Film Curl-How to fix

[brian_utley]

My film tends to curl upon drying. Not lengthwise, but widthwise.

Film I get back from the lab are perfectly flat. I hang my film to

dry, with clip on both ends. Is there something that I can do to

prevent this?

[m0002a]

Describe in detail what kind of clips you use.

[brian_utley]

I am using these:

 

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=details&sid=1044768950172524&sku=PAFCS

[j._raabe]

I've got those film clips.

 

EFKE film curls on me. HP5+ curls a <b>little</b> bit. Delta 100 dries flat - note that I'm referring only to 120 & 220 film. Film curl is basically never a problem for me with 35mm film.

 

Is it <b>VERY</b> dry where you hang your film?? What film(s) are you using? More specifics might generate more udeful replies.

 

By the way, TRI-X (which I don't use really) dried for me <b>FLAT</b>.

[j._raabe]

Also check this <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004N0m">thread</a>

[chris_waller]

Films generally curl when dried but once placed in neg-sleeves and then into a neg-file they will flatten.

[scott_walton2]

Films from a lab dry flat because they use a dryer not any hotter than 95

degrees F. Make a great film dryer out of a garmet bag bought at Kmart or

Walmart. It is the kind that you store clothes for the winter... zipper in the front,

clear front with a hanging frame in the top. Cut a hole in the top, push a hair

dryer in the top (use low setting) and cut a few small slits in the bottom so the

air will rush out the bottom. Your film will dry flat and fast and you can pack the

dryer away because it folds down flat. They cost around $10 USD and have

worked great for me until I built a permanent darkroom with a drying cabinet.

[aaron l]

I had the same problem until I stopped roasting my film. I make the film dryer maybe 5 degrees warmer than the room, stick the film in and let it cool/dry. That processes has resulted in non-curling film.

[ken_dangerfield1]

My experience with EFKE R50 - 120 seems to be different in the sense that heat drying isn't the problem. For the darkroom class I am taking, I have processed Tmax100, Agfa APX100 and EFKE R50. Tmax and APX were processed in the college lab and dried in their air drier. I processed the EFKE at home in a Paterson tank, Rodinal 1+25, water stop, Ilford Rapid Fix and Ilfosol. Distilled water throughout except for the final wash. I used the standard, recommended times throughout.

 

The EFKE was then hung to dry in the bathroom at ordinary room temperature of about 68-70F with weighted clips. It has a real curl to it on both dimensions to the point that it won't lay perfectly flat in the glassless neg carriers we use at the college.

 

Would it help if I used a fixer with hardener. Or, is the only answer to use a glass carrier?

 

Even with the curling problems, I much prefer the tonal quality of the EFKE and will probably continue using it a lot. Using a developing time of 6 minutes at 68F, continual agitation for the first 30 seconds and then 10 seconds every minute, the negatives are very close to what I expected when I exposed the film and I had no trouble getting the range of tone and detail that I wanted in the prints. The word I would use to describe the tonal quality is that there is an "elegance" about it.

 

Ken Dangerfield

[lex_jenkins]

My Efke R100 (120) negs curl like a rattlesnake. No problem during printing - I use a glass carrier. But I hafta tuck the negative sleeve in between other already-flattened negs to keep the Efke negs flat.

 

I guess it's worth the trouble - Efke R100 has qualities very much like Agfa APX 100, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.