Wet Scanning Fluid Alternative

Ian-Barber

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I have been doing some wet scan test recently with the Epson scanner. Not sure if they are sharper but the amount of dust has reduced considerably.

I read somewhere that lighter fluid can be used as an alternative to Kami Fluid. Anyone had any experience using lighter fluid
 
That would certainly re-prioritise the concerns over dust on the negs :eek:
 
I know nothing about lighter fluid, but if it leaves any kind of oily residue you wouldn't want that!
 
I've been using Gamsol recently, which is available from art supply shops. Has been discussed on other forums, works well and seems very similar to lumina.
 
I've been using Gamsol recently, which is available from art supply shops. Has been discussed on other forums, works well and seems very similar to lumina.

Yes. It's also mentioned on the betterscanning.com site as an cheap alternative.

Bought it immediately at my local art supply store. Tried it works but now i had to buy a betterscanning dryfluid mounting station. [emoji846]




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I have found the better scanning dry or even wet fluid mount station to be a an expensive waste of money for the improvements it gives in conjunction with the Epson flatbed scanners
 
Funny you should say that Martin, I bought a Betterscanning mount ages ago too, and saw little improvement on the standard Epson holders, so never used it again.

I thought it was just me that was doing it wrong!

Mike
 
I did see an improvement, once I had done the tedious and painstaking process of optimising the height. I use an Epson V700 and the BetterScanning dry mount.
 
I got a Better Scanning mount too, but I'm blowed if I could see which quarter-turn of all those screws gave me a definitive improvement. What sort of target did you use? I looked for better-defined grain.
 
The thing is you cannot seem to get the Epson into sharper focus whatever you try, maybe a tad better, with the mount, however, pop another negative in and your back to square one, I just think that I paid a few hundred for the Better scanning mounts dry and wet, with very little difference in quality, waste of money IMHO, and yes you would expect the grain to be in focus, afterall thats the strucrutre of your image, my Nikon scanner gets it spot on, so why cant the Epson with adjustments, maybe average optics that cant resolve the grain good enough.
 
Wet mounting goes back to at least 1926, it's been used for enlarging small negatives. It's about negating surface artifacts from processing. This shouldn't be an issue with most modern films but a few suffer micro reticulation with poor temperature control, Acros in Rodinal is particularly prone. The effect is increased apparent graininess, the film grain hasn't changed but the surface artifacts cause issues with printing and particularly scanning.

Kodak had a big problem with C41 films when the first digital minilabs were introduced but newer films are scanner friendly after they increased hardening significantly.

So you may have no increase in quality wt mounting except with some films, depending on their processing.

Ian
 
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I did discover that the Better Scanning anti-Newton cover glass for 120 film was an exact fit for the Nikon 8000 120 holders. I removed the sliding top bars and used the glass to hold the film flat. I've always found it a struggle to fit 120 film neatly across the aperture and the glass seems to work better than the Nikon grips. It was heart-in-mouth the first time I watched my new sandwich disappear into the scanner, but there seems to be plenty of headroom.
This may have improved the scan quality, but the main benefit to me was reduced handling of the springy film and probably fewer fingerprints.
 
I have been doing some wet scan test recently with the Epson scanner. Not sure if they are sharper but the amount of dust has reduced considerably.

I read somewhere that lighter fluid can be used as an alternative to Kami Fluid. Anyone had any experience using lighter fluid

Ian, did you find a solution with wet mounting a fluid source/substitute?
 
Thanks. Are you happy with the Epsom scans and getting dust free lay flat files?
 
I am happy with the MF ones and also the 5x4 ones. The 35mm can be a bit soft but they are fine for up-to 8x10.
For scanning all negatives, I place them emulsion side down on top of the fluid holder, position them roughly in the centre and then place a piece of anti-reflective framers glass onto to keep them flat.

I set the scan software to use Film-With-Film-Holder.

1531
 
Thanks Ian. Which fluid holder are you using. The 750 allowed 2 negs but the new 800/850 only one I believe.
 
I am using the Epson Fluid Mount. As far as I know the 700 and 800 series are the same. I picked this ne up fairly cheap on eBay
 
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