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The day I figured out why my negatives kept coming out hazy was a game changer
I've been shooting film for about 4 years now, mostly old Canon FTbs from garage sales. For the longest time my black and white negatives had this weird foggy look, especially in the highlights. I blamed the film, blamed the camera, even blamed the lab once. Then last month I was cleaning out my developing tank and noticed this thin layer of gunk stuck on the inside of the reel. Turns out I hadn't been rinsing the stabilizer off properly after development. That sticky residue was trapping chemicals against the film. I spent 3 hours scrubbing everything with distilled water and a soft brush. First roll after that came out crystal clear. Has anyone else dealt with weird residue issues in their tanks?
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lily5741mo ago
Ugh, I've been there with tank gunk driving me crazy too.
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abby_martin281mo ago
Yeah I had the exact same issue with my stainless steel reels, felt like I was going crazy until I noticed a weird film on them after drying. What finally fixed it for me was running everything through a strong vinegar and water soak once a month, then scrubbing with an old toothbrush before rinsing like crazy with distilled. Now I just do a quick rinse of the tank and reels with distilled water right after I develop and hang them up to dry immediately, haven't had the foggy negatives since.
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