Beginner How to handle film immediately after developing it?

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Rosssiiii

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rob
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Hi everyone,

1) Could you give me some advice on how to handle the film immediately after developing it?

2) How should I hang it to prevent it from curling, when should I cut it, and where should I store the negatives?

Yesterday, after developing it, we hung the film and used small tweezers at the bottom to keep it taut, but after that it started curling.

photo_2026-01-25_16-37-20.jpg

drive.google.com drive.google.com

3) How can I remove these stains, which I'm sure aren't scratches, but appear to be wetting agents or dried water?

IMG_34.jpg

drive.google.com drive.google.com
 
Some film will curl no matter how much you weight it while drying. It's been curled up tightly in the cassette, so it will take time for it to flatten (and it may never be fully flat).

Once dried (I usually hang mine to dry for three hours) cut it into strips and store in film sleeves.

Only use a very small amount of wetting agent or it can leave marks. Using water that contains a lot of calcium can also leave marks, so using distilled water can help if that's the case.

I use a salad-spinner to spin most of the water from the film (before I take it of the spiral) which greatly reduces the stains I can get otherwise.
 
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There are clothes hangers with clips, you can hang 2 films at a time, they cost nothing, there are probably some in your wardrobe. You cane use clothes pegs at the bottom, I did that while living abroad. I use the weighted stainless steel clips in my darkroom.

Ian
 
It's an idea to hang them to dry in as dust free a place as you can find. Many recommend hanging them in the shower/bathroom until dry.
 
Regarding your attached Photographs.

You must at all costs avoid placing the film surface face down on anything, there is more possibility there of introducing scratches etc.

Heavy professional stainless clips are usually available on the bay at around a tenner for half a dozen.
 
Or a bunch of angling lead weights attached by fishing line to to sprocket holes. But clips are easier and not expensive.
 
Barney said:
Regarding your attached Photographs.

You must at all costs avoid placing the film surface face down on anything, there is more possibility there of introducing scratches etc.

Heavy professional stainless clips are usually available on the bay at around a tenner for half a dozen.
Click to expand...
the "face down" side is the side with the emulsion ?

what i will do i think is :

when i will be to my home and is still wet i put a little bit of wetting agent on my fingers like that and i run the finger from both sides of the negative all the way down ?
https://www.ars-imago.com/en/shop/1464510-kodak-professional-photo-flo-200-w...2,638,1009,804

but to transport from one one to another place when still is not dry, what kind of solution could i use ?

could i place the film in a container full of water (which container do you suggest) and transport it to my house and hang it there to dry ?

container better if full of distilled water right ?
 
Hi Rob

Either side of the film could potentially get scratched.

I develop in my bathroom and after the rinse hang the film on the shower curtain rail.

If I was to move the film from one location to another I would leave on the spool in my Patterson type tank, depending on the distance and particularly the time spent submerged, my main concerns then would be excessive swelling of the emulsion and possible micro reticulation. But I am relatively new to film developing, only about 40 rolls, so my concerns could well be unfounded.

I would think that it's best practice to hang the film to dry at the location of developing and if you need to go back next day to collect it, then I would choose that option rather than take the risk.
 
Rosssiiii said:
the "face down" side is the side with the emulsion ?

what i will do i think is :

when i will be to my home and is still wet i put a little bit of wetting agent on my fingers like that and i run the finger from both sides of the negative all the way down ?
https://www.ars-imago.com/en/shop/1464510-kodak-professional-photo-flo-200-w...2,638,1009,804

but to transport from one one to another place when still is not dry, what kind of solution could i use ?

could i place the film in a container full of water (which container do you suggest) and transport it to my house and hang it there to dry ?

container better if full of distilled water right ?
Click to expand...
i personally wouldnt run anything down the negs , as for swelling of the emulsion ,i think you'd have to leave it in water for a long time for it to be a problem ,,,when ive finnished washing the negs i leave them on the spool then give it a shake over the sink , then take it to a cupboard and hang them up ,the same as Ian Grant does ( using the clips that are used on the plastic coat hangers )
 
Barney said:
I develop in my bathroom and after the rinse hang the film on the shower curtain rail.
Click to expand...
Worked for me also in the past (y) you are less likely to get flying dust in the bathroom, also for others mentioned....you would have to have very soft fingers to wipe the excess water off the neg so be careful. After drying I used a soft hankie to clean/polish any hard water stains on the SHINY side.
 
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After taking the film out of the dev tank I find dropping it on the floor is my usual work flow. Other than that I do have a habit of running the film between my first and second finger to remove the excess water but I'm sure many would frown at doing this. I hang film up with simple clothes pegs.
 
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Mostly Vintage Cameras said:
After taking the film out of the dev tank I find dropping it on the floor is my usual work flow.
Click to expand...
Not too bad in the kitchen or darkroom, but my fumble fingers sometimes manage to drop strips of 6 onto the carpet just after cutting them (and before scanning, of course!).
 
Barney said:
I develop in my bathroom and after the rinse hang the film on the shower curtain rail.
Click to expand...
I wanted to try this but was vetoed by Mrs amc and two teenage daughters.

So I built a drying cabinet, "the coffin", in my shed based darkroom. It has a 40w tube heater in there. It's currently in storage whilst I build my mega darkroom. I'll likely make a new one but using the same principles.

rsz_img_20240526_162500340.jpg

rsz_img_20240526_162356227.jpg

Our water is "hard" so I do the final rinse in distilled water to try and minimise drying marks. I'm never sure whether I should run my fingers down the negs or not to get rid of excess water!
 
auntiemaryscanary said:
View attachment 473678

Our water is "hard" so I do the final rinse in distilled water to try and minimise drying marks. I'm never sure whether I should run my fingers down the negs or not to get rid of excess water!
Click to expand...
Some interesting frame-spacing on that left-hand roll. :)
 
If you can find one, a proper reel dryer does the job very nicely...

Silvertronic film dryer Ixus 70 IMG_4342.JPG
 
ChrisR said:
Not too bad in the kitchen or darkroom, but my fumble fingers sometimes manage to drop strips of 6 onto the carpet just after cutting them (and before scanning, of course!).
Click to expand...
I dropped one of mine on my office carpet while it was still tacky. My wife wanted a shower so I had to move out of the bathroom. Ended up with something that looked like a 4ft hairy caterpillar
 
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