>Aha!
>
>Now if I could go back 25 years and tell that to the boss at the old
>studio, I could look really smart.---Carl
I used to go crazy spotting lith negs until I became acquainted with
wetting agents. Got the idea from Kodak's first developer formulas for
slide films, but when I tested just about everything from Kodak Wetting
Agent to Agfa's Agepon, they all messed up the solution. So I did some
research and realized the only compatible substance would be a non-ionic
chemical. Polysorbates are used in just about everything these days, from
cosmetics to food products, but are hard to find in small quantities.
Incidently, I have changed to PEG (polyethylene glycol, Carbowax, etc)
compounds, which are easier to get - sorry I forgot to note that in my
previous reply. Started with PEG 1540, which is wax-like, but dissolves
readily. As this comes in chunks, it's difficult to weigh in small amounts,
so I switched to PEG 4000, which is a powder. PEG compounds are (for all
practical purposes - I wouldn't recommend ingesting large quantities)
non-toxic, and do not support mold growth (a blessing!). I use PEG in
everything, but there is a caution: it does speed up some processes!
Sil Horwitz, FPSA
Technical Editor, PSA Journal
silh@iag.net
Visit http://www.psa-photo.org/