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Cleaning plastic reels


clive1

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<p>Does anyone have a simple method for cleaning plastic developer tank reels? I've been soaking them overnight in slightly soapy water, but notice that it's not ideal. I'm not in the U.S., so please don't suggest a product unique to America. Thanks.</p>
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<p>I recently purchased a stainless 127 reel that was crusted with who knows what. I soaked it in hot water then used a plastic brush with soft bristles (one for washing dishes) to clean it. The bristles where able to get into the areas between the wires. I would think that it should work great on plastic reels too.</p>

 

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<p>Are they just discolored or is there a build up of residue on them? If they are only discolored, no problem. Leave them be. I have a few that are horribly discolored, probably from color chemistry (I got them used and know nothing of their history), and they work just as well as any others. If they are crusted up, well who knows? You may never be able to get them completely clean without damaging them and should probably just replace them.</p>
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<p>Clive, as other people have already asked: is there something on them do you mean general cleaning after use? I simply rinse mine in tap water after use, shake the water off and leave to dry. Cant say I have any build up on them and they are still white after several years.</p>
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<p>If you don't use photo-flo et al (why should you???) and wash your films while still on the reel, there is absolutely no need for any reels-only wash.</p>

<p>Use de-min water for the last wash and dry the film with a folded paper kitchen towel once it hangs and you have no problems with residuals, no drying marks and no dust on the film. And the shortest drying time you ever had.</p>

<p>To those who are afraid of using paper kitchen towels because they think half of the towel will be on the film:</p>

<p>1. use good quality towels, fold the towel twice along and once across and squeeze the hanging film _once_ from top to bottom. Make sure the side of the paper which faces inwards on the roll is the side that touches the film.</p>

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<blockquote>

<p>"I too have heard that vinegar aids in cleaning any photoflo residue, though I haven't tried it myself."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>There's a common misconception that Photo-Flo and other wetting agents form a residue on plastic reels. Not once in over a decade have I seen any substantiation for this. In every case, either someone was merely repeating what they've read elsewhere or they were blaming wetting agents for stains caused by other factors.</p>

<p>I've seen hard water deposits on a couple of reels and tanks. It was due to my own high mineral content rural well water. These deposits can become stained by photographic chemicals. And, yes, distilled white vinegar will help remove mineral deposits, along with the stains in those deposits (as will CLR, Lime-Away and similar products which may be too harsh for plastic tanks/reels).</p>

<p>Check the photo.net archives or Google for the hundreds of debates on this issue. If anyone can find some conclusive evidence to support the claim that Photo-Flo or any photographic wetting agent causes a residue on plastic reels when used as directed, I'd like to see it.</p>

<p>Photographic wetting agents are surfactants, just like many soaps and mild detergents. But unlike other household and industrial agents, photographic wetting agents are free of oils, dyes, perfumes and other contaminants. So it would seem logical that the best way to clean a reel would be to use a tiny bit of a photographic wetting agent in water, followed by a rinse in plain warm water. In fact, if you use the Ilford in-tank method, you're already doing this. So, assuming your water does not leave mineral deposits, nothing additional should be needed to clean the tanks/reels.</p>

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  • 1 month later...

Depending on the developer you are using it could be a deposit of colloidal silver (BW) or chemical tars from color mixes. Try the fizzing denture cleaning tablets for black and white or Lysol toilet bowl cleaner for color tars.

 

I would avoid bleach, it can react with certain plastics, or if your must try household bleach test on one reel first. Do not try any DIY homebrews, especially do not mix toilet bowl cleaner (acid) with bleach. Chlorine gas will kill you.

 

The old tray cleaners work, too (sort of), pulled from the market, MSDS says dichromate is a carcinogen. The formulas are in formula books. I have found that most bleach treatments (chlorine or dichromate) only turn the stains white, as soon as you put developer back on the tray or reel the developer redevelops the stain.

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<p>The silver residue Mike mentioned is a very likely culprit for those stains some folks see on plastic reels. I've noticed this staining on the bottoms of my plastic containers for fixer mixed to working strength, since I reuse fixer several times and don't bother to filter it.</p>

<p>Residue of dyes - anti-halation and sensitizing - may be another culprit. I suppose it's possible these could also stain plastic reels. Never gave it much thought before. Since Rodinal seems to strip out dyes aggressively from every film I've tried, it might be worth recycling used Rodinal to see if it has any effect on removing stains from white plastic reels. I might give that a try with one of my Paterson reels which has some very minor stains, but no residue build-up.</p>

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