[Leica] Can anyone share hard water, high mineral content darkroom experience?

[lew1716 at gmail.com (Lew Schwartz)]

So you use tap water for washing with a final dunk in distilled + Photoflo?


-Lew Schwartz

On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 10:23 PM, Gary Marklund <garymarklund at gmail.com>
wrote:

>  We have very hard water here in the desert. I use distilled water for
> mixing developer (film and paper) and Photoflo, also toner if I'm doing
> that. In addition, I use a filter system for the rest. I looked into an RO
> system, but I think it takes about 5 gallons of water for each gallon you
> get out of it. Not what I want to do given the general overall water
> shortage.
>
> Gary
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 4:29 PM, Bill Pearce <billcpearce at cox.net> 
> wrote:
>
> > most home centers sell home RO machines, and they are fairly inexpensive,
> > shouldn't be nearly expensive as most of your other stuff, around here
> > about $300. They produce well filtered water with lots of bad stuff taken
> > out, and as a bonus, you can use them to feed an icemaker in your
> > refrigerator. Can't make enough for flowing water in a washer, but if you
> > use water baths, it should be good. Great for chemical mixing. I always
> > filled some old milk jugs at off times to keep plenty on hand.
> >
> > -----Original Message----- From: George Lottermoser
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 2:02 PM
> > To: Leica Users Group
> > Subject: Re: [Leica] Can anyone share hard water, high mineral content
> > darkroom experience?
> >
> >
> > On Jun 23, 2015, at 12:54 PM, Lew Schwartz wrote:
> >
> >  I've never worked in these conditions. We're drawing from our own well,
> >> probably high calcium & iron in water. I mix my own developers, but
> have a
> >> great source of distilled H20. (Run off from the dehumidifier.) My main
> >> concern is with washing & the fixer. I got hold of some old style
> calgon.
> >> How much would I mix in? I plan to wash negs in the ion filtered well
> >> water
> >> with a final soak in the pure H2O plus wetting agent.
> >>
> >> I haven't tried any of this yet, but soon ....
> >>
> >> Comments? Ideas?
> >>
> >
> > I worked for 25 years with very hard, untreated water, high in minerals,
> > calcium and iron, in my darkroom.
> >
> > I used commercially distilled water to mix all chemistry.
> > I used double filtration for wash water;
> > though always did a final distilled water soak, rinse, soak, rinse, drop
> > of photoflo in final rinse.
> >
> > Never let the negatives or prints dry with even filtered hard water on
> > them.
> >
> > Regards,
> > George Lottermoser
> >
> > http://www.imagist.com
> > http://www.imagist.com/blog
> > http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>