Digital BW, The Print

Ernst,

I *was* using a larger transparent plastic cover sheet when I had the 
problems I described with the Kami fluid and I could sit there and watch the 
bubbles expand from around the film edges into the image area and there was 
no way I could get the scan done before they ruined it. This was with 220 
color negatives.

The cover sheet seemed to make the mounting even harder by providing that 
much more space in the second layer for bubbles to be trapped.

How do you work out the bubbles in the first place? I tried flooding the 
surface with fluid and progressively laying the film in from one end (and 
likewise with the cover sheet), squeegeeing the layered film and cover sheet 
with some kind of smooth soft plastic scraper and finally flooding the 
entire surface of both sheets with a film of fluid. I never got rid of the 
bubbles, but did get them off the image area temporarily, until they crept 
back in as the edge bubbles expanded.

I now use a ScanMultiPro and have the glass holder for flattening curled 
film: would you recommend using mounting fluid in that kind of holder?

Frank

_______________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 18:55:11 +0200
   From: Ernst Dinkla <E.Dinkla@...>
Subject: Re: Re: Wet Mounting - What is it?

An extra sheet of polyester foil - PET, 0.1 mm thick and twice the size
of the film you want to scan will increase the capillary force and
reduce evaporation almost completely.  I can leave a sandwich like that
for 24 hours at room temperature and there's no air creeping in while I
use a fast evaporating fluid that I even can't recommend for safety
reasons but suits me well in every aspect.  I can use that extra sheet
several times. Most of the haze left on glass is of fingerprints etc
that dissolve in the fluid, just take care that you work clean and
little cleaning is needed afterwards.

If you want to wet mount the film without any additional transparent
material like described it becomes a problem in most cases. The 4x5 film
base is too stiff and 120 film isn't flat enough for the build up of
capillary force.

Ernst