Going with the Flo

I first started developing my own film around about 10 years old. With those first films the main challenge was getting the film out of the 126 cassette! Later when I’d graduated to 35mm I remember with Ilford cassettes the end would just pop off with enough pressure! Not any more!!

Somewhere between the two I’d read that if one didn’t have a “Wetting Agent” a couple of drops of washing up liquid would almost do the same job! That’s what I used. I know purists will roll their eyes – yet I still have some of those negs 50 years on and they are fine!

Later still when I had my first job, I could afford a bottle of proper “Wetting Agent”, this came in the form of a Paterson 250mm bottle, sold by one of the local photo stores, and it lasted for years. I’ve worked in two different photo labs in my time, and at some point “Kodak Photo Flo” became the standard. Paterson chemistry had gone and the local store never sold Kodak. In those dark and perhaps better days before the internet, when one actually talked to people who knew something, it was suggested that Ilford “Ilfotol” would be just fine. Another bottle that lasted for years.

Perhaps it’s the water, perhaps it’s a formula change, but I’ve sensed recently that good old Ilfotol wasn’t working quite so well for me. These days of course with the internet we can buy whatever we want form wherever we want, worldwide. And so it came to pass I have my very own bottle of Kodak Photo Flo!

I’ve now used it four or five times, and it does seem to be working better for me. Whether that’s just that it’s fresher, or a different formula I have no clue, but until this bottle runs out – I’m going with the flo!