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Stephen Willard
13-Aug-2005, 16:35
I have just purchased an 8x10 enlarger, and I am now make big prints using traditional enlargement methods. It appears when you make big stuff any imperfections in the film will be very visible such as minute scratches and dust spots. I have been thinking about using a scanner mounting fluid to help minimize these imperfects. I use a glass negative carrier to hold my film flat in the enlarger, and I am hoping to find a fluid that is easy to clean up after.

Does anyone have any comments about this approach?

Can you recommend a mounting fluid and a place to purchase it using the internet? I am also looking for cleaning fluids as well.

Doug Dolde
13-Aug-2005, 21:13
Kami seems to be the best as it evaporates without a residue. They also make a cleaner.

Try http://www.aztek.net

Alec Jones
14-Aug-2005, 09:21
It sounds like you're intending to use this "mounting fluid" in the same way we used other "anti-scratch" fluids in a liquid gate [still used in the motion pic industry]. What happens when you finish making your enlargement? At that point your negative is "mounted" to a piece of glass - right? Does it detatch afterward? Without harm to the negative?

tim atherton
14-Aug-2005, 14:02
"At that point your negative is "mounted" to a piece of glass - right? Does it detatch afterward? Without harm to the negative?"

yes, it's how you mount film for drum scans (and you can do it on flatbeds as well)

Wayne_6692
14-Aug-2005, 14:13
Last time I bought it it was a minimum of 1 case (4x 1ltr.) You can mix the cleaner with the mounting fluid (2+2), sit down before you hear the cost. Also find out about shipping and ask questions about the cost.

Bruce Watson
14-Aug-2005, 14:47
Kami is one. Another is Prazio (in NA) or SDS (in Europe).

I use the Prazio supplies (http://prazio.com/mounting.shtml) for drum scanning. To do what you want to do, I suspect you'd want the Anti-Newton oil, the film cleaner, and the scanner wipes.

Now the warning. This stuff is designed for use with drum scanners, not enlargers. Both the Kami fluid and the Prazio Anti-Newton oil are, according to their respective MSDSs, mostly naphtha. That means they are both flammable. Before you commit to using these materials, I think you'd be wise to evaluate your enlarger and darkroom situation. If your enlarger gets really hot like some of them do, you might be creating a fire (or worse, an explosion) hazard.

What I'm saying is: be very careful.

Richard Ide
14-Aug-2005, 15:25
Hi

For commercial work, I and a couple other people used plain mineral spirits for use in enlargers. Never had a problem although it takes a lot longer to evaporate.

Richard

paulr
14-Aug-2005, 22:00
It's hard finding anyone who will sell smaller than wholesale quantities. One idea is to go to your local service bureau (or anyone that does drum scans) and ask if they'll sell you a bottle.

Definitely best to use the real deal and not try to improvise with mineral spirits.

If you still have trouble, try the scanhi-end group on yahoo. Someone there will know how you can get your hands on some.

Walter Foscari
15-Aug-2005, 07:29
These people sell a wet mounting kit for flatbeat scanners. They also sell wet mounting fluid in small packages.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gluemax/ScanMax/scanmaxbrochure6.pdf

Walter

Dave Rodenbaugh
15-Aug-2005, 09:34
Hi Stephen,

Try talking with Kim Reed at Reed Photo in Denver. I think they'd be willing to sell you a single bottle of the stuff (it lasts a long time when just mounting small transparencies).

-Dave

Mateo_2867
16-Aug-2005, 08:53
Free Tuesday:

If any of you Denver area guys are interested, I have 3 or 4 large bottles each of Kami drum cleaner, mounting fluid, and a whole bunch of Kami newton spray. Yours if you come get it. They have a hazard label so I don't want to deal with shipping it, but maybe someone in denver could send some off to others that may need it.

mateo

Julio Fernandez
18-Aug-2005, 11:40
Hi Stephen: Your approach is sound. Wet mounting will not only deliver a flat image plane but will avoid the pitfalls of dry film enlarging. These pitfalls always existed but no attention was ever paid to them because enlarging through dry negs was par for the course. It was not until flatbed scanner users began noticing the differences with wet mounting that the disadvantages became noticed and upon analysis, understood. Minimizing or eliminating grain and dust and scratches is but the tip of the iceberg. You will gain additional brilliance, colour saturation and contrast as well. Thanks to Walter F. for the reference regarding the fluid. I do sell scanner fluid in smaller containers.
In as much as the advantages to enlarging will be the same as those gained in scanning you may benefit from seeing what those benefits are. A new Yahoo group dedicated to Wet Mounting provides lots of sample images and files from which you can learn about the technique. If you are scanning you can also get one of the new Turnkey kits for your scanner. However for enlarging you will need the fluid and a couple more things. You can drop me a line at scanmax@sympatico.ca and also visit the yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCANMAX/

Roger Krueger
21-Sep-2005, 18:28
I get mine from

http://www.baypressservices.com (http://www.baypressservices.com)

Navigate to "Pre-Press", then to "Scanner Supplies"

Ed Richards
21-Sep-2005, 20:15
Cold light head? If it is condenser you may cook the stuff out. When I taught chem lab many years ago, I was scared sh**less about students starting fires with naphtha and the like and we were working in the light with a fire shower nearby. In the good old days we would lose about one operating room a year from ether explosions - if it was located in the right place in the hospital, you had to close the whole building. Naphtha, hot lights, and a small darkroom sounds pretty exciting. Wonder if it voids your home owner's insurance - it probably has an exclusion for industrial solvent explosions.

tim atherton
21-Sep-2005, 20:45
"Naphtha, hot lights, and a small darkroom sounds pretty exciting. Wonder if it voids your home owner's insurance - it probably has an exclusion for industrial solvent explosions"

Yeah, but you could win a Darwin Award