water streaks on 120 film but not on 35mm?

I just developed two rolls of film at the same time and the 35mm

does not have water spots, but the 120mm does have spots and

streaks. The 120 feels tackier also. I used my fingers to remove

excess water. No anti-streak stuff was used. I printed my own film

for a few years but it has been quite a while. I am afraid I forgot

most of what I knew. Thank you.

IMO you should always use Photo-flo or some sort of wetting agent and never wipe off excess water before hanging it up to dry.

 

The funny thing is I have the opposite problem as you. I never have spots on my 120 or 4X5 negs, but the rare occasion I shoot 35mm I struggle with spots. I think I need to work on my Photo-flo dillutions.

 

Alan

Dear Mikel,

 

I must second what Alan wrote except that I follow the dilution on the Photo-Flo bottle<g>).

 

Neal Wydra

dilution listed on the PhotoFlo bottle? Gosh, I should read it sometime. I just use a few drops in a tank and it always works. About 2-3 drops (more or less) for a few 35mm reels, 4-5 drops for 120 reels. It certainly doesn't seem critical. And, that little bottle will last for a long, long time.

 

I do use a squeegee and never get scratches. Nor do I have spots or dust from drying film in the shower. Maybe I just live right.

Ron Mowrey once suggested using a baby's ear syringe to gently flow on a stream of wetting agent on your hanging negatives instead of squeegeeing and the like, and it works very well for me. I also dilute Photo-flo much more than the package suggests (more like 1:500 for the 1:200 concentrate package).

 

I've seen suggestions as well for adding isopropyl alcohol to your wetting agent mix to avoid the problem, but have not tried it.

I recommend most strongly that you use wetting-agent and that you do NOT squeegee. My preferred choice of wetting-agent is Paterson Acuwet at 2 drops per 100ml of rinse water. Failing that Tetanal Mirasol.

 

Mix the wetting-agent in a little water in a jug and ensure that it is fully mixed. Then top up with water to the required amount. Dunk the reel in this, agitatng gently for about a minute. Then hang the film up to dry.

Hello everyone. Try this method. Get a small, fine spray misting bottle and fill it with DI water. Use 1 or 2 cc (max) of PhotoFlo or whatever brand wetting agent you like in the final wash for 2-3 minutes. Hang the film and spray the film twice on each side. Do not touch the film with ANY THING! Just let it dry. Enjoy, Bill