Spotting b&w prints (and razor blades)

[brusby]

Anybody still spotting their prints?

How about using razor blades to lighten areas by scraping off silver oxide?

This used to be a regular thing for me many years ago before the switch to digital.

 

[newt_on_swings]

You would be much better off using a dilute solution of pot ferri for that applied locally.

 

[shadowfox]

I'm about to begin again.

 

[jmcd]

Spotting, sure. SpoTone is my favorite.

I also learned to bleach what you can, including large areas of the print, followed by a second fix ( this was a method of Eugene Smith's).

As for scraping, that is difficult to do well. A fellow I learned from used a scalpel and employed a piercing action in addition to scraping. This worked well for occasional pinhole dots in the emulsion that resulted in obviously misplaced black dots on the print, such as in the sky area.

 

[gns]

Spotting..Blechh! One reason to love digital.
Scraping off black spots with an exacto knife is tough. Had a teacher who showed my how to do that, but I never really got good results. Luckily it doesn't come up very often...more a problem for large format guys who might get dust on the film when loading holders.

 

[brusby]

Yep, we used to use SpoTone if I remember correctly. Put a few drops on a piece of plastic and let it dry. Then wet a very fine brush with saliva (or water) and pick up a bit of the dried SpoTone for spotting.

Regarding the razor blades, we'd actually use 'em to etch open the closed eyes of people in group photos. If you looked real close you could tell, but most casual observers never noticed.

Or, they were great for lightening dark circles under eyes.

 

[ooze]

Of course. Still use the same bottle of Spotone bought ten years ago.

As for knifing, I have tried it and don't do it anymore. I prefer other methods.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Spotting, yes: SpotPens are very good. So are Schmincke watercolours. Most things work, in fact.

Knifing, no. Not even with scalpels. NEVER with razor-blades. Tried it. Didn't like it.

Cheers,

R.