Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/18

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Drying marks
From: Bill Welch <welch@pressroom.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 21:13:39 -0500

Martin, Sorry I'm late catching up with your discussion. Here are my
suggestions:
	 If you are using Kodak Photo-Flo, I suggest you use half their
recommended amount of solution in water, or less. As Michael said, more is
definitely not better. Film scum seems to accumulate from too much
solution. I prefer the alternative wetting agent sold by Edwal, with the
minimal recommended solution per liter, or one drop.
	Also, your five minute soak strikes me as excessive. I just dip the film
in for 10 or 15 seconds, then remove it. This is a surface wetting agent,
so I see no purpose in a long soak. Then, I hang the negatives directly in
my film dryer. I do not like to squeege film if I can avoid it.
	I  do not agitate. Agitation creates foam. Foam and bubbles are what you
do not want on your negatives.
	I use filtered water for most other solutions, but I mix the wetting agent
in distilled water and have had no difficulty I can trace to the water.
I'd like that final bath to be as pure as you can get it, since what's left
behind will be stuck to your film. That's my opinion, anyway. Good luck.

Bill


At 12:50 PM 2/18/99 +0100, you wrote:
>In any case, the problem I have is that I'm getting drying marks on my
>films, despite precautions.  I use a wetting agent in the last rinse,
>with the right dilution, and let it sit in the water for about five
>minutes. ...
>Still, I keep on getting little white marks on the film.  What am I
>doing wrong?