Avoiding sprocket holes? (Plus X + D-76)

[wdenies]

Jobo tanks:
do not forget to put the black axle through the reel after loading. If not, the reel will jump up and down during agitation.
I use the Jobo system (from 35 mm to 4x5) without any problem for 20 years (only rotation!)

Wim

 

[kaiyen]

If you don't have the center axle, wouldn't the take be just flat out not light tight?

allan

 

[the_other_dirk]

If you don't have the center axle, wouldn't the take be just flat out not light tight?

allan

that's right. No black center axle => light comes in while you pour chemicals in or out (whenever you take the lid off). don't ask me how I know please 😀

 

[kaiyen]

🙂

My second point should've been: you get a lot more than sprocket holes doing that.

Oh, and if you take the lid off entirely, you get a light leak as well, amazing. Guess how I learned that one.

allan

 

[brians]

Hahaha, Allan, that last thing you mentioned. I once did that when I first started doing color chemistry.

I forgot to mention, yeah it was a water stop bath, and the place I'm at right now (Irvine, CA) has really hard water. That would have an effect on the film, yes?

 

[desmo]

Thinking outside the box:

Could this be an undersprung pressure plate? put a piece of old film in your camera and lay it across the sprockets so it's in line. take off the lens and set the shutter on T or B. Open the shutter and keep it open as you carefully look at the film closely. Is there any gap between the film and the camera body? If there is, light may be reflected up and bounced back off the edge of the film. In a tight camera, light should not be able to get outside the masked area.
Colour neg may be too low in contrast to see it.

Maybe I'm pissing in the wind and hitting my leg but if you've tried all the obvious...............

 

[Andy K]

If agitation is done too vigorously it results in the developer 'eddying' around the sprocket holes, causing the patterns you see on your negs.
My agitation method, for all films and developers, is constant gentle agitation for the first minute then ONE inversion every thirty seconds. Each inversion I make takes five seconds.
Wait until you get into semi-stand and stand developing... 😉
You will likely get as many answers as there are photographers. It's a case of finding what works for you and sticking with it.

 

[kaiyen]

Brians,
I think the big issues with hard water are getting the negatives clean both in terms of gunk and water spots, and I think with the ph of developer. But, to be honest, others know more about this than I. I now mix everything with distilled - better safe than sorry.

I got a little countertop water distiller that has helped me keep a good 8 gallons around pretty much all the time.

allan

 

[Andy K]

Brians,
I think the big issues with hard water are getting the negatives clean both in terms of gunk and water spots, and I think with the ph of developer. But, to be honest, others know more about this than I. I now mix everything with distilled - better safe than sorry.

I got a little countertop water distiller that has helped me keep a good 8 gallons around pretty much all the time.

allan

A drop or two of Photo-Flo in your final rinse will help. I do my final rinse ina large stainless steel bowl by holding each end of the roll and 'see-sawing' it through the water and Photo-Flo solution. I then squeegee the film between my fore and middle-fingers and than hang it to dry. No water marks.