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Thread: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

  1. #31

    Join Date
    May 2006
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    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    Filtered tap for all steps
    notch codes ? I only use one film...

  2. #32

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    QLD Australia
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    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    I used to use tap water for everything, and then I started having problems with my XTOL. I was getting what looked like lots of tiny solid particles forming in/on the emulsion. Turned out our hot water cylinder had died and I suspect our tap water had a higher than desirable iron content as a result. Before we got around to replacing the system, the hot water developed a distinctly brown hue... Anyway, I started using steam-distilled water for mixing developer, stop and fix. We now have a new hot water cylinder, but I am still using distilled for mixing all solutions, and for the final rinse.

    Ian

  3. #33

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    Mar 2002
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    St Paul Mn
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    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    I have found anything but steam distilled h2o for ABC pyro will wreck negs. This would include presoak, developer stock and water to make for developer. I have had pretty bad motteling even with lab grade DI h2o.

  4. #34

    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Concord, MA
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    16

    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    I use filtered tap water for everything except for Photo-flo (Ecco, actually), where I use distilled.

  5. #35

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    southwest PA, USA
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    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    When I had decent tap water (not too hard, not too soft), I used it for everything and didn't have any problems. Now I have a well and the water is just shy of being as hard as a rock. So I use water labeled as distilled from Walmart. Even if it isn't really distilled, it's way better than water that you can see things floating in and that leaves rings if it dries on the counter.

  6. #36

    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    South Texas
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    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    Maybe it's my complete lack of self-confidence but, when I processed my own film a million years ago, I always developed and final-rinsed with distilled water. The steps between didn't matter much between.

  7. #37
    (Shrek)
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Montreal
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    2,044

    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    Filtered, using one of those water pitcher thingys. Mostly for the chlorine.

  8. #38
    Nicholas O. Lindan
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    May 2006
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
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    462

    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    Distilled water for
    Microdol-X stock & diluent
    Technidol diluent
    Rodinal diluent
    PhotoFlo diluent

    Cleveland tap water can really interfere with dilute developers.

    Filtering won't turn water into distilled. To see how much crud is in the tap water or your Brita water just let a glass full evaporate and look at what is left behind.

  9. #39
    http://www.spiritsofsilver.com tgtaylor's Avatar
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    May 2006
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    4,730

    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    The municipal water where I live at in the Bay area comes from Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park. It taste good right out of the tap and although I've never tested for it's PH I presume that it is neutral. I use it for all photographic applications except for mixing the sensitizers for alternative processes such as the Kallitype where I use distilled water.

    Thomas

  10. #40

    Join Date
    Sep 1998
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    Oregon now (formerly Austria)
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    3,397

    Re: Poll: Do you use distilled water?

    Nicholas has a good point that many here seem to overlook; a filter will only remove solids in the water, not dissolved minerals. If you're lucky enough to have tap water that does the job, then go ahead and filter to get the crud out.

    But, if you have really hard water, the filter is not going to do much good; better use distilled in this case, at least for mixing developer stock and for the final PhotoFlo rinse, and for mixing developers if there is a chance that the tap water will affect developer activity (like I mentioned, I tested my water in Vienna and adjusted development times).

    Best,

    Doremus

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