MehmetCati Hi! I read somewhere a while back that Drysonal isn’t suitable for all types of film stock. I’m planning to give this ‘stuff’ a go, but I’m now feeling a bit unsure. Is that statement true? Has anyone had any experience with it? Regards, Mehmet
cfb_de Hello Mehmet, Drysonal consists of denatured ethanol and a small amount of surfactants. To put it simply: methylated spirits and a little wetting agent, although the alcohol in Drysonal is not denatured with camphor. It is absolutely incompatible with C41 films that have been treated only with a stabilising bath without proper washing. With any black-and-white film, I see no potential drawbacks after a proper final rinse. However, there are no real advantages either. When spun dry in a salad spinner, the film is dry within 30 minutes even without Drysonal. Best regards, Franz
MehmetCati Hi Franz. Thanks so much for your reply! So, does that mean I could just use methylated spirits? I wanted to develop a few rolls of film on the spot during my summer holiday (because I want to try out the Maco IR films for the first time, or rather, try IR photography for the first time ever) so I can assess the negatives straight away. But I wanted to travel with ‘light’ developer kit and leave the salad spinner and all the ‘bulky’ stuff at home (I’m travelling by car with my wife and two children. Otherwise, there’s already quite a lot to take with me). (After a bit of trial and error, I’ll develop the ‘important’ films at home anyway.) So I thought to myself, “a little bottle” of Drysonal couldn’t do any harm if I’m not taking distilled H₂O, a salad spinner and so on. (By the way, I got the tip about the salad spinner from this forum. It works a treat!!!) It would be great, of course, if I only had to buy a bottle of methylated spirits on the spot....... Does the denaturant in the methylated spirits damage the film in any way? Or can I use it without any worries? Is there a recommended dilution? Thanks again and Regards Mehmet
fotohuisrovo Adding 10% spirit will help it dry more quickly. Some tips for Rollei/Maco IR-400 film: http://www.digitaltruth.com/forum/viewtopi...13c2a6dc64895b5 and, of course, have a lovely holiday. Best regards, Robert
MehmetCati Hi Robert! Thanks a lot for your tip and the link. Best regards, Mehmet P.S.: That’s right, they’re Rollei films now. I’ve still got 30 Maco 820c rolls in the fridge, which I’d like to use up on holiday this August. Let’s see if Tuscany still looks beautiful in infrared too :)
