clive1 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 <p>well, if you rinse them in hot water immediately after you use them, no residue builds up. I've had the same Patterson reels for 10 years and they are still the same color.</p> <p>I have no idea how to clean stained ones. I've always been of the mind that cleaning immediately is the best policy.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj8281 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank.schifano Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_waller Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <p>Just soak them in plain water and then rinse them off, also in plain water. I've been using the same reels for 25 years and have only ever rinsed them in plain water.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_gardner4 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_dake Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <p>I just rinse mine under warm water and give them a quick scrub with a soft toothbrush along the spirals. I've been using the same reels for many years and they are fine, the discoloration has not affecred their use in any way that I can tell.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie_robertson2 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 <p>I would dip them in warm diluted bleach for an hour then rinse them thoroughly.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 <p>Vinegar mixed with warm water would help"dip them in over night then rinse them with water" .</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweezil Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 <p>Clive,<br> you could treat them on ride in the family dish washer.<br> If you're concerned about the rest of the dishes, make that a solo ride after closing time</p> <p>;-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_carlisle1 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 <p>I too have heard that vinegar aids in cleaning any photoflo residue, though I haven't tried it myself.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer_almqvist2 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annie_chenery Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 <p>I have had the same reels for years and never used anything to wash them only water.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive1 Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 <p>Thanks for all the advice. I forgot all about this post. No major build-up, but a gradual discolouration. Washed them in HOT water, as the first reply suggested, and everything is fine.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_king3 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 <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> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now