Nose Grease on Negatives

[Frank Petronio]

OK, which of you have the sand to admit you turn to a dab of the old nose oil when a stubborn scratch ruins the neg you are trying to print?

I really miss the romance of the traditional darkroom. Any other disgusting darkroom tricks worth sharing?

[John_4185]

Are you kidding? I learned that in 1966 from a lab pro. And I recently printed a negative from just that year that I'd done the nose grease thing on. It's still okay.

But you have to admit, it's one thing to Nose Grease (hereafter, NG) a 35mm negative than LF. We'd dry out and blow away greasing an 8x10.

[Nigel Smith]

if the nose grease runs out, try some forehead grease, or temple grease, or neck grease, maybe ask a loved one for some...

[Craig Wactor]

I also learned that trick working at a pro lab. Hey, whatever works...
There is a product called "no-scratch" that does the same thing (at $10/ounce) if your nose isn't big enough.

[Donald Qualls]

Big difference is, Edwal No-Scratch evaporates cleanly off the negative after a while, instead of being there until you get a PEC-pad and clean it off...

[Brian Sims]

Probably the most disgusting thing I did (30 years ago) was paint gooy rubber cement on selected parts of a print and then run it through sepia toner. Rubbing off the cement while trying not to pull the emulsion off gave me the willies. I was too poor to buy the product made for this technique. Now in photoshot I can color small details any color I want (and not get high on the fumes).

[Aaron_5037]

Does nose grease hurt the longevity of film?

[Ben Calwell]

Frank,

An old-timer once taught me the nose thing, too, and I've used it on 35mm black and white, but never large format film.

[jnantz]

i was told by someone trained in the 30s " never from the nose, always from behind the ear"
and when the governor's 5x7 formal portrait fell to the darkroom floor ( out of my fingers )
i needed the "good stuff" from behind both ears ..

[Mark Sawyer]

It's a standard lesson in my high school class; once a year I have each student bring me a 35mm negative strip they don't care about and I scratch the heck out of it rubbing it against a brick wall. They get to print it before and after the grease; the results are pretty impressive. We use a commercial white grease though, as the kids go "ewww, nasty!" if you tell them to use nose grease.

Hint: don't try nose oil if you wear make-up, (it happens with female students.) Maybe that's when you go behind the ears.

The closest equivalent I've found in Photoshop is wiping a booger on the monitor screen...