Alternatives to kodak photoflow6/24/2023 Otherwise, I cannot think of much use for Photo-Flo in record care. If you are washing them, such as the way I do it, in the sink, you might want to use something like a very diluted Photo-Flo solution as the final rinse if you are NOT going to wipe the records dry and you ARE going to let them air-dry. So, let's translate this to vinyl records. It's not the water we photographers are concerned about it's the stuff in the water that stays behind if the water remains long enough to evaporate instead of dripping off. Therefore, when you hang the negative up to dry, the water drips off and doesn't leave much, if any, of the minerals and detritus normally found in tap water behind. This causes the negatives to be wetted with water that has very low surface tension (when you see water 'bead' on a waxed car, that's high surface tension). The way Photo-Flo is used with film is this: After developing and rinsing your negatives in the kitchen sink, you do a final dip-rinse in a very diluted solution of water and Photo-Flo. How do I know? I had stoner friends, and like a moron, I listened to them. Using is full-strength is not only very expensive, it also leaves horrible white, crusty, streaks on your records, and gums up your Discwasher brush. It's not soap, detergent, or any kind of cleaning agent.īack in the 1970s, there was a rumor amongst the stoners (yeah, literally) that they could use Photo-Flo in place of something like Discwasher D3 to dust records. It decreases the surface tension of water to keep it from 'beading up'. Many do.As the photographers in this thread have stated, Kodak Photo-Flo is a 'wetting agent'. Most bottled "drinking water" is just tap water in a jug. If you're that concerned.do some homework on your local water supply, and maybe do your final rinse with distilled water. These traces won't hurt you when you drink it (it's bacteria that bites), but they leave residue on your film when it dries. that comes with tap water from your film. Photo Flo is a final wash/rinse to remove the minerals etc. If you want to experiment on your own, go right ahead.īut.all this is really about trace crap in your water. Even with that volume, we decided to keep buying Photo Flo and not risk the experiment on other people's film. We ran about 300 rolls of 35 on an average day. The only reason this conversation came up at work was because we were a very very busy lab, and always looking out for a way to save/make a dime. Recipe above gives you a lifetime supply of course.Įarlier post on this thread was wise. It adds a slippery element that prevents spotting. I heard about this recipe, but never used it.ĥ gal water (danger.your water might not be as clean as you think.)Įvidently the key is the glycerin. Many decades of work in commercial/pro labs. The fact that Kodak doesn't use it should tell you all you need to know. If detergent or soap worked as a wetting agent then Kodak would use it. The bottom line is - use the proper stuff. It tends to leave the neg along with the water - any residue is undetectable. This compound has a relatively small molecular size, is chemically inert and is pH neutral. Wetting agent is normally ethylene glycol (it's used in car antifreeze). People who use soap or detergent and claim it works fine usually use it in such incredibly low concentrations that it does not actually do anything. In both cases they have to be used at quite high concentrations in order to work effectively and this results in a sticky coating of soap/detergent remaining on the neg. In addition, detergents contain other compounds designed to do different things - remember that they are designed for washing greasy dishes - which themselves decompose. In addition, soap reacts with the dissolved salts in tap water to form an insoluble scum which can end up on your neg.ĭetergents are manufactured from oil and are complex long chain molecules which again can break down over time. The mixture decomposes over time to release sulphur and other nasties detrimental to your negative. To make it pH neutral you have to add an acid. Soap is made from animal fat and hydroxide.
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