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While printing this weekend I noticed my negative had a very visible dry mark.

Can I rewash the negative, possibly adding Photo Flo and drying it again ? The negative isn't very old (1-2 years max), I simply don't know what effect a rinse with Photo Flo could have on a developed negative.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Which side is it, emulsion? \$\endgroup\$
    – Iliah Borg
    Jun 22, 2015 at 15:45
  • \$\begingroup\$ Water won't harm the negative, if you really mean rinsing, since you do not use any detergent in negative development. Photoflo is a rinse agent \$\endgroup\$
    – cmason
    Jun 22, 2015 at 15:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Blackbird57 : It is film base side than. In that case, there may be no need to re-wash; treat it locally - blow the dust off, put a drop of distilled water on the drying mark, wipe it off, repeat if necessary. If that fails, soak in distilled water with wetting agent and re-wash. Photo-Flo is safe on processed film. \$\endgroup\$
    – Iliah Borg
    Jun 22, 2015 at 16:28
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Blackbird57 : IMHO it is not an answer, 'cause the question is more generic, including the possible dry mark on the emulsion side. There are many ways to address the problem, one includes immersion printing (glycerin), and re-wash after the printing - that is used if it is necessary to print the stained negative immediately. \$\endgroup\$
    – Iliah Borg
    Jun 22, 2015 at 17:05
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    \$\begingroup\$ Iliah. So please put this cases on an answer :o) \$\endgroup\$
    – Rafael
    Jun 22, 2015 at 18:22

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Yes, you can re-wet the film. If you do, make sure it is submersed long enough to be fully wet. Then dry it just like you would freshly developed and rinsed film. That means dipping thru Photo Flu solution as the last step before hanging to dry.

Of course the drying area needs to be as dust free as possible. Hang it somewhere air isn't blowing around, moving dust around with it. A closet without any cloth in it is usually OK for amateur use. Vacuum the closet before hand, let dust settle, and only open the door briefly and without making a lot of wind to hang the film. Then keep the door closed long enough to be sure the film is dry when you next open it. Over night is usually good.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Great ! In my case the dry mark is on the film base side but would it work the same if it was on the emulsion side ? \$\endgroup\$
    – user40720
    Jun 22, 2015 at 21:21
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Blackbird57 : I always use non-hardening neutral fixer bath first (but after blowing off dust, of course), if it is the emulsion side, and the stain looks like water-based. Other types of stains are treated with isopropyl alcohol, pure - not rubbing grade. \$\endgroup\$
    – Iliah Borg
    Jun 23, 2015 at 8:06

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