Water spots?
Nick Zentena
I'm having the odd water spot with C-41 film. They aren't so bad
you notice them on the film but they show up in the prints. When you then go
back and really look at the negative the spots are there.
This is the stablizer I'm using:
Formaldehyde, 37% 3.0ml
Photoflo 200 0.8ml
Water to make 1.0L
Can I just do a distilled water wash after this? Or maybe I should do
one before? I'm already making up the statblizer with distilled water. The
film is squeeged between my gloved fingers.
Thanks
Nick
Lloyd Erlick
<zen...@hophead.dyndns.org> wrote:
...
>film is squeeged between my gloved fingers.
>
> Thanks
> Nick
...
jul1204 from Lloyd Erlick,
Where's my soapbox? It's too hot to rant right now ... but
... touching the film, especially the coated surface, is an
invitation to problems.
I suggest a rinse in distilled water in place of the
finger-squeegee (with gloves?? -- well, it makes me say ugh.
But I don't do C41 so I could be wrong.) Formaldehyde is a
gas, so it will disappear anyway, although a distilled rinse
might take it away sooner (too soon??). Wetting agent will
not completely disappear easily, either, so I doubt the
stabilizer step would be compromised by a distilled rinse.
If these are films that are hung in a dust free place to
dry, apply the final distilled rinse by sluicing it down
both sides of the hanging films, instead of squeegee-ing.
I do not use the C41 process, so take my comments
accordingly.
A long time ago I experimented with Ilford's XP films (did
Microsoft have to pay them to use that letter combination?),
and I found I simply could not escape minute specks on my
negatives from a local lab. Several labs, in fact, including
the one operated by a very conscientious fellow I've dealt
with for years. I couldn't justify getting into C41 myself,
so I dropped it. Could this be the problem?
regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
voice: 416-686-0326
email: port...@heylloyd.com
net: www.heylloyd.com
________________________________
Nick Zentena
>
> A long time ago I experimented with Ilford's XP films (did
> Microsoft have to pay them to use that letter combination?),
> and I found I simply could not escape minute specks on my
> negatives from a local lab. Several labs, in fact, including
> the one operated by a very conscientious fellow I've dealt
> with for years. I couldn't justify getting into C41 myself,
> so I dropped it. Could this be the problem?
These aren't specks. I think the C-41 process is actually designed to
be squeeged. Both to cut down on chemical carry over and for the final wipe.
The prints are showing white lines. At first I was sure the paper was
damaged but it's the water marks. If they were B&W I think the prints would
be fine but they really show up in colour prints. At least I know the paper
is good-)
I think I'll try spraying the film with distilled water. Can't hurt too
much. Maybe resoak the cut negatives.
Nick
Lloyd Erlick
<zen...@hophead.dyndns.org> wrote:
>... I think the C-41 process is actually designed to
>be squeeged. Both to cut down on chemical carry over and for the final wipe.
>...
jul1204 from Lloyd Erlick,
That would make sense, since it's usually carried out in a
machine.
I could never get color neg to work for me. But that's
largely because of my personal proclivities. My color
perception is less than perfect, so my motivation is slight.
I had the same problems with black and white from a lab when
I first started. It didn't take too many overpriced, screwed
lab jobs to convince me to buy a tank and an enlarger. There
were bugs to work out there, too!
Nick Zentena
> <zen...@hophead.dyndns.org> wrote:
>
>>... I think the C-41 process is actually designed to
>>be squeeged. Both to cut down on chemical carry over and for the final wipe.
>>...
>
> jul1204 from Lloyd Erlick,
>
> That would make sense, since it's usually carried out in a
> machine.
>
> I could never get color neg to work for me. But that's
> largely because of my personal proclivities. My color
> perception is less than perfect, so my motivation is slight.
>
> I had the same problems with black and white from a lab when
> I first started. It didn't take too many overpriced, screwed
> lab jobs to convince me to buy a tank and an enlarger. There
> were bugs to work out there, too!
I tried colour printing just to prove it was too hard for mere mortals.
Turned out to be much simpler. If I don't screw up the exposure I can just
focus set the timer and my standard filters and print. All the prints from a
tank of film without changing anything. In a way normal printing is so
simple it's relaxing. Now if I can just get the negatives spot free-)
Nick
Richard Knoppow
"Nick Zentena" <zen...@hophead.dyndns.org> wrote in message
news:akhas1-...@barley.dyndns.org...
Lines sound much more like scratches than anything else.
Water spots come from a deposit of minerals from the water
during drying. They take the form of rings and are usually
visible as white and rather powdery looking on the dried
film. Since the stabilizer contains a wetting agent, and
since you are squeegeeing water spots are unlikely. Fine
scratches in either emulsion or support will result in white
lines on the prints since the scratches look black on the
film. If the film must be squeegeed to control the amount of
stabilizer in the emulsion then some other method of
squeegeeing should be tried. The scratches may be hard to
see on the negative.
Real water spots can often be removed from B&W film by
treating it in fresh Acetic acid stop bath but that is
likely to have a deleterious effect on color film.
If you are not using distilled and filtered water for the
rinse bath that would be a place to start.
--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dick...@ix.netcom.com
Nick Zentena
>
> Lines sound much more like scratches than anything else.
> Water spots come from a deposit of minerals from the water
> during drying. They take the form of rings and are usually
> visible as white and rather powdery looking on the dried
The lines are random. Yesterday I was so irrated I wiped my dry finger
over the negative and the white stuff disappeared. The stuff is dense enough
it blocks the light getting to the paper. I've got very faint white marks on
the negatives.
> Real water spots can often be removed from B&W film by
> treating it in fresh Acetic acid stop bath but that is
> likely to have a deleterious effect on color film.
> If you are not using distilled and filtered water for the
> rinse bath that would be a place to start.
The stablizer is distilled water. The wash water isn't. The marks are very
faint easy enough to miss.
Thanks
Nick
Donald Qualls
> The lines are random. Yesterday I was so irrated I wiped my dry finger
> over the negative and the white stuff disappeared. The stuff is dense enough
> it blocks the light getting to the paper. I've got very faint white marks on
> the negatives.
<snip>
> The stablizer is distilled water. The wash water isn't. The marks are very
> faint easy enough to miss.
Suggestion -- could the marks be powder (these days, usually corn
starch) from the gloves you're using?
--
I may be a scwewy wabbit, but I'm not going to Alcatwaz!
-- E. J. Fudd, 1954
Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer
Lathe Building Pages http://silent1.home.netcom.com/HomebuiltLathe.htm
Speedway 7x12 Lathe Pages http://silent1.home.netcom.com/my7x12.htm
Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth
and don't expect them to be perfect.
Nick Zentena
> Nick Zentena wrote:
>
>> The lines are random. Yesterday I was so irrated I wiped my dry finger
>> over the negative and the white stuff disappeared. The stuff is dense enough
>> it blocks the light getting to the paper. I've got very faint white marks on
>> the negatives.
>
> <snip>
>
>> The stablizer is distilled water. The wash water isn't. The marks are very
>> faint easy enough to miss.
>
> Suggestion -- could the marks be powder (these days, usually corn
> starch) from the gloves you're using?
>
The gloves don't say anything and I do wash them but I guess it's
possible. Might explain why it's so random.
I'll try washing them some more.
Thanks
Nick
Richard Knoppow
Perhaps a rinse in distilled or filtered water before the
stabilizer would fix this. I am surprized that anything in
the wash would remain after the stabilizer but its possible.
If the stabilizer is re-used perhaps filtering it would
help.
The usual water spots will not come off so easily,
generally they must be removed using an acid bath, something
you don't want to do with color film.
Nick Zentena
>
> Perhaps a rinse in distilled or filtered water before the
> stabilizer would fix this. I am surprized that anything in
> the wash would remain after the stabilizer but its possible.
> If the stabilizer is re-used perhaps filtering it would
> help.
I'm suprised to. I thought when I solved water spots on B&W negatives that
was it but they never caused such obvious printing problems. I'm using the
stabilizer one shot. The only info I could find was in the Britsh Journal of
Photography annual and that said not to reuse it.
Thanks
Nick