brian_parker
enthusiast
Reged: 09/01/2006
Posts: 218
Loc: East Riding of Yorkshire
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Hi all
i am troubled with tiny white spots all over my C41 home processed negatives, which I understand are due to the hardness of the water supply in my area (East Yorkshire). Can anyone confirm this is the case, and if so how is it best dealt with? I have a portable water filter, but I don't think this removes calcium carbonate. Will boiling and cooling the water do the job? Or are the spots due to some other cause? Any thoughts or suggestions on this matter would be appreciated.
Best wishes
Brian Parker
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frank1
Handsome Old Bugger
Reged: 14/06/2005
Posts: 637
Loc: the big smoke islington
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I live in london where the water is hard and I can't say this has happened to me, though I remember something like it happened when processing some mono. Its so long ago I can't say for certain what caused it.I think you might have some other problem going on.
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brian_parker
enthusiast
Reged: 09/01/2006
Posts: 218
Loc: East Riding of Yorkshire
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Thank you Frank
I am going to get some distilled water tomorrow and try mixing the chemicals with that. I will let you know what happens.
Best wishes
Brian
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2734
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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I expect you'll find de-ionised water cheaper and easier to obtain than distilled. Motor factors supply it in 5L containers for around £3 (battery top-up usage). Make sure your final rinse uses de-ionised water with a little wetting agent (and stabiliser if indicated).
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Malcolm Stewart
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brian_parker
enthusiast
Reged: 09/01/2006
Posts: 218
Loc: East Riding of Yorkshire
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Thanks for that Malcolm
I couldn't find any chemists able to supply distilled water, but a local garage sells de-ionised in 5 litre containers. I acquired two to be on the safe side. Just need a bit of decent weather over the weekend to take some colour negative shots to see if it works. I have a suspicion that the film I used was quite old stock (i.e. two years old plus), which might explain the spottiness. I now have some new Superia 400 film to use over the weekend.
Brian
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PeteE
addict
Reged: 23/08/2005
Posts: 406
Loc: BRENTWOOD,Essex
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I use old C41 film all the time and process it in Champion developer, Kodak Bleach, Agfa Universal fix and Fuji Stabiliser (Bleach and Stabiliser were given FREE) and have had no white spots here in Essex. I have tried putting one drop of Paterson Anti-Static Wetting agent into the stabilser diluted as the Fuji one doesn't seem to wet the film as well as the discontinued Formalin Stabilisers (Oh, How I miss those FUMES!)
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Got COMPUTERISED at last and now Digitised but FILM still RULES!
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2734
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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I got my formalin from the local garden pond supplies - it's used to get rid of fish parasites or something.
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Malcolm Stewart
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brian_parker
enthusiast
Reged: 09/01/2006
Posts: 218
Loc: East Riding of Yorkshire
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I have just processed a new Fuji Superia 400 film in a Jessops C41 kit, using de-ionised water from the local garage to mix the chemicals and filtered water for the wash stages, and I'm glad to say the film has turned out very well. No white spots, and the scans on my Nikon Coolscan IV ED are fine. The de-ionised water is not too expensive (about £5 for a 5 litre container) and I intend to use this for all future processing.
Incidentally, has anyone found a solution for the tendency of colour film (C41 and E6) to curl. It's not a serious problem, as my scanner copes OK, and I have a good device for mounting slides, but it makes the storage file quite bulky. Solutions gratefully received.
Thanks
Brian
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Malcolm_Stewart
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/2005
Posts: 2734
Loc: Milton Keynes, UK
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The sad thing is that deionised water has increased in price quite sharply over the few years since I started to buy it for my E6 processing. (I used to pay ~£2.10 for 5L back in ~2001.)
With regard to film curl, the best solution I've found is to sleeve the film fairly quickly as soon as it's properly dried, and to keep a little pressure on the sleeve.
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Malcolm Stewart
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brian_parker
enthusiast
Reged: 09/01/2006
Posts: 218
Loc: East Riding of Yorkshire
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Thanks Malcolm
I sleeved a couple of films after they had dried and put a pile of books on them overnight - result nice flat films. So simple, thanks
Brian
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John_K
addict
Reged: 03/09/2006
Posts: 584
Loc: North Yorks
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When I lived in Surrey I had the same problem with both colour and mono. It was the quality of the water with a high content of lime. Initially I used paper coffee filters to take out the worst by filtering the developing water into a measuring jug. Later I had an online water filter fitted to the rising main so the whole houshold was treated to clean lime reduced water. I think though you will find the coffee filter papers are good enough and more convienient than having to buy de-ionised water.
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