Insane negative curling driving me insane

[nickstreme]

Its not too bad, ive seen worse. But it always happens, no matter where im drying them, I can never get them flat. This roll started to bend horizontally ( sprocket holes go towards each other ) but now they are curling the normal way where when you cut them they make rings for if you had giant fingers.

I really want to contact print from these, but i cant get them flat. I put them in a book with over 150 pounds on it for a day but not much luck. Would it be okay to iron them somehow? They are already cut, the film is TX.

[keithwms]

Do you use phot flo or other surfactant in your final wash? Is your drying area very dry?

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Can you roll them up backwards on a developing reel before you cut them up?

[Vaughn]

Are you using a fix with hardener? I am wondering if curling might be reduced if no hardener is used (and no heat during drying, too).

Are you contact printing these just for a record, or as a final product? If just for a record, then putting the negs in negative sleeves and contact printing them will be easier.

Vaughn

[pentaxuser]

I have seen film curl badly if put in an overheated drying cabinet but even then cutting the negs up into strips and placing in a neg carrier with a weight on top such as a heavy book for a few hours did the trick. Mind you this is the U.K where even in Summer, humidity is well over 60%. Might be different where you are.

If you have access to a drying cabinet I'd try hanging the strip up and simply using the fan to blow ambient temperature air over the negs. Again from a U.K. perspective 15- 20 mins is usually sufficient. I also use Ilford wetting agent without any curl problem. Oh and while they are drying I have a neg clip attached top and bottom. I have never had to use the heat setting to get the negs dry in the times stated

pentaxuser

[nickstreme]

I was thinking about putting the neg stips back onto reels, emulsion side out, then putting it in a steamy bathroom for an hour. Sound good?

[David William White]

...
I really want to contact print from these, but i cant get them flat...

Just a sheet of glass will hold curly negs flat against the paper.

[nickstreme]

Yeah, but its a total pain trying to get them all lined up right, and I am also looking to scan them, and when they are this curly setting them in the negative holders is basically impossible.

[mwdake]

I reverse roll my 120 quite tightly and hold it rolled up with a wooden clothes pin just holding the very edge, then I put it in a cupboard away from the dust for about a week.
This works for me especially with Foma/Arista 200 which curls very badly.

[Konical]

"I was thinking about putting the neg stips back onto reels, emulsion side out, then putting it in a steamy bathroom for an hour. Sound good?"

Good Evening, Nick,

Yes. That will tend to work well, particularly when the curl is along the length of the film. In my experience, however, it may take a lot longer than an hour; I usually plan on leaving the film reverse-curled for a couple of days. Even with Foma 200, that normally does the trick. (You're right about the difficulty involved in contacting curled negatives. It is a real pain. Any decent negative carrier, however, should eliminate any printing problems.)

Konical