Any idea what happened here?

[jwc57]

Camera is a Mamiya 645AF with a 80mm lens. The film is Kodak 400TX. Developer was Diafine in a Paterson tank and reel. Fixer was Ilford. It only affects the first four photos. Each photo has the same appearance. I included here a shot of the last frame affected and the next frame showing how the rest are not affected. I also included a close-up of the problem.

Any thoughts as to what caused this?

Thanks.

I should also mention that this problem was progressive. In the first frame, about 3/4 of photo is affected, then about half, etc.

 

[sevo]

That film slipped from the reel threads and partially got into contact with the next turn. It probably cannot be fully salvaged, but do try to re-fix and wash it, it is possible that the affected segment is incompletely fixed and washed and could deteriorate even further.

Oh, and do make sure it is no lost bit of adhesive tape or film sticking to the reel - that would have the same effect, but will recur.

 

[jwc57]

Thanks. I've had film touch during processing, but I hadn't seen this effect before.

 

[maxwell1295]

My first guess would be tape.

 

[jwc57]

I rechecked the filmstrip and, appearance-wise, the film appears normal. No adhesive residue, no damage to the emulsion, etc. I took the worst of the film and refixed, then washed it. Looking at it I don't see a difference.

Because of the way the film looked crazed (like an aged glass plate) I was wondering if this was a defect in the film itself. The only problem I have with that theory is that I've never had a defective piece of film in three decades of photography.

I also rechecked the reels and there is nothing there. I would have remembered anything caught in the reels since I always take them apart, clean and dry them by hand.

 

[jwc57]

I've done some google research. The closest examples that are similar in appearance to the photos I posted here cite film emulsion reticulation due to a sudden change in temperature during processing. This could have occurred during the stop bath stage since that was straight from the tap. For now on, I'll measure out water ahead of time and insure it is the same temperature as the developer and fixer.

 

[Photo_Smith]

It does look like reticulation—but it isn't. Reticulation would be even across the film and throughout the film.
Looking at the 'crazed' part at the top it seems to vary in sharpness, just as if a little strip of tape was stuck on the emulsion and slowly lifted, then again it could be a mechanical effect due to a mis-load where you have tape in the camera?
Could this be in the film back? or possibly the film hasn't seated properly? How does the backing paper look? Is it torn?

 

[sevo]

It is near impossible to get reticulation in a film area limited both in height and length. There are common screw ups that can create partial reticulation - starting off with too hot water for the wash and "adjusting" that by topping up with very cold water or the related chemical reticulation you'll get when diluting concentrates in-tank. But either affects all the length - I am stumped when it comes to imagining a way where that would not only be limited in height but also to a few consecutive frames.

Phenomena that look like reticulation or crystallisation can also occur when stop or fix slowly seeps between film/film or film/tape contact areas, as the developer only gets inhibited slowly. The pattern here looks very much as if the guilty object had a surface rougher than film, hence the guesses at paper or adhesive tapes.

 

[jwc57]

It is just another one of those darkroom mysteries. Posted is the final frame affected and I used it to show that the next frame wasn't affected. It is odd how part of the affected area appears OOF, part seems to be peeling (but isn't, the film appears fine), and the edge is almost perfectly straight.

I've checked the film back, the insert, and the reels. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even the film back and insert were brand new. This only occurred on the first four or five frames. The first frame is completely ruined. The areas affected get gradually better until it disappears completely. When I go to the office, I'll resize another section and post it.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

[jwc57]

The next frame after the shot of the cabbage plants, is the one previously posted...I believe. (There may be one between, but this shows the progression.)