Squeegee

Not keen on them either. Stopped using mine as I'm sure it marked the film. Now just use bottled water for the final rinse and it works fine.
 
I used to until I ruined a strip of the soft emulsioned film (Fomapan) with big scratches down most of its length. I don't use the squeegee anymore, preferring to let the film dry naturally.
 
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TheBigYin said:
No, and "throw it away"
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My thoughts exactly.

Purified water and wetting agent works for me. Even unpurified and wetting agent.
 
Not dev'd film for years, but squeegee was always a sure fire way to scratch the negs. You'd use it half a dozen times and be smug, and then cease being smug in a big way.
 
Well I used to use fingers, but I didn't have rough labourer's hands.
 
Well, a big knock on wood, but I use a squeegee every time and my negatives look fine. :)
 
I use one every time I do a roll of film because I'm scared of drying marks, but I always end up with a gert scratch down the roll. I've just done a sheet of 5x4 and it dried naturally with no marks, so I might burn my squeegee as a sacrificial offering to the film gods and hope my film stays spot free
 
I use one an all films other than Fomapan. Also I put the squeegee in a pot of quite warm water before I use to soften up the rubber!
 
No need. A wetting agent and soft water, combined with gravity, is far better than any squeegee.
 
I used one but after my first scratched film I dumped it, its just not worth it
 
Same here - dumped it after my first scratched film.

Have been using my fingers, but even that sometimes gives me some weird marks.

Next roll - nothing.
 
Nothing ...no squeegie, no fingers
 
Find a good one and keep it clean and you might be ok, with the emphasis on might, Use distilled waster with a good quality wetting agent and let the film dry naturally in a dust free environment that is not too warm and you should get away fine without one.

Scratch one important set of negs and you will never use one again.

Paul
 
Fantastic, thank you guys. The reason I ask is because I'v got scrape marks down my last negs and i'm sure it was from squeegeeing.
I rinsed the squeegee under hot running water then let it sit in warm until used. Time to set fire to it and fingers at the ready or use my Acuwet and leave to dry.
 
happygolucky said:
Fantastic, thank you guys. The reason I ask is because I'v got scrape marks down my last negs and i'm sure it was from squeegeeing.
I rinsed the squeegee under hot running water then let it sit in warm until used. Time to set fire to it and fingers at the ready or use my Acuwet and leave to dry.
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Aside from touching the roll to hang it up, you should never need to ever touch any part of the negative at any point. Not with a finger, squeegee, whatever else you have to hand. The best way to avoid scratch marks is to not touch the surface at all, and the best way to avoid drying marks is to ensure the fluid being used for the wash dries off cleanly (and not and try and expedite the process with a finger/squeegee).
 
So, my first film, didn't squeegee, did use a couple of tiny drops of Fairy in the final wash, hung it to dry in the bathroom and I've lots of drying marks. Do you think water that's been softened in a domestic softener jug, plus a larger blob of Fairy would be enough to get rid of them, or should I be getting a bottle of distilled and some proper wetting agent?
 
I'm guessing that you live in a hard water area, so I would try using the distilled water as an experiment. When I lived in London and had hard water, I used Sainsbury's Basic still table water plus a drop of detergent for the final rinse and didn't get drying marks. Now my water is beautifully soft Welsh water, so I don't have any problems. I haven't seen a furred up kettle or a limescale mark in the toilet since I moved back to Liverpool.
 
Thanks Nick... we're middling as the water goes; things like shower heads need a sit in some vinegar every year or so. I guess I should have thought of that, but there was so much else to think about for the first go!
 
ChrisR said:
So, my first film, didn't squeegee, did use a couple of tiny drops of Fairy in the final wash, hung it to dry in the bathroom and I've lots of drying marks. Do you think water that's been softened in a domestic softener jug, plus a larger blob of Fairy would be enough to get rid of them, or should I be getting a bottle of distilled and some proper wetting agent?
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If it's not on the emulsion side...I used to huff and polish drying marks out with a clean handkerchief. Many many ears ago a dodge to hide some minor scratches on the emulsion side was to wipe the grease off your nose and apply....I've forgotten if it ever worked so can't recommended it. :D
 
I think I live in a medium hard water area, and I've always used water from a Brita filter (which is used just to fill the kettle from to stop it from scaling up) to do my final rinse without anything added to it. Never really had an issue with water marks doing it this way
 
Does ear wax work, I don't have a greasy nose.......oh wait........what about snot..:hungover:
 
Fingers and Fairy here.
 
joxby said:
My Grandad used to polish his tobacco pipe with it......its still dis flippin gusting though...:/
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..and the next question is:- why does the nose excretes these special oils that are no where else on the body...h'mm maybe the Maoris have got it right in getting turned on by rubbing noses :D
 
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