washing 8x10 negs

[terry_5379]

Do 8x10 negatives need sponging off after washing or is it better to just let them drain off naturally.

[phil sweeney]

photo flo and hang to dry

[John Berry ( Roadkill )]

follow phil's lead.

[robc]

if you use a squeege or sponge off a negative, sooner or later(usually sooner) you will scratch a negative. Photoflo of some sort helps even drying greatly but what is does not do is remove the minerals that are always present in tap water and which are what you usually see as drying marks. For that reason it is best to make your final rinse in distilled/deionised water with the photoflo added.

[Ed K.]

Good advice given already. Edwal LFN works very very well for me instead of Photoflo. Also, if you can do a gentle spray/flowing rinse of both sides before the final dip in wetting agent, you can remove any last bits of crud ( sometimes the risky sponge routine would do this ). I find that no matter how long I wash, occasionally a little something sticks on the film - rinsing takes it off, and results in much cleaner negs. When hanging the film to dry, I let it drain, and as a big droplett forms on the bottom corner, I take a fresh Kimwipe ( a dust-free, absorbant little disposable towelett ) and touch it to the that corner, which pulls the drop off neatly. In a little bit, I do that again. I'm getting very clean negs. If you use Photoflo, watch out about using too much, and also note that it forms tiny little clumps in it over time that don't disolve well. You need only a fraction of the recommended amount of most any wetting agent. I find that even barely dipping the tip of a pin in it, then touching that to a liter of distilled water is still more than enough, and useful for a "one shot" type use of it.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Photo-flo and distilled water. Hang to dry.