When the film is wet it is susceptible to damage. It can be scratched very easily, so this is one of the most important parts of the process.

As it dries it becomes very sticky and any dust, hair, or lint that falls on it will stick to the gelatin emulsion. Once these dust particles are attached to the emulsion and the film dries they are impossible to remove and every print made from the negative will have these aberrations.

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So at this point is is wise to handle the film as little as possible and in a still, dust free environment. Avoid the temptation to lift the film up to the light and look at it: there will be plenty of time to do this when it is dry.


After the wash, the tank is left full of water and a few drops of wetting agent is added, or it can be soaked in a solution of Kodak Photoflow.

Lift the reel up and down several times to make sure the wetting agent has reached all parts of the film. Then take the reel out of the tank and holding it securely give it a firm flick to sake any access water off. Avoid the temptation to take the film out of the reel.

Firmly attach the end of the film by a special film clip to a line. These clips have a tooth that cuts right through he film and locks it in place.

As it has to be totally secure on the line, ( if it slips off it could become damaged), double the end of the film over the line and punch the clip through both pieces of film.

If you can't locate the proper film clips, several close pegs on the fold of film will work but you have to chose the right type. Pegs that have a point like this work better than those with a flat surface.

(2-3 for 35mm or 3-4 for 120film )

Experiment with an old piece of wet film to see what works for you.

I use a wettex cloth to wipe any access drops of water from the film, but some photographers use other devices. What ever you use, it must be clean of any dust dirt etc.,. and uncontaminated with chemicals. I use the cloth for this one purpose only and at any sign of deterioration of possibility of contamination I discard it.

XLO cloths look very similar but are impregnated with a chemical that gets on the surface of the film and does not dry.