Is there any possible harm to pre-wash before developing?

mshchem · Jan 22, 2024

Steven Lee said:
A dry JOBO tank barely changes its internal temperature inside after only 5 minutes of spinning in a processor, which can be verified with a thermometer placed in there. You need at least 30 minutes to have the film and reels inside approach (but never quite reach) the temperature of the bath, and even that is achievable at 70F ambient. I have no idea why JOBO added this advice to their manuals. PE was right: dual-bath 101F pre-wet FTW!

I prewet with E6, I usually fill the tank with 3 or 4 fills, lots of water at the recommended temp. With C-41 I use recommended times and temperature (although I don't start timing until I have all the developer in the tank), I warm the tank on the machine for at least 5 minutes. I've quit fiddling with prewet, for now, with XTOL.

I always use as much chemistry as I can fit in the Jobo tank, none of the minimum quantity nonsense. I'm sure it works but it's weird.

I love my Jobo stuff but it is rather silly. I got by for 30+ years using a Paterson tank, hot water, and a couple good thermometers.

It's rewarding as heck to see all the dye come out in prewet, I think this is part of the fascination with a presoak.

Gone are the days when my Dad and I mixed up 1 quart of Microdol-X, and we slid the Elkay tank back and forth. Developing Verichrome Pan. People would have thought you were nuts to prewet. We only got 3 channels on our black and white TV too.

mshchem · Jan 22, 2024

OK, I'm pulling out of this eternal discussion

MattKing · Jan 22, 2024

mshchem said:
OK, I'm pulling out of this eternal discussion

I'm afraid that this discussion may be the "Hotel California" of APUG/Photrio discussions

GregY · Jan 23, 2024

NB23 said:
One Liter of Fix (Hypam or rapidfix mixed at 1:4) will perfectly fix 24 rolls of films. That’s the safety range.

Why would you throw away 20 films worth of fixer after having used it to fix one batch?

Maybe it's a carry over from using a shared lab and processing little film. But 200ml of Hypam or T5 costs pennies...& my negatives are always clean.

Ivo Stunga · Jan 23, 2024

Still - if I have a loaf of bread, eat only one slice of it and throw the rest away immediately - at least some folk will look at me funny at such a waste of resource and hard work to acquie/make it.

At least that's how I was brought up.

MattKing · Jan 23, 2024

Ivo Stunga said:
Still - if I have a loaf of bread, eat only one slice of it and throw the rest away immediately - at least some folk will look at me funny at such a waste of resource and hard work to acquie/make it.

At least that's how I was brought up.

I hate to point this out, but your analogy might be better if instead it referred to re-using the same slice of bread!
One-shot vs. re-use until you have exhausted capacity is more a discussion about pros and cons of a workflow.
Personally, I re-use my working strength film fixer, and advocate the same thing for others, but doing that entails a number of extra steps oriented toward maintaining quality and avoiding damage - appropriate in my circumstances, but not necessarily appropriate for everyone.

Ivo Stunga · Jan 23, 2024

Sure thing - I throw away half-done, according to the stated 20-film capacity - just so I don't have to do that too much.

miha · Jan 23, 2024

Steven Lee said:
But just for fun decided to try the Bellini 1L 6-bath E-6 kit last year. The documentation clearly sates: Avoid pre-heating with water. So I wonder about that too.

Same here. I don't prewash with Bellini but would love to as I'm having hard time reaching the right temp without it.

Dwayne Martin · Jan 23, 2024

Carnie Bob said:
Hi Dwane - no need to size its to pre shrink, I am using contact enlarged negative to print on Ilford dead matt paper, using my solarizing method. Once I have this print I will dry and the
with multiple tonal area negatives coat with gum bichromate and add colour much like I aready do with gum over palladium.

Sounds like a great way to get to dense blacks fast. I guess you must be using matt because it has tooth. I’m assuming you’re preshrinking the silver paper, then letting it dry in the dark, then printing your blacks, fix/wash, then move on to gum layers?

Carnie Bob · Jan 23, 2024

Dwayne Martin said:
Sounds like a great way to get to dense blacks fast. I guess you must be using matt because it has tooth. I’m assuming you’re preshrinking the silver paper, then letting it dry in the dark, then printing your blacks, fix/wash, then move on to gum layers?

Hi Dwayne - not to take away from the general pre wash discussion , but yes you are correct, the matt paper solarizes the best for me, the film is generated in advance - very complicated to describe here I will start a thread when I do it.

DREW WILEY · Jan 23, 2024

I get the most dramatic blacks when I leave the test strip in the toaster oven too long!

Andrew O'Neill · Jan 23, 2024

No harm. But, I only prewash certain films that have ghastly anti-halation dyes that make my fixer green.

Is there any possible harm to pre-wash before developing?

mshchem

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Is there any possible harm to pre-wash before developing?

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