Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I used to hang mine in a breezy doorway when I first started home developing ... naivety is a wonderful thing at times! 😛
How to dry film
- Thread starter keytarjunkie
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keytarjunkie
no longer addicted
I'm not having any issues with dust, the dryer is very free of dust. Just the water drying on the film. Thanks for the suggestions so far...I forgot to mention that I'm developing primarily color film, I always have used photo flo on b&w and never had watermark issues, but does photo flo work for color film too?
Ronald M
Veteran
Photoflow grows junk and is self contaminating. It is a throw away one time use item.
Mix per instructions 1:200, hang and weight film and wait for it to dry.
Things speed up a little if you allow the reel to stand so the water runs off edgewise, tap a few times, then hang.
Never get wetting agent on a plastic reel.
Stay away from any community tools for they are surely contaminated one way or another.
Mix per instructions 1:200, hang and weight film and wait for it to dry.
Things speed up a little if you allow the reel to stand so the water runs off edgewise, tap a few times, then hang.
Never get wetting agent on a plastic reel.
Stay away from any community tools for they are surely contaminated one way or another.
DGA
Well-known
Yes, me too.
After many tries and tests (with unfortunate results at times) I came to a
conclusion that photoflo in distilled water is the best.
after washing away the fixer, I let the reels sit in the stuff for 2-3 minutes
and afterwards take them out and hang them to dry in a relatively-dust-free room.
S
StuartR
Guest
Color negative film should have something called stabilizer at the end -- it combines a biocide with a wetting agent. It used to be foramlin and photo-flo mixed together, but most are using something safer than formalin now. If your color negative process does not include the stabilizer step, you can safely conclude that that is your problem. If your school is skipping the stabilizer (which they might for safety reasons, or just because it is a pain since it cannot be done in the same tank as the processing unless you are using stainless steel reels and tanks), you could safely mix up your own photo-flo and put your films through it before you hang them up. Just make sure to take the film off the reel if you are using plastic -- photo-flo will gradually build up residue.
I also agree that photo-flo is a one time only solution -- it is so highly dilute in use and so cheap (one bottle will last you years if not decades...it does not expire) that it is not worth reusing, as the solution will pick up gunk from one film and later deposit it on another.
Finally, for dust problems, barring a forced air dryer like a Jobo Mistral, something that works really well is to have a HEPA filter in the room where you are drying. Put the HEPA filter in there and turn it on for awhile before you hang up your film, then do not have any traffic in the room. HEPAs are designed to remove almost everything that is larger than .3 microns from the air...that is really tiny. I have found good ones to be extremely effective at keeping film clean.
I also agree that photo-flo is a one time only solution -- it is so highly dilute in use and so cheap (one bottle will last you years if not decades...it does not expire) that it is not worth reusing, as the solution will pick up gunk from one film and later deposit it on another.
Finally, for dust problems, barring a forced air dryer like a Jobo Mistral, something that works really well is to have a HEPA filter in the room where you are drying. Put the HEPA filter in there and turn it on for awhile before you hang up your film, then do not have any traffic in the room. HEPAs are designed to remove almost everything that is larger than .3 microns from the air...that is really tiny. I have found good ones to be extremely effective at keeping film clean.
agricola
Well-known
I guess it depends on your fingers and where they've been (see below). All cow dung must be removed.
I run the shower while the film is washing - hot - make it give steam - catches dust (well, so they say, so I do it).
Then after washing the film pour the Photo-flo into the film container with the film still on the reel and twirl it about for a minute or so. Extract the film from the reel and clip it at the top in the shower recess and at the bottom with a lead weighted clip.
Then - this is the artistic bit - dangle your index and middle finger from your right hand in the photoFlo solution still in the film container where you did your rinsing - wiggle them about a bit - get the crud off.
Carefully approach the hanging film, with your baby soft and liquid fingers, squeegee! the film in one not-too-tight, not too soft motion from top to bottom. Only do it once and get it right.
I give it an hour or so after that to sort itself out. In our climate it is usually still damp, or very damp - you can check by touching the black bits at the top and the bottom. The bottom is the better test. Gravity and all that.
The killer is then the wife's old hair dryer which she donated for the purpose when I upgraded her. Hold the edges of the film (gently) between forefinger and thumb and give it a blast from top to bottom and up and down. Not tooo hot. On Kodak and Legacy Pro film it seems to assist in reducing curl - I am not joking ...
You will have the stuff in the scanner in no time flat.
I run the shower while the film is washing - hot - make it give steam - catches dust (well, so they say, so I do it).
Then after washing the film pour the Photo-flo into the film container with the film still on the reel and twirl it about for a minute or so. Extract the film from the reel and clip it at the top in the shower recess and at the bottom with a lead weighted clip.
Then - this is the artistic bit - dangle your index and middle finger from your right hand in the photoFlo solution still in the film container where you did your rinsing - wiggle them about a bit - get the crud off.
Carefully approach the hanging film, with your baby soft and liquid fingers, squeegee! the film in one not-too-tight, not too soft motion from top to bottom. Only do it once and get it right.
I give it an hour or so after that to sort itself out. In our climate it is usually still damp, or very damp - you can check by touching the black bits at the top and the bottom. The bottom is the better test. Gravity and all that.
The killer is then the wife's old hair dryer which she donated for the purpose when I upgraded her. Hold the edges of the film (gently) between forefinger and thumb and give it a blast from top to bottom and up and down. Not tooo hot. On Kodak and Legacy Pro film it seems to assist in reducing curl - I am not joking ...
You will have the stuff in the scanner in no time flat.
Chris101
summicronia
I hate it, but occasionally I need to scan film right away. So I'll develop it in HC110 dilution a for a few minutes, give it a quick stop with vinegar - pour it in, pour it out, and rapid-fix for 2 minutes. Rinse it once, and HCA for a minute. then wash for two more minutes in running water. I hang it to dry in the shower as normal, BUT put a forced-air space heater in front of it. In about 3 minutes, it's ready to cut and scan. Kaboom - images ready in 15 minutes start to scanned.
I thought about rinsing in Everclear and lighting it on fire for a second, but then I read that bio of Capa and decided against that technique. I'll bet if you do it right though ...
surfer dude
Well-known
You upgraded your WIFE?
Chris101
summicronia
Happens all the time.
Vics
Veteran
What a cool idea!
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