Spotone Removal

[John Sarsgard]

I rather dumbly thought retouching a negative with Spotone would be a good idea, got too much on it, and now can't find a solvent for the stuff. Anybody know how to get it off? thanks.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Actually John, it's not a dumb idea to retouch a negative with Spotone. It just takes skill and patience. I only retouch a negative to make an area appear lighter in the print. Try soaking the negative in water at room temperature for a while to get the dye out. I don't think solvents will work as Spotone is water soluable. Practice spotting negatives you don't care about. Use a very fine point brush and a strong magnifying glass. Spot lightly, and build up. Dry spotting has been more successful for me.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, just rewash the neg to remove the Spotone. If it's a large neg and you just want to clean up a little area, try a weak solution of ammonia, which is what I recall being the recommendation on the instructions when I last looked at them I don't know how many years ago.

[James Venis]

David is right. I surprised myself by finding my Spotone instructions printed in 1977. The pertinent portion reads as follows:

"Use only plain water for a light tone removal. For lightening dark tone retouching use a solution of 8 drops of ammonia to 4 oz. water. Apply to area with brush and blot up. Add plain water and blot up."

Hope that helps. --Jim

[David E. Rose]

I have used PEC (Photographic Emulsion Cleaner) on prints- it takes the spotone off immediately. It is made for prints and film, so you might try it on your negatives.

[John Sarsgard]

Thanks, one and all. Tried the PEC earlier and it didn't work...but I like it very much for cleaning negs in general. Will give the Ammonia a shot.