Dust and scratches on 5x4 Fomapan 200 film

[thronobulax]

Been in the attic of the house, despite trying to block off all the drafts, I still seem to get a few especially when its windy outside



@thronobulax What working strength do you mix and what does the isopropyl alcohol do. I have some here which says 99.9% on the bottle

Add about 20-25ml of the alcohol per litre of wetting agent working solution. The alcohol helps evaporate the water away from the film to dry faster.

 

[Ian-Barber]

Add about 20-25ml of the alcohol per litre of wetting agent working solution. The alcohol helps evaporate the water away from the film to dry faster.

Interesting @thronobulax , I have never mixed a working solution of wetting agent, I have always just added a drop straight from the bottle into the final was water.

Having just checked the data sheet for Kodak Photo Flo 200, I see they suggest 5ml per 1L water for the working solution.

 

[thronobulax]

Interesting @thronobulax , I have never mixed a working solution of wetting agent, I have always just added a drop straight from the bottle into the final was water.

Having just checked the data sheet for Kodak Photo Flo 200, I see they suggest 5ml per 1L water for the working solution.

Yes, Photo Flo 200 is a 1:200 dilution, hence the name. They also made/make a Photo Flo 600 to be mixed at 1:600. As I recall, it was targeted at commercial labs. I've got a gallon of it, but have not yet gotten to using it. I expect I will first dilute it 1:3 to turn it into a 1:200 stock. I don't know if that will work identically to the Photo Flo 200, but I will try it sometime with something unimportant.

I just looked at the MSDS sheets for these two products. As you might expect, they are similar, but the 200 is about 2/3 water.

 

[Hendo'svan]

I vacumn the bench area where I am going to load my film, I also remove the dark slides and vacumn them and the holder especially under the flap. once the film is loaded, each holder is kept in a neoprene sleeve and then in a food bag.

My Negs drying tonight, I got the box in B+M, clips on ebay and an old coathanger I found in the loft, some holes drilled in the bottom of each end.

 

[Ian-Barber]

My Negs drying tonight, I got the box in B+M, clips on ebay and an old coathanger I found in the loft, some holes drilled in the bottom of each end.

@Hendo'svan Please keep us posted on the results

 

[Hendo'svan]

Here they are, Fp4 rated at 80 developed with Rodinal 1:50, a few drops of wetting agent in the final wash left for a couple of minutes then hung up in the plastic box overnight, this was placed on the laminate flooring next to a radiator.
Tonight scanned with my Sony A6000 camera using the Essential Film Holder, a quick wipe with my ilford anti static cloth and a blast with a rocket blower, a bit of sharpening in Lightroom, nothing else.

 

[Ian-Barber]

Was you happy with the results from the box

 

[Hendo'svan]

Yes, cheap and cheerfull, plus I'm never in a great rush to peer at the negs, quite happy to leave them undisturbed overnight. I never zoomed in on the scans at 100 % I'm sure there will be a few marks but certainly not covered in dust by any means.

 

[David M]

Well done.
I’ve found that the amount of wetting agent needed seems to vary, either with water temperature or hardness. I’ve not tested or kept records, but sometimes the same amount produces that nice all-over sheeting and sometimes it pools on the surface. I dispense it from a bottle that delivers 5ml.
I have heard of darkrooms where film was needed in a great hurry, where they dunked it in alcohol, hung it up and lit it. It may be true. H&S is a relatively modern invention. Don’t try this at home, or anywhere else.

 

[Camerashy]

Does anyone here give their film holder a little tap to settle dust to the bottom edge before inserting it into the camera?

 

[David M]

No. Is dust heavy enough to do this? If so, won’t the tap simply loosen more dust from the remotest corners of the slide?
Since getting some otherwise inexplicable double exposures, I have resolved to tap my holdersto settle the film at its lowest point in the holder.

 

[Diz]

I do tap the corner to dislodge dust from static before cleaning. Can't remember where picked it up from(Roger Hicks?) but is now a habit.
Cheers
Diz