Water spots? Dust?

[Al Kaplan]

If you're going to dry on the reels you really need to have enough downward air flow to force the drops down across the width of the film. A hair dryer works great and there's no need to actuate the heat, just use the blow function.

 

[philipp.leser]

Hair dryer = dust particle cannon 😉

 

[AusDLK]

Funny how the world works sometimes.

I happened out on eBay after my last post and lo and behold someone was selling a Kindermann Rapid Film Dryer -- I look at the picture and it is the same device that I used in my darkroom as a kid.

I had completely forgotten about it even existing much less me owning and using one.

Did some quick bargaining with the seller, got a BIN price, and now it's mine.

When this arrives (and assuming it actually does work...), my cruddy film drying problems are over...

 

[jackbaty]

When this arrives (and assuming it actually does work...), my cruddy film drying problems are over...

You will post the results once you've had a chance to try it, yes?

 

[Fotohuis]

Film dryers are only working in the right way when the HEPA filter is OK. Most problems with drying marks are caused by the (tap) water.
The use of demi water or reverse osmose (R.O.) water in combination with the minimum amount of wetting agent should give in all circumstances the right solution. Too much wetting agent is also causing problems.
Calcium salts are causing often these problems. A hair dryer will inject dust partikles in the emusion which are not going out anymore: Not a good solution.
Every mechanical contact with a wet soft emulsion can cause damage. Some type of films have a softer emusion then others and then the chance of telegraph cables is rather big. So not recommended.

You can hang up the film under an angle and after drying up a bit you can hang it vertical with some weight to minimize the curl. Curl is also depending on the type of non-curling layer of the film (and base material: Polyester (curls more) or Tri-acetate, thickness) and the drying speed, humidity of the surrounding air.

 

[Dogman]

Don't blame PhotoFlo if you get crud and residue on the negative and for gawdsakes don't use a squegee or sponge the film after using PhotoFlo. Most of the build-up of PhotoFlo residue is because of using too much of the stuff. And just let the film dry normally--using a squegee can scratch the negatives.

I've used PhotoFlo with some of the worst water ever--stuff that would leave a residue on the walls of a water glass after drinking it. If you use only the tiniest amount of it, it actually reduces the possibility of residue drying on the film.

 

[jbh]

I don't have a bottle of Photo-Flo to look at...it's been years...but I vaguely recall the instructions reading "do not squeegee." Also, I use it at half-strength with distilled water, no water-spot problem.

For that Kindermann dryer, if you want to use it with more SS reels or plastic reels, get a piece of aluminum dryer-vent tube and duct-tape it over the outlet; you'll have a four- or eight-reel dryer.

The DSA/Senrac dryer is great; just be careful using it with the heater on. <g>

 

[russianRF]

Don't blame PhotoFlo if you get crud and residue on the negative and for gawdsakes don't use a squegee or sponge the film after using PhotoFlo. Most of the build-up of PhotoFlo residue is because of using too much of the stuff.

I use PhotoFlo at 1 part PhotoFlo per 200 parts water, just as the directions say. I use distilled water. The residue I see at the bottom of my hanging rolls is indeed PhotoFlo's fault. Now, if you're saying that I should use even LESS PhotoFlo than is recommended by the manufacturer. . .

 

[shadowfox]

jay: water "spots" are often much more complex than simple dust and scratches. For example, at the end of my film, there is often a "spot" that runs lengthwise down the last few frames of the film. These sorts of "spots" are much harder to automatically correct, as they're not true "spots" but rather are large blotches and irregularities that interfere with the details in the image itself. Indeed, there have been a couple of times when I've thought "what an ugly image" until I realize that some of the ugly "detail" is really a large, oddly-shaped patch of water/Photoflo residue*.

Maybe you're luckier and/or have a better method of drying your negatives. I dunno. But I do know that I've been using Photoshop for over ten years and am well acquainted with the healing brush, dust and scratches filter etc. I can say with confidence that these tools aren't much help with the sorts of "spots" problems I have; I'd imagine if someone is in here complaining, they probably have the more severe "spotting" problem like how I have.

*I'm blaming Photoflo because I still get these problems even when I use Photoflo with distilled water!

I got this problem too sometimes. See the picture below, on the center-lower-right-ish :

I don't know if you know this, those pesky big "blobs" of water spots are sometimes (if not always) removable *after* the film is dry. Wipe it off with a wet cloth (soft one of course) on the other side from emulsion (do not wet the emulsion side !!).

My problem is that I can only see these blobs when I scan the frames, I can't tell just by looking at the negatives because on mine, the "blobs" are quite faint and transparent... until you see it on the scan, and by that time, it's a hassle to clean and then re-scan them.

Maybe I need to get a small light-table, I already have a good loupe.

 

[russianRF]

I can also see a faint blotch running down into the "Y" in the "GYM" sign.

BTW I like the picture overall. 🙂