Handling of 8x10 Negs

[Kevin Klazek]

As I am starting to process 8x10 negs, I am having issues with handling the wet negs after a photo-flo bath. My clamps that worked great for 4x5 and 5x7 now sometimes will not hold the 8x10 neg and it slips out. I use plastic coated small spring tension wood clamps. The plastic may be part of the issue. Also, I leave finger prints in the corner where I handle the neg to clamp it on the drying rack.

Any good ideas for clamps and not leaving finger prints in corners?

Thanks

[pat krentz]

Have you tried using SS hangers for drying your film? Pat:D

[Dan Schmidt]

I use bulldog clips

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulldog_clip

while they might leave an impression on the edge of the film , I find that i can very accurately clip on the edge. Plus you can feed them easily onto a string.

[Ralph Barker]

I also use Bulldog clips, commonly sold as "Binder Clips" at office supply stores in the U.S. As long as one is careful to select ones that mate properly, they work very well. I suspend two from a wire clothes hanger with a bit of nylon cord (knots sealed with hot glue) between the "wings" and they work well for drying either 4x5 or 8x10 film.

Using latex or nitrile gloves will eliminate the finger prints.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Jobo clips. They pierce the film with a pin and let you hang the film perpendicular to the drying line, so you can hang a lot of film of any size in a small space, and they NEVER drop the film.

They are expensive, but entirely worth it in my opinion, particularly if you're looking to go larger than 8x10" at some point. I've got 40 of them.

[tim atherton]

Jobo clips. They pierce the film with a pin and let you hang the film perpendicular to the drying line, so you can hang a lot of film of any size in a small space, and they NEVER drop the film.

They are expensive, but entirely worth it in my opinion, particularly if you're looking to go larger than 8x10" at some point. I've got 40 of them.

I've collected kodak dental x-ray clips of ebay and from camera-store junk bins over the years

small clips with hooks that do the little pin thing - very secure and simple

(I also found a bunch of 4x5 hangers that just have to pin clips along a bar - easy to hang 8x10 from them too)

all dirt cheap of ebay etc

[tim atherton]

ha - these are the latter

work fine for 8x10 as well as 4x5

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kodak-Satinless-Steel-No-6-Sheet-Film-Hangers-6-ea_W0QQitemZ250153720233QQihZ015QQcategoryZ29993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Clothes pins....they have worked for me for years and you can buy hundreds for a few dollars.

[John Kasaian]

I use plain old wooden clothes pins with the metal spring and have no complaints :D

[Saulius]

I also recomend regular wooden clothes pins. They worked for me when I used to shoot 8x10 b&w negs. I'd be able to get enough tension out of them to keep it in place while leaving just a small trace on the negative in the corner usually outside the image area.

[tim atherton]

man - I must just manage to find cheap crappy clothes-pegs.

I've tried em - they never close properly half the time and the negs drop out, they leave crud on the corner of the neg....

[cyrus]

Get plastic clothes pins if you're going that way - wooden ones can absorb moisture and chemicals.
I use mini spring clamps that are latex covered and have a hole in the handle for hanging on strings however they are quite powerful and leave a minor indentation on the film - which I can live with since its on the very edge
http://www.hobbytool.com/browseproducts/100-pc.-Mini-Spring-Clamps.html

[Kevin Klazek]

Thanks for the suggestions. My current clamps have a plastic coating and are something like Cyrus suggested. I think the photo-flo treatment makes the film slippery to the point the plastic coating on the clamp slips. Since I contact print, I need something with minimal marking to the neg image.

I will try the bulldog clamps and look into the Kodak pin clamps.

[Kevin Klazek]

Well I tried the paper clamps today. The ones I used were not the flat blade bulldog type, but the ones with wire handles and curved formed edges (from Staples). They were the mini clip size. No slippage!!!! They work great. I can even clamp the very edge off of the image area so that none of the image is marked. Thanks to all for your help.

[Maris Rusis]

I use small stainless steel surgical forceps. These do not slip and never never let go until you disengage them. They are the same ones that surgeons use during operations and are made to be fail safe.

[Robert Skeoch]

I've been using small aligator clips that I buy at Radio Shack... they seem to work great and leave only one small mark in the corner.
-rob skeoch

[Keith Pitman]

Wooden clothes pins don't slip like plastic does, especially under the weight of a large, wet negative.