Rolf-Werner
Good evening,
I’ve never used a wetting agent before – how do I use it? Or rather: how do you lot use it? I want to develop a few films tomorrow.
How much should I use? When do I add it to the tank? Do I need to dilute it first?
Thanks for your advice.
Rolf
michael-kielgmxnet
Hi Rolf,
?
The dilution ratio should be stated on the bottle. You don’t need a high concentration of wetting agent; a few millilitres per litre of solution are sufficient. It’s important that you use distilled water when preparing the solution, otherwise you may get limescale stains despite the wetting agent.
You shouldn’t put it in the canister. You should use a separate container to treat the films. This is how I do it: after the film is washed, I take the reel out of the canister and place it in a measuring jug. Then I pour the wetting agent in. Wait a good minute and pour the wetting agent back into the storage container. I then give the film reel a good shake to remove some of the adhering wetting agent. Afterwards, hang the film up to dry as usual.
I then rinse the film reel thoroughly with warm water. This is important to prevent any residual wetting agent from setting.
Rolf-Werner
Ah – great! Thanks. Now I get it.
No, the bottle only has safety instructions on it, no usage recommendations. It’s Baby Adoflo. Maybe that’s why the bottle’s too small.
Best wishes
Rolf
wosis123
According to the FOTOIMPEX shop, the baby bottle also states the dilution ratio: 1+400
(
http://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/fotochemie/ADOX-Baby-Adoflo-50-ml.html)
Best regards,
Hendrik
Sandra
Rolf, 1 ml to 500 ml of distilled water is fine. However, I would first pour the water into a container, then use a small syringe to measure out 1 ml of the wetting agent, add it to the water – taking care not to create any foam*! – and then place the reel and tube in the solution. Leave to soak for 1–2 minutes, carefully remove the reel and tube, shake off the excess, hang the film in as dust-free a place as possible, and leave to dry undisturbed. Overnight is fine.
(*Foam could also cause stains)
Oh, and regarding your question about when to use the wetting agent: after washing, as the final bath.
I hope you have fun and get great results! Let me know how it goes :)
Best regards
Sandra
GleisNeun
Thanks for bringing this up, Rolf-Werner! That’s how I came across the tip about distilled water. :)
Rolf-Werner
That's right! I can see it now too – it's even written on the front :)
Well, I was a bit unsure about how to use it, but Michael gave me a few good tips. When you've never used something like that before...
Best wishes,
Rolf
Rolf-Werner
Another thought that’s just occurred to me: would you wipe the film off again with the rubber squeegee before it dries, or is it better not to use the wetting agent?
Rolf
michael-kielgmxnet
Scraping is a bit of a tricky business: it can work, but it might not. If the tweezers aren’t 100% clean, you can easily end up with scratches. With films that have a very soft emulsion when wet (e.g. the Efke films), the emulsion can also be damaged. Some people use their fingers instead of tweezers; that’s supposed to be safer.
I consider wiping unnecessary. After a final bath with wetting agent, a film normally dries without leaving any residue. Problems can arise at most if the wetting agent was too concentrated or if the film dries in a dusty environment. In the latter case, however, wiping won’t help either.
Rolf-Werner
OK, I’ll give that a miss then. I’ve actually had my fair share of experience with scratches in the past. You’ve got a better feel for it with your fingers; if there’s a speck of dust in there, you can feel it straight away.
But I’ll hang them up with the wetting agent for now and see how that goes.
Best regards,
Rolf
Morte
Just as an aside, and to demonstrate once again that there are always several ways of doing things:
I use Adostab as a wetting agent. I’m following a tip I read somewhere that wetting agents are usually used in slightly too strong a concentration (which then ends up causing spots or streaks – much like when you use too much washing-up liquid on glasses). So I reduce the amount of wetting agent by about 25 per cent. Although I use hard Berlin tap water (and not distilled water), this means I regularly get streak-free negatives, which I dry in the shower cubicle without wiping them down. However, I do spin the excess water off the film reels before hanging them up by vigorously shaking the can a few times (in the shower, otherwise it leaves reddish stains), turning it 180 degrees, and doing the same again. Others use a salad spinner for this, but I don’t need to. I’ve been using my method for years without any problems.
Rolf-Werner
Right, the first film is done – it went well. But now I’ve got a question about the wetting agent: can’t you reuse the solution? It would be a shame to pour away half a litre of distilled water after every film!
I’ll leave it here for now and wait for your replies.
Rolf
Rolf-Werner
Just as an aside, and to demonstrate once again that there are always several ways to do things:
I use Adostab as a wetting agent. I’m following a tip I read somewhere, which suggested that wetting agents are usually used in slightly too strong a concentration (and then end up causing spots or streaks – much like when you use too much washing-up liquid on glasses). So I reduce the amount of wetting agent by about 25 per cent. Although I use hard Berlin tap water (and not distilled water), this means I regularly get streak-free negatives, which I dry in the shower cubicle without wiping them down. However, I spin the excess water off the film reels before hanging them up by vigorously shaking the can a few times (into the shower, otherwise it leaves reddish stains), turning it 180 degrees, and doing the same again. Others use a salad spinner for this, but I don’t need one. I’ve been using my method for years without any problems.
Oh yes, the salad spinner :) Let’s see, I might give that a go again, but just now I basically did it as you describe here, just didn’t shake it quite as vigorously – more of a shake-out – but it worked too. The film is hanging there happily...
Rolf
Morte
I don't mean 'laying it flat' either, but 'hanging it up' – so not just slapping it down somewhere... ;) The main thing is that there's as little water as possible on the film when you hang it up.
michael-kielgmxnet
I always use my wetting agent for about a year and have never had any issues with its shelf life or anything like that.
That said, I still use the good old Agfa Agepon. The ADOX wetting agent probably isn’t all that different in terms of its composition – apart from a few surfactants, there isn’t much in it anyway.
Rolf-Werner
I don’t mean ‘laying it flat’ either, but ‘hanging it up’ – so not just slapping it down somewhere... ;) The main thing is that there’s as little water as possible on the film when you hang it up.
Oh, right. So I’ve basically got the hang of it :)
Rolf
Rolf-Werner
I always use my wetting agent for about a year and have never had any problems with its shelf life or anything like that.
Mind you, I’m still using the good old Agfa Agepon. The ADOX wetting agent probably isn’t that different in terms of its composition – apart from a few surfactants, there isn’t much in it anyway.
I’ve still got two films to develop, so I’ve kept the batch for now. I don’t know when I’ll need more. That’s why I wanted to get rid of the batch. (Next, I need to make some prints...)
Thanks for the advice!
Rolf
