'clouds' in my negatives

[blacktaped]

Dear RFF readers,

it's been a while since I started having weird problems with developing my negatives, and I cannot understand what is going wrong with my workflow in the darkroom.
Basically everytime I develop BW negatives that include sky tones in the frames, I get weird 'clouds', or stains all around the area that should be clear sky. I enclose a couple of samples of what I normally get in any other similar shot.
I have this problem with Ilford Delta 100, 400, HP+, FP, or any other film like that; my developer is Ilfosol 3, I use Ilford Rapid Fixer for 10 minutes agitating every minute or two. All liquids from this scan I'm showing here were fresh, never used before. I shoot with Leica M6 or M2, summicron 35 or summicron 50, elmar 90.
At first I thought it was a fault of the final washing bath, that was a bit old, but in these last scans I used just gentle soap in very small (1/200 parts) portion in fresh water.
Can anyone help understand what I'm doing wrong?
thanks for your kind help,
Maurizio

 

[bobby_novatron]

Wow -- that's weird! I have never seen that before. I have to admit, I kind of like the effect it gives to the sky in your photos!

Wish I could offer advice, but not sure what that is. It is strange that you get this same effect across all different brands of film.

I almost think it could be a problem with your water, or maybe that 'soap' you are using with your wash. I personally don't think it's a good idea to use soap or detergent with photographic film ... Kodak Photo-Flo is an excellent way to do your final wash, and it's so economical to use that one bottle lasts for years. In my mind, it makes much more sense to use a product that is designed for use with film, instead of something like domestic soap or detergent.

Kodak Photo-Flo is designed to act as a surfactant and gently reduce water surface tension, as well as aid in the stabilization and preservation of your negatives in a relatively benign way. Soap? That's for washing hands, AFAIK. 🙂

Just my opinion. I hope you figure out your problem!

.

 

[MartinP]

Was the film brought out from a freezer or refidgerator and then opened and/or used before the film had warmed up (which may well take several hours) ?? This sort of mark could come from damp film, due to condensation inside the cassette or camera, though it does look a little bit regular to be sure of that.

 

[blacktaped]

thanks Bobby! it could indeed help to have such an effect, but now it is driving me crazy! 🙂
I was also thinking that my fixer, although 'fresh' from the bottle, is from a bottle that is quite old; but then again, I would expect that the aged fixer would have different effects (like a weird cast on the whole negative).
Maybe I shouldn't use soap at all, but why does it concentrate only on 'blu sky' areas?
I am really going crazy with this...

 

[blacktaped]

Hi Martin,

you are right,
I took the film off my fridge a couple hours before using it...

But how can it show stains only on that area? (Or maybe that area makes them more visible....)
Thanks

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Oh, I've seen this before...




I used Diafine, a Jobo tank (never again w/Diafine), old fixer, old washing agent...old stuff + extreme temperatures. Not for the faint of heart.

 

[tlitody]

That is frothy bubbles without a doubt IMO. I've had that half way down my negs when the spool slipped up the core of my tank and I didn't rap the tank which not only dislodges bubbles but also makes the spool slip back to bottom of tank.

Usually get underdevelopment on half the neg when it happens. Notice how the sky is darker under the bubbles than it is on the skyline although can be natural.

 

[PICHA]

It could be caused by residual "soap" on your tank and wheels. Don't forget to rinse it after every use.

 

[blacktaped]

@Gabriel: we seem to have had the same problems (plus something that went wrong with the alignment of the film in the reels in your case, I suppose, considering the white vertical stripes of light I can see in you, otherwise beautiful, shot).
I believe Tlitody is right: it must have been poor rapping of the tank, allowing the bubbles to persist on parts of the film.
I shall try rapping it harder next time (together with more gentle agitation, I suppose).
Thanks everybody for their help!
I hope I will be posting soon a new roll showing no more funny 'cloudy' effects....