Wetting Agent and Water Spots

[snowblink]

I just did my first two-reel.
Luckily, not really any different to one-reel.

However, I noticed that I have some water marks after drying.

I am concerned that I may have used too much wetting agent.
Would too much cause water spots?

Any recommendations for the best things to do post washing?

 

[oftheherd]

I don't think that would cause waterspots. At least not that I recall. Seems like I remember it had another deleterious effect. Since I don't use it, I can't be more help. Others here on the forums should be able to help though. Try to dry in your bathroom after running the hot shower for a couple of minutes. It gets rid of dust and slows the drying due to the slight increase in humidity. That gives water a chance to diffuse more.

 

[RML]

It won't cause water spots. It can leave marks, though, if you use too much. It can also start to foam and leave bubbles, which can than leave circle/oval shape marks.

Try to use only distilled water.

 

[FrankS]

Water marks are caused by mineral deposits left behind as the water in a drop that hasn't dripped off the film, evaporates. Wetting agents help reduce the number of these drops by lowering the surface tension of water so that fewer drops form. Water marks are worse in areas where the tap water is ground-sourced. (wells, rather than from a lake or reservoir) Just yesterday I FINALLY bought a large container of distilled water ($2) that I'll use and re-use as the final rinse of the film during the last minute of washing. That will put an end to water marks that have plagued me for years and years.

 

[snowblink]

Thanks for the advice. Just developed another two and I think it's time to get some distilled water! Squeeging helped, despite what people think of it. I think I prefer potential scratches to water stains.

 

[kaiyen]

try the distilled first. then the squeegee. please 🙂

distilled with 5 drops of photo-flo from a dropper - never any water marks. I also use distilled for the last of the Ilford wash steps.

allan

 

[palec]

I use distilled water and have similar problems - tried two different wetting agents - Foma and Ilford. I tried squeeging with fingers and with microfiber cloth, but still not satisfied with results. The fingers do not squeegee enough and microfiber left few dust spots in emulsion. I run shower before hanging the films also. Any real world advice? 🙂

 

[markinlondon]

Too little wetting agent and you get spots, too much, same story. You have to be careful about mixing the stuff. I'm just using a distilled water rinse now.

 

[palec]

I use Ilford recommended dillution (measured with syringe) and I'm using distilled water - still drops of water are accumulating on film and leaving marks. Anyway Ilford recommends to squeegee on both film sides.

 

[Mark J]

I also had water spots until I switched to distilled water for the photo-flo bath. I am not using it in the rinse, just the final dip and it appears to work for me. My house has a well and water softner. The water has lots of iron in it which is mostly removed by the water softner.

 

[kaiyen]

The problem, fundamentally, is the poor quality of water out there. Not for drinking - tap can be cleaner than bottled in many cases. But for film, there are a lot of deposits. Or other stuff. The water in my city, for instance, comes out so aerated that it looks like it's boiling when I pour it into my bucket (which I get to 68 and use throughout processing).

I even have a counter-top distiller that I use to make more distilled, and about 10 1 gallon bottles around the house (4 in my bathroom for developing, the other six for coffee) that I try to keep filled. Doesn't impact my electicity bill much.

allan

 

[WEH]

Here is a foolproof method for drying 120 or 135 B&W roll film without leaving watermarks, scratches or streaks. It’s a bit labor intensive but will be worth the effort.
The procedure is to wipe down both sides of your roll film simultaneously while it hangs from a film clip using two damp water-absorbing cloths. The cloths will remove any water drops, which could contain mineral deposits. The cloths will even pull the water out of the sprocket holes in 135mm film. This procedure works well if you use a hardener in your film fixer and do not use a wetting agent,

There was a time when you could buy “photo grade” sponges for this purpose but I haven’t seen any for 20 years or more. I have found by trial and error that the best material to create these film-wiping pads is smooth surfaced synthetic chamois or Microfiber automobile wiping/drying cloths found in automotive stores. They are thicker, softer and more water absorbing than natural chamois and they contain no oily residue since they are man-made. Most auto part stores sell these cloths. In the US, Pep Boys Auto Supply stores always have them.

Email me for how-to-do-it details, as my explanation is too long for a forum post.

Walter Holt