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  #71  
Old 17th April 2015, 05:09 PM
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Jakecb Jakecb is offline
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Everyone has their routine!

Last rinse I use de-ionised water - thoroughly - then hang to dry with no further ado.
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  #72  
Old 11th September 2015, 08:56 PM
Martyn Martyn is offline
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Make certain sure your water is thoroughly filtered and use a drop, literally, of wetting agent. I never run anything down the emulsion surface but a friend of mine swears by a bit of chamois, clean of course. Never dared try it myself. De-ionised water is good, but well filtered has always been good for me.
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  #73  
Old 30th September 2015, 10:21 AM
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I would not use a film squeegee, i scratched a roll film years ago and said "never again"
use wetting agent and filtered water then after about half an hour in the durst film drying cabinet (cool air) i turn the film around so it gets a blast of air from both ends
Paddy
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  #74  
Old 30th September 2015, 05:42 PM
JOReynolds JOReynolds is offline
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I am always amazed and amused by the raging argument about how to dry film. There are applications for squeegees, mainly in the motion-picture and microfilm industries, but not in enthusiast's darkrooms.
I used to earn my living processing other people's film - in London, Leicester, Agde, Paris (both in France) and Sprendlingen (near Frankfurt). The water was filtered but not softened or treated in any way. I used the technique described below for hand-processed work and I never had a complaint about drying marks. Not once. And I never used a squeegee.
Consider, first, how the marks come about. Surface water runs down partly-dried gelatine or, in the case of the back of 35mm or some sheetfilm, naked cellulose triacetate. The diluted wetting agent (surfactant) reduces surface tension, allowing the water to spread evenly, and flow down the film. But the dispersion takes time, so if it is disturbed or accelerated, it may leave traces. Froth flowing slowly down the film leaves a snail's trail as the film dries, especially on the back of 35mm film. We'll come to that in a bit...
The film has been washed, the hair-dryer is locked away, the top clip is dry and already in place wherever the film is to dry. Put the wetting agent, stabiliser or final bath in a ceramic or plastic (Christmas) pudding basin, around 1.5 litres, with a lid. Or buy one specially - it's an important accessory. To avoid back-ache, place it on something about 12" high. Do not immerse the spiral in it. Attach the bottom clip to the loose end of the film and use it to remove the film from the spiral. Hold the free end between thumb and forefinger and immerse it in the liquid. Raise the free end while forming a loop so that the entire film is drawn through the liquid. Attach the free end to the dry top clip. There should be no evidence of froth. None. If there is, repeat the procedure. There is now sufficient liquid on the film surface to give the stabilising function.
It is worth mastering this technique, perhaps experimenting with dummy film before trying it on real work.
If liquid is visible as a bubble in some sprocket holes, this may imply that the surfactant concentration was unnecessarily high. As the bubbles burst (they are only a few microns thick), droplets may attach to neighbouring film during drying, causing 'measles'. Check that the top of the film is firmly attached, lift the bottom clip to form the film into a gentle loop and tug it down sharply. This will dislodge the bubbles in the holes.
Now wait. Most drying marks are caused by impatience. Don't get the hair-dryer out until most of the film is already dry. The method described above ensures that the excess moisture flows towards the bottom of the film, so that part can be safely dried with warm air. Fingermarks spoil an otherwise good job. I used to get my staff to wear at least one white cotton glove - the other hand was used to open the film sleeve.
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