Does the Paterson squeegee scratch negatives?

[chris_douglas1]

<p>For about 14 months I've been trying various ways of drying negatives without getting water spots. I have a very dust free place to hang film so dust isn't a problem, and I've tried various concentrations of photoflo to get best results with no scum, but I never wipe the film, so there is a puddle under the film. I'd like to know if squeegeeing is a good idea, and I have read some posts that say NEVER squeegee film. The Paterson advertisement says, "Completely safe for film, with extra-soft blades that can't scratch and a handle design which prevents excess pressure on the film. That sounds like a promise a politician might make. Is it true?</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I think the problem is not with the squeegee itself but with any kind of grit that gets onto it after it is used for a while.</p>

<p>You have an excellent device already -- your first two fingers side by side (after a drop of photoflo added to the last wash), again with the injunction to make sure that there is no grit on them.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>A good squeegee doesn't cause scratches, but the debris it can pick up will. Not worth the risk, IMO. The last time I used a squeegee was when I was on deadline. It's been many years since I was on deadline.</p>

<p>Best tip I've found for drying negatives came from Roger Hicks: Suspend the strip of negatives diagonally. The water gravitates toward the lowest edge and drips off the single low corner. Works very well, very consistently. Any water marks are confined to the margins where they don't affect the frames.</p>

<p>I use simple tools, like paper clips and rubber bands to suspend 35mm negatives (unfold the paper clips and hook through the sprocket holes), and hemostat clamps for medium format. I run a recirculating air HEPA filter which minimizes dust problems, and the slight air flow helps with drying.</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I never squeegee. In the early days I tried every squeegee under the sun and they all scratched sooner or later. Correct use of wetting agent makes squeegeeing unnecessary. By trial and error, find the minimum amount of wetting agent that will disperse the water - I use either Paterson Acuwet or Tetenal Mirasol at the rate of 2 drops per 100 ml water for the final rinse.</p>

[larrydressler]

<p>Filtered or distilled water as a final bath is the best I ever found.. along with very dilute Foto Flo added at the last few seconds with an up and down motion.. that makes a few bubbles AKA foam. hang and dry.</p>

 

[conrad_hoffman]

<p>My experience with blade type squeegees is that even if they work for a while, the edges of the blades tend to harden and crack over time (use a magnifier) and they will pick things up and scratch. Still, I'm not of the "never squeegee" persuasion. I use fine grain cellulose photo sponges on a U-shaped stainless steel holder. I give the film a minute in Photo-Flo, diluted as per the label, then give one wipe with the sponges, which have been dunked and squeezed out in the same Photo-Flo. The sponges get stored in an open ended plastic bag when not in use (so they dry and don't grow stuff). IMHO, the *only* way you can get away with this or any other contact method is if your water supply is filtered and you have dust under control. Otherwise, use the various other methods.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>I heat up the blades in hot running water to soften them (and to clean off any dust), then let them cool a bit before using, so as not to shock the film too much. Works OK without scratching. I also use the two finger method. </p>

[janne_moren]

I dry the rolls loosely wound "backwards" on a terry towel, held in place by a few clips. That way the water just needs to run down the short edge, not all along the entire film. And when it dries "backwards", it straightens the film making it much easier to scan too. Hanging it diagonally sound like a good idea too, for similar reasons.

[kasperhettinga]

<p>I've been using a squeegee for some time now with a similar method as Arthur: run some warm water over them just before using. Until now, I never had any problem. For me, the main reason is that I dry in a closet which is clean but not superclean. Without using a squeegee, I sometimes had dust problems, now that I use a squeegee that is totally gone...(I know that arranging a cleaner place to hang the negs to dry would be an even better solution, but I don't have that luxury what a not-all-that-big house and two small kids...)</p>

[chris_douglas1]

<p>Thank you everyone for your comments. I appreciate the advice. It sounds like almost everyone tries a squeegee until they get burned. In a perfect world without grit or dust they are probably fine, but I will stay away for now. I can see how in a time constrained, large volume operation, a new squeegee would save time, and buying a fresh one fairly often would be worth it. I will continue to use a lean mix of photo flo and distilled water, and I'll try the diagonal trick too. Thanks again.</p>

[StuartMoxham]

<p>I tried a squeeggee once and scratched my negs so a I never used it again. I just use my finger and thumb new and they work just fine.</p>

[thomas_sullivan]

<p>I don't use a squeegee. I use photo flo...probably twice the amount kodak says to mix with water. I leave the film in the photo flo solution a little longer than recomended also. Agitating slowly and easily maybe every 20 secons....then just let it sit for the last 20 seconds. I then lift the reels out of the tank....meaning I do not pour the liquid out first because all the dirt I managed to get off the film would then be dumped back on it. I then immediately hang the film vertically. And just leave it alone....no squeegee, no fingets, no nothing. I have of course prior to even beginning development wet dusted the entire room to eliminate as much dust as possible. Once I started that method I had no scratches or even dust ever again.</p>

[randy_boren1]

<p>Here's my 2 cents. I always squeegee after the Photo-Flo. I use only a sponge squeegee then has been soaked in water at about the developer temp and gently wipe the film in one continuious motion. Years ago (30) I tried the rubber type and was not comfortable with rubber touching my film. I've processed thousands upon thousands of rolls/sheets of film (35mm thru 5x7) and I very, very rarely get a scratch. Squeegeed film dries much faster if you need that. We develop our personal operating procedures from our experiences, good and bad, you might experiment, but not with important film, to find which method you like.<br>

rb</p>

[david j.lee]

<p>no it doesn't. dust does, so as long as the squeege is clean and wet there is no risk. i use it all the time.</p>

[sg_adams]

<p>I'm with the Photo-flo, and no Squeegee group. I have no problem at all getting clean results without taking the chance of dragging grunge or grit across the soft wet film emulsion. I get enough scratches and junk in my color film from the lab that I see no reason to do it at home. I was amazed how much cleaner my home developing turned out compared to the the first B&W I had developed by a lab, and I've got a serious dust problem. </p>

[edward_gillum]

<p>Chris--<br>

Don't squeegee. Here is what has worked for me for over 35 years. Wash film for at least 20 minutes, or more. I use a very fine soft sponge, medical type is good, or any soft but fine one. If it is sheet film, I use a plate with the water trickling in it and softly wipe the film surface with one or two swipes across it...both sides. Then I drop the film in a quaduate of distilled or filtered water, that covers the end of the film to over the top, and add 8 or 10 drops of LFN Wetting Agent (Edwal), and let the film be submerged a minute or two. Then pull out and hang via clothespins. I never get scratches or water spots doing it this way. If you are using a tank for 35 or 120, then wash well and before dropping film in a deep dish with the LFN, I squeegee the strip of film by using two pieces of sponge, sliding the film through one time with just a small amount of pressure. Squeegees can be rough, hard, and pick up all sorts of fragments that can scratch emulsion, even on print surfaces, where I use an auto or truck wiper blade, which have soft edges.<br>

Edward</p>

[mark_tate]

<p>Just the thought of rubbing anything over my negatives makes me squrm a bit .<br>

Unless time is a factor I think it is just best to let them dry naturaly , same goes for prints</p>

[Bob K]

<p>I have found over 50 years in the darkroom, that a drop or two of photflow in a 16 oz tank, stirred but not shaken, pull the film between your fore and index fingers and place in a dust free area to dry.</p>

<p>Do not make the small stuff into a mountain.</p>

<p>Bob</p>