Alas a leaker! Can I fix this nocturne negative?

[John Kasaian]

I finally caught up on my developing The last film holder, alas is a leaker The negative turned out quite well----a night shot of amusements on a board walk from across the water so the only visible image on the negative are the lights and some reflections coming off the ocean---and the leak on one edge of the film which mercifully is isolated from the important elements.

The film is Arista Pro 125 (Ilford FP-4+) I could easily crop off the leak on my enlarger but it would be nicer to wipe it off the negative for making contact prints. Does anyone know how to remove the fog? What product can you recommend? Like I said it is a night shot so most all of the negative is clear---I just want to "clear" up one edge to match.

[Paul Metcalf]

I would think brushing on potassium ferricyanide if not too complicated of an area, then refixing and washing, would do the trick.

[John Kasaian]

Thanks!

[Brian Ellis]

It's hard to say without seeing the negative but bleaching a negative is risky. John Sexton teaches this technique in his workshops (though not with a brush) but it's pretty much confined to areas where there's a clear distinction between the bleached area and the rest of the photograph, e.g. a horizon line or, to take an example of a photograph with which we're all familiar, Ansel Adams' bleaching of the foreground of "Moonrise." If this is a photograph that's really important to you I'd suggest having a duplicate negative made digitally with the dense area fixed, which should be easy to do in Photoshop.

[Paul Metcalf]

It's hard to say without seeing the negative but bleaching a negative is risky.

I agree, but it sounds like John has a negative with a lot of area that's void of silver and then a streak or such at the edge where there's some silver (fog). I've had some similar layouts, and actually just dunked that edge into the PF.

[John Kasaian]

Thanks, Paul. There is no silver in a adjoining area that I could see---but I'll make a contact print first just to make sure---I suppose I could just take some scissors and make it a 5x7 if I mess up the bleaching.

[Brian Ellis]

I agree, but it sounds like John has a negative with a lot of area that's void of silver and then a streak or such at the edge where there's some silver (fog). I've had some similar layouts, and actually just dunked that edge into the PF.

Right. Dunking is the way John Sexton teaches it.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I thought Adams intensified the foreground of Moonrise...?