(Washing) Letting film sit between soaks - good or bad?

Seems like Anchell & Troop could be wrong about this?

 

Since reading The Film Developing Cookbook, I have been using the

Ilford method for washing film, BUT letting it sit 5 minutes in each

water rinse. I seem to remember reading on this forum that it's not a

good idea.

 

Actually, I should restate. When using PMK (which is used on 90% of

my rolls), I have been doing the following after fixing in TF-4:

 

Fill tank with water, agitate for 2 minutes, dump water.

 

Fill tank with water, invert 10 times, let sit for 5 minutes. Repeat

5 times.

 

Fill tank with LFN (wetting agent) solution, agitate for 1 minute,

let sit for 4-5 minutes. Pull reel from tank, pull film from reel,

hang up in closet.

 

 

Recently (largely due to laziness I think) I've taken to running

water rinses for 10 minutes, then a few soaks, in order to give film

the full 30 minutes for the stain to build. I figure since the film

is already developed and fixed, tap water isn't going to hurt it at

this point.

 

 

With NON-PMK developed rolls, usually it's:

 

Fill tank with water, invert 10 times, let sit 5 minutes. Repeat 3

more times just for paranoia-reduction, then wetting agent/dry

sequence.

 

Am I, in this type of wash, endangering my film in the "long" run?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Josiah

Paranoia-reduction? I don't think any one can help you with that.

Dear Josiah,

 

Unlikely to do any harm, but won't do any good either. For what it's worth, even the guys at Ilford who did the original research often wash a bit extra, because even they can't believe it's that easy! I was talking to one of them about it within the last couple of weeks or so and we were laughing about the fact that we both over-wash. But it is that easy.

 

I just do the full Ilford bit, 5x, 10x, 20x, and repeat one of them for paranoia reduction. Which one depends on how paranoid I am feeling.

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

I use the Ilford method but, being a belt-and-braces type, I double up and give 10, 20 and 40 inversions. The tank stands for a minute or so between washes as I refill the jug with filtered water. Within reason it won't do any harm.

I use a slightly different method suggested by the Late Barry Thornton. Basically 6 immersions of 3 minutes each. I did a 7th immersion of 90 seconds with wetting agent. I never had film damage using this method.

 

The principal benefit for me was that the wash water was always at the same temperature as the processing temperature and the water was always filtered before use.

Go read the Cookbook again -- it recommends standing for progressively longer times in each successive rinse (to allow fixer to diffuse from the emulsion into solution at lower and lower conentrations), and mentions that this low water consumption method has been published incorrectly without the standing intervals in other places.

 

Also, Anchell and Troop very specifically recommend using distilled water even for final washing of film developed in pyro to avoid blotching or mottling of the stain due to reaction with minerals in tap water.

Thanks all!

 

I will indeed check the Cookbook again. Seems everything I THINK I know I read in there, I've got 95% right and the remaining 5% missing. So I'll go crack it open and read thoroughly the washing section.

 

 

Regards,

 

Josiah

One of the reasons I don't trust Anchell & Troop is that they say this information has been published incorrectly before. As Ilford did the original research, and as their response to the advice about standing was 'why'?, I know whom I back as incorrect...

I use vigorous agitation under a stream of water for one minute, then I do standing soaks of 10 minutes each, times three... I use a white enameled 10 quart bucket filled to the brim - that is a lot of water volume compared to the film area.... With a white light directly over the bucket I see the antihalation dye streamers quietly floating out into the water during the first soak, and sometimes slightly during the second soak... By the third soak I do not see any visible streamers of dye and I declare victory...

 

 

I do a rinse/soak in distilled water for 1 to 2 minutes and immediately hang the film without ANY wiping... I do not have water spots - or scratches... My pictures may be bad, but my negatives are pristine...

 

Denny