used up?

 

[titrisol]

For your last rinse fill the tank with water, add a drop or 2 of photo-flo (it goes a looong way) and then insert your spiral. Twist it once or twice and then take the film straight to hang

 

[gb hill]

titrisol thats exactially how the sales clerk said he does it. Or I could mix up a batch. I got some good info from everyone so I'm gonna play around with it and see what works best for me.

Thanks
Greg

 

[jlw]

So how many times can you reuse this stuff before it's effects are used up?

You can tell by looking -- when you take the film out and hang it up, the water should form a smooth film. If it collects in droplets instead, your Photo-flo has lost its poop. Mix up a new batch and dunk the film again.

Incidentally, Photo-flo is also the secret ingredient to getting a perfectly even gloss on ferrotyped prints, on the off chance that anyone out there still does that...