Darkroom Tip: Distilled Water for the Last Rinse

Those chalky drying marks on your negatives are dissolved minerals from tap water, left behind as droplets evaporate. The cure costs pennies: make your final rinse distilled water with a couple of drops of wetting agent (Photo-Flo, Ilfotol, or similar — a tiny amount; foam means too much).

Hang film at an angle in the least dusty room you have (bathrooms after a hot shower are classic — the steam settles the dust), clip a weight on the bottom, and don't squeegee — grit caught in a squeegee scratches an entire roll in one pull.