[pure-silver] Re: a recent problem with fine dust on negs

Janet Cull wrote:
> I have a problem I've never had before, and I'm not sure why.  The last
> few times I've processed film the negatives have had lots of very fine
> dust that shows up terribly on prints.  If I rinse these cut negatives
> and hang to dry, they're better.  I'm rinsing the same way I always have
> when I process, so what could be the problem?  I usually hang the
> negatives to dry in my shower, and I have recently with this problem. 
> Last night I processed film and hung it in my darkroom.  Same problem.
> 
> THe only change has been that we recently changed from well to county
> water.  That shouldn't make a problem like this, should it?

It very well could be.  New pipes, especially, have to coat up
and can (and do) put small crud in the water at first.

> 
> I process, rinse, stop, fix, use perma wash, rinse in running water,
> then rinse in distilled water.  I hang the negatives with clothes pins
> on a coat hanger, in the shower.  We're careful not to sprinkle anything
> (like baby powder) in the bathroom when negatives are hanging.  It's the
> same process I've always used.  What could be causing the problem that
> I'm missing?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Janet


Mix *all* your chemistry with distilled or deionized water - if your
county water is cruddy, it will pollute the purity of your chemicals
as well.

Put a filter on your water faucet or install a whole-house filtration
system (not expensive - the filter housing is about $30 and the filters
are about $4/ea.  However, this does involve cutting into the main
water supply for the house and you also have to replace the complete
housing assembly every few years.)

Wash in slightly cooler than normal water if you can (say, about 60-65F).
This keeps the emulsion from getting too soft and thereby picking up
any crud in the water is less likely.

Make sure final rinse is *thorough* in distilled water with Photo-Flo
added.  (Make sure your hands are clean and ...) Hang the film, dip
your complete (clean!) hand into the Photo-Flo mixture, and use
two fingers like a very gentle two-sided squeegee to remove the excess
water moving from the top of the film to the bottom.  This has to be
done gently or you can scratch the emulsion.  I do this *all* the time
with roll film and have no problems at all.




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Tim Daneliuk     tundra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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