[Leica] Retouching enlargements experience?

[Lluis Ripoll]

Thank you Don, I develop my negatives in distilled water and I rinse them with Tetenal Mirasol (similar to Photo Flo), I can say that generally I obtain a satisfactory cleaning of my negatives, the problem I’ve encountered has been when I’ve enlarged a negative, on the print it appeared asomething very small like a small hair, I’ve cleaned the negative with an anti-static cloth and I’ve removed the dust, I did a new enlargement and the dust has appeared in an other location of the enlargement. On this case what I want is simply do a retouching of the enlargement. I’ve received many answers and comments recommending me Spotone and I will try it.

Thank you!
Lluis




> El 18 febr 2019, a les 4:14, Don Dory via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> va escriure:
> 
> Back in the day: start with distilled water filtered for all your mixing of
> chemicals and rinsing negatives in photoflo.  Use a clean soft pad to
> remove excess wetting agent or what I used at the end, denatured alcohol
> leaving the film on the reels..  Then I had a custom built film dryer that
> basically used a hairdryer sucking in air through a hepa filter and into a
> metal tube that held the reels of film.  So, most of the time the film was
> clean and straight into sleeves.
> 
> When enlarging blow the negatives off with an air compressor through a hepa
> filter.  If you still have dust spots then, sigh, there is nothing but spot
> tone inks and a really fine brush.  Become the artist and mix the colors
> until you get the tone right, much easier typed than done.  I will say that
> once you have standardized on a paper and developer you learn the mix and
> it becomes a lot easier.  Wearing one of those binocular magnifiers you see
> jewelers and watch repair techs use carefully put really tiny dots of ink
> down in the dust spot building the density up with more dots.  Let it dry
> between as the density changes as it dries.  This is a true art/craft and
> it gets much easier the more you do it.  I have to say that I was doing a
> lot of this for myself and others who gave up learning.
> 
> But, with a smile, spotting is so much easier using Adobe's tools.
> 
> All the best, and just like using an M, there is a learning curve in seeing
> color in the B&W and a steady hand with the brush along with a whole lot of
> patience.
> 
> On Sun, Feb 17, 2019 at 7:22 PM Lluis Ripoll via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> Steve, mon ami
>> 
>> I will share the answer with you if I find it…..
>> 
>> Amitiés
>> Lluis
>> 
>> 
>>> El 18 febr 2019, a les 1:19, Stephen Barbour via LUG <
>> lug at leica-users.org> va escriure:
>>> 
>>> Well put, agree with all including your ending question.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone, Steve
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 17, 2019, at 4:12 PM, Lluis Ripoll via LUG <lug at leica-users.org>
>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I’ve encountered sometimes when I enlarge a small dust like small hairs
>> that ruin the enlargement. I clean it, I look to the negative with a
>> magnifier 8X but sometimes I’ve removed the dust from one point to another
>> point.
>>>> 
>>>> To clean the nregative I’m using PEC PAD with the special tissues
>> provided but sometimes a supplementary action on the enlargement would be
>> necessary. I think it is very difficult do a good retouching and make a
>> similar tone to the one of the print.
>>>> 
>>>> Some experiences about cleaning better the negatives or applying
>> retouching?
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you!
>>>> Lluis
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Don
> don.dory at gmail.com
> 
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