Two questions for the great knowledge base in this forum

[tom_mccabe]

I'm back in the darkroom and loving it! However, I have a bottle of Kodak film cleaner that has very little left in it. I know it's no longer available. At least I haven't found any but partial bottles on ebay. Does anyone have a substitute you can recommend? Or a formula for some sort of film cleaner?

 

Secondly, how critical is developer temperature for print development as opposed to film development?

 

Thanks in advance!!

[jose_angel]

I have never used a film cleaner, just soapy water (or diluted photo.flo) and a soft rub with my fingers. Good or bad procedure, it works for me.

 

Print development is also temp sensitive, but not as critical as with film. If the solution is cold, simply extend the developing time. If it's too warm, the image appears sooner. Think that in opposition to films, printing papers are (usually) developed to completion.

I like to work with the right temperatures because this way it is easier to know and control the quality of the image and the shape of the chemicals (feedback).

Edited July 14, 2022 by jose_angel

[hunter_compton]

The old Kodak film cleaner contained Heptane and Trichloroethane, the latter of which as a CFC, depletes the ozone layer and is likely carcinogenic. As such, it is no longer in production. Kodak's current recommendation is to use >99% Ethanol to clean film.

[glen_h]

When I was young, I never worried much about print developer (always Dektol) temperature.

 

I would expose for the usual 1.5 minute development time. I suspect our house was

closer to 70F than 68F, so not far off.

 

Paper developing goes most of the way to completion, so should be less sensitive to

temperature than film. That is also why it doesn't work well to remove prints early,

or leave them in much longer, when over or under exposed.

[glen_h]

Trichloroethane and trichloroethylene were both popular solvents years ago, and likely carcinogenic.

 

They are not CFCs, as they don't have any F and do have H.

 

Having H makes them less stable, so they don't last as long, and also have less ozone depletion potential.

It seems that 1,1,1 trichloroethane has ODP of 0.1.

 

Ozone-Depleting Substances | US EPA

 

I don't see anything for 1,1,2 trichloroethane, or trichloroethylene.

 

I often find 99% isopropanol in stores, 99% ethanol is harder to find.

[Alan Marcus]

Surf the web for motion picture film cleaners. Any product you buy, test first. I have used Everclear from the liquor store - nearly 200 proof alcohol (near 100% ethyl alcohol) works for me in every case. (you can drink if all goes south). As to paper developer temperature, 68 F 20C is the norm, no harm if hotter or colder is used except timeif in solution is altered. Best you use at ambient room temperature and develop under safelight by inspection. Biggest danger is too short time, results in mottled tones and low contrast. Edited July 15, 2022 by alan_marcus|2

[chuck909]

I have used Everclear from the liquor store - nearly 200 proof alcohol (near 100% ethyl alcohol) works for me in every case. (you can drink if all goes south)..

 

Drink at your own risk!!!. Yes, I have - once. I used the rest of the bottle in a lamp to melt wax (VERY clean burning)

[glen_h]

Surf the web for motion picture film cleaners. Any product you buy, test first. I have used Everclear from the liquor store - nearly 200 proof alcohol (near 100% ethyl alcohol) works for me in every case.

(snip)

 

In my college thermodynamics class, and discussing phase diagrams, we were reminded that when raiding the lab for alcohol, to get the 95%, not the 99% or 100%.

 

It seems that distillation can only get to 95%, as at that point alcohol and water evaporate together.

 

To get past that, they add other chemicals, such as benzene, that don't completely come out.

 

And that is why Everclear is 190 proof, not 200 proof.

 

Hopefully a little water doesn't bother it too much.

[tom_mccabe]

Thank you all, gentlemen! I'll keep the Everclear info for the next party!!

[rodeo_joe1]

WRT print developer temperature, I always found that the 'recommended' 20C/68F gave less dense blacks than using developer at closer to 25C/77F. Especially after lovely old D163 was replaced with (IMO) weaker and inferior formulations.

[invisibleflash]

Edwal fast drying. Filmrenew slow drying

[bgelfand]

As others have written, temperature does affect the development time of prints. Which leads to a "trick' or technique I learned, a long, long time ago.

 

If you want to slightly burn an area of a print, develop it halfway, then take it out of the developer, place it on a support (an upside-down tray would work), bring your mouth close to the area you want to burn and breath on the area you want to burn. Your breath raises the temperature of the developer locally on the print, the developer works faster and thus burns the area. Then replace the print in the developer and continue to develop the entire print by inspection. The farther your lips are from the print the larger the area covered, the less intense the burn, and the greater the feathering of the effect. The effect is subtle, but it is there.