andy mcleod Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 I presently use filtered water in all my processing - diluting chemistry and all rinses to stop hard water spots from forming when the negs dry. Use that extensive is effective, but a bit of a pain, and will use up my filter quick. Based on experience can anyone tell me if filtered water in only the final rinses and solution (Orbit bath, photo flo ) is sufficient to keep spots from forming? Thanks, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 I rinse in tap water but use distilled water with Photo-Flo as the final rinse. Now that I've found the right balance of Photo-Flo/water there's no problem with spotting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_waller Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 I use a Paterson in-line filter which has a 10 micron gauze in it. To save this from blocking up to quickly I put a wad of cotton wool on top of it. I use filtered water for all solutions and for the washes (Ilford hand washing method). I live in a hard water area and use Paterson wetting agent at its lowest concentration (2 drops per 100 ml water) and I get spotless negs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conrad_hoffman Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 I put a standard hardware store filter on the incoming water line and it definitely takes care of grit and small particles. It won't do a thing for water spots, so you still need a final distilled water rinse with some wetting agent. Personally, I don't bother with this, but rinse in correctly mixed Photo-flo, followed by a wipe with a photo grade sponge set. Despite all the advice against this, it works fine if the water is filtered and the sponges kept clean. I have no scratches, no water spots, and very fast drying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Bowes Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Hello everyone. Water spotting will only occur from drying. On all my films (roll and sheet), I put .5cc of Photo-flo into the final wash water (static, not running water) and soak for 3-5 minutes. Hang the film(s) up and flood 2x on each side with a pump mister (available just about anywhere) filled with DI water. Spots and Nessy monsters vanished long ago. Enjoy, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth_harper Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 I force wash the film in tap water for half an hour. I then rinse 3 times with small amounts of distilled water. Having run the shower in the bathroom for a few minutes, turned the radiator up full I just hang em up to dry. I don't use any wetting agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilcox Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I suffered from spots on negatives for a good while, even though I used a wetting agent. The problem totally vanished once I stoped washing the negatives after the use of the wetting agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_vonbank Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Even filtered and distilled water can create spots on your negatives if dried improperly. My solution to this problem (with 35mm and 4x5 sheet film) was to adequately irrigate the processed film and drain negatives by weighing down the bottom of the 4x5 negative sheet (or short 35mm roll) with one or two of those small paper clamps partially submerged in a wetting agent. Fluid-dynamics seemed to eliminate any spotting, especially if dried in a relatively dust-free environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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