BW film developing - drying marks

[BobBill]

More two cents...your marks are likely organics in water imbedded in film...pick your fix...

Maybe, instead of buying distilled...or using soap etc, buy a water filter on line...for a couple dollars US, you can buy a filter that will purify water for a fam of 4 for a year...I use to take egg or iron taste from well water, plus...have a box...called GAX or something like that...cheap. Brita is a no better and you pay for their merchandising hustle...even if tax deduct...life is good.

 

[Ronald M]

What internet bad advice still running around.

The ideal amount of Photo Flo is dependent upon water hardness. I normally use Chicago tap ,7 grains by the time it gets to suburbs and then through my 3 micron filter . 200;1 is perfect.

Final rinse with distilled water, is just a drop or two. Judge by how the water flows off the film. If it beads up, you need more.

Get a nice spray bottle or lab squeeze bottle and spray the hanging film.
Specially if you use a plastic reel which does not like wetting agents.

NOTHING is clean enough to wipe film especially fingers. Look at film through a loupe after you do it, not pretty. It is worse.

If some debris was on the film, you risk dragging it down and making one long scratch.

Do not save wetting agent. It mildews and leaves marks.

Another trick is to shake off water when film is on reel. Sky side up, shake or tap and drain off the short side 2 minutes. then remove from reel, hang and spray again.

Keep you tanks and reels clean, also storage bottles, and use an air filter.

 

[FujiLove]

I mentioned on another thread that I use a salad spinner to dry my film. Drop an empty reel on the other side to keep it balanced when processing only one film. Using distilled water with a couple of drops of wetting agent for the final rinse, followed by 30 seconds in the spinner has completely cured my water mark problems

 

[Ronald M]

After fix, wash , then rinse with filtered water. the 1:200 Photosflow. Use Photoflow made with distilled water as final rinse.

Tap the reel on a towel on the countertop to run the water off sideways. Then hang to dry.

Glass bottles, water and air filters are keys to clean negs.

 

[Bille]

Thanks for the tips. Will look out for a salad spinner.

 

[:: Mark]

I would like to add another vote in favour of a salad spinner...

I am now running a final rinse with distilled water, a couple of drops of Mirasol, and then a rapid spin in an ancient Ikea salad spinner. With this I no longer need to squeegee the film with my fingers and finally get essentially no drying marks!

The Ikea spinner that I have holds four 35mm films perfectly, which is ideal as I almost always process in blocks of four films now...

 

[Fotohuis]

Films are getting dizzy in the dark room. 🙂

 

[Ronald M]

Crud in the water or crud left in the tank or on the reel from last film.

Water filter or bottled water is the answer. It helps to put the finished reel on the counter 5 minutes so the water runs off the short way. Tap to remove excess. Then hang.

 

[schlops]

Sorry to dig up that thread but I haven't found a more recent one.

When you guys & girls talk about drying marks, do you talk about stains on the surface that you can wipe off with a soft cloth once it is dried, or marks that are inside?

Because I started getting the second kind on the last rolls I developed and I can not figure out why. I've been developing my own b/w film for 15 years now and never changed my method, so I really have no clue and it's quite frustrating...

I'm finishing it off with a soak in distilled water with a few drops of Tetenal Mirasol and then just hang them without doing anything. Always did the trick.

I'd appreciate any advice or help 🙂

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Vytasn If you're still with us 5yrs later, I like your elastic band variation on the diagonal.... I'm still with the weighted clips on the end, hanging in the shower stall ....might add a suction cup & try the diagonal..... but the weights have always worked and negs are clean.

 

[Ronald M]

Disolved solidéis very possible. After wetting agent, let reel stand 2 minutes on its side so water has less distance to run. Then tap lightly to remove excess. Hand up.

Wash and dry tank, lid, reel and dry. Glass storage bottles best because they can be cleaned. Throw away the plastic crap.

All other answers are things to try except squeegee or fingers . Use all others in combinations with my suggestion.

Hepa air cleaner in drying space is worth what you pay for it.

 

[schlops]

Disolved solidéis very possible. After wetting agent, let reel stand 2 minutes on its side so water has less distance to run. Then tap lightly to remove excess. Hand up.

Wash and dry tank, lid, reel and dry. Glass storage bottles best because they can be cleaned. Throw away the plastic crap.

All other answers are things to try except squeegee or fingers . Use all others in combinations with my suggestion.

Hepa air cleaner in drying space is worth what you pay for it.

I'll try that next time, thanks! I read that in this thread many times and it sounds totally plausible.

Would another wash help to get rid off the solidified stains ?

 

[agentlossing]

I shake off my paterson reel as much as possible, after a final rinse in distilled water, then use a sponge-type squeegee. Never have marks (except very rarely, I don't clean the squeegee enough and something scratches the film!).

 

[Guest]

Could someone post an image of the salad spinner idea in practice please. I started using distilled water for fixing, washed with tap water and then use photoflow with distilled water. Then squeegee with fingers and hang dry with a fan on low at a distance. It has worked better than my previous methods but I still get some issues, so the salad spinner has me interested.

 

[Joao]

Could someone post an image of the salad spinner idea in practice please. I started using distilled water for fixing, washed with tap water and then use photoflow with distilled water. Then squeegee with fingers and hang dry with a fan on low at a distance. It has worked better than my previous methods but I still get some issues, so the salad spinner has me interested.

Not exactly a salad spinner but something similar (I guess). The amount of water extracted this way is amazing, the paper gets fully soaked.
Look here, cheap and easy

https://public.fotki.com/BlueWind/drying-film/

Joao

 

[Guest]

Not exactly a salad spinner but something similar (I guess). The amount of water extracted this way is amazing, the paper gets fully soaked.
Look here, cheap and easy

https://public.fotki.com/BlueWind/drying-film/

Joao

Now that is a clever idea. I have some rather large clear plastic containers that I simply refuse to throw, away that can easily be converted into this style of device. Now I always do three 120 rolls at a time, but this method spinning one reel at a time would be perfect.
I read and do physics, trigonometry and algebra for fun and am kicking myself for not having come up with this idea myself before now. I am now going to do some engineering on a plastic bottle, just got to figure out if I have any rope in the house now……cheers, you are a good man.

 

[Joao]

Now that is a clever idea. I have some rather large clear plastic containers that I simply refuse to throw, away that can easily be converted into this style of device. Now I always do three 120 rolls at a time, but this method spinning one reel at a time would be perfect.
I read and do physics, trigonometry and algebra for fun and am kicking myself for not having come up with this idea myself before now. I am now going to do some engineering on a plastic bottle, just got to figure out if I have any rope in the house now……cheers, you are a good man.

You're welcome. Use a thick glove, and don't use this method if you have shoulder or elbow problems...
I would say that spinning several rolls at the same time will leave some water in the lower reels. Just my guess.
If you have acess to a laboratory centrifuge device, it may dry your film very very fast. I was tempted to do it in the past, but never tried it...
Regards and good luck
Joao

 

[Godfrey]

I've used the same method of finishing film for drying since 1968 and have never had a single moments issue with drying marks:

- final bath is 1 minute in PhotoFlo 200 mixed to the correct dilution. I mix up twice as much as needed...

- Pull film out and hang on the drying line in the rack (currently, my bath tub and shower stall...).

- Wet first two fingers of my right hand with the left-over PhotoFlo solution and squeegee the film between them.

- Close drying rack door and walk away. Film is dry and without any marks usually within two hours.

The water here in Santa Clara, CA, is particularly hard and mineral laden. That's made no difference.

G

 

[schlops]

I bought Photo-Flo instead of the Ilford one, mixed it with distilled water to the correct dilution and did/do everything as Godfrey said.

I still get these marks and they are not on the negative, they are "burned" into it. I'm very, very frustrated at this point. I'm not developing since 1968 but still doing it for 15 years now and never ran into so much problems..

Huge nose on the cropped one and lots of streaks inbetween the antennas

 

[retinax]

For me the Tetenal stuff, mixed with distilled water 1:400 as it said on the bottle works well. But some ppl say with distilled water, use less wetting agent, you could try that.
I've never had stains only on the emulsion side. Maaaybe they're created earlier in the process? Wild guess, but does your developer contain sodium carbonate? Is your stop bath fresh? Acidic fixer?