Re: washing sheet film

Peter Marshall (petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk)
Fri, 15 Mar 96 18:04 GMT

In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960314185804.21274B-100000@panix2.panix.com>

Judy

Surely the film you are talking about washing does not in any case need
archival treatment as it is only an intermediate stage between an archivally
processed negative and an archivally processed print?

Should it deteriorate it can easily be replicated. Films I washed 10 years
ago still show no signs of doing so. I think they usually have very thin
emulsions that wash out rapidly. When I was taught I was told that a one
minute wash was long enough!

Even though my water supply isn't metered I have only ever washed these
individually in a tray, using just enough water to cover the sheet. Make
sure the water is not below 20 degrees (68 to some). I use an initial quick
rinse, then around 5 changes of water at roughly minute intervals, finishing
with a final rinse with a drop of washing up liquid added before hanging on
the line to dry. A total of 1-2 litre s would suffice for a 16 x 12 sheet.

Of course if you are washing several you can save on water by pouring it
from one tray to the next so that Film 1's second rinse becomes film 2's
first and so on.

Peter
petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk