Darkroom / Developing goofs....

I am not that far past NOOb stage to have a long list, but the worst so far are:

- While using a too small changing bag to load 220 film onto a stainless steel developing reel nothing went right. It got too hot in the bag, my hands sweat, and the film turned into flypaper sticking to anything and everything. I got very frustrated and ended up putting the film onto the reel backwards (the opposite direction of the spirals). That roll was a waste.

- Developing film in the kitchen, I had a roll of 35mm that was irreplaceable pictures of a family vacation. For who knows what reason, I took the lid off the developing tank before I had developed the film. That was a sad day.

I now have a much larger changing bag, don't use the 220 stainless steel reels (use plastic instead), and after I get the film into the tank, I repeat to myself frequently, "Do not open the tank."
 
Wait, I accidentally turned the hot water to wash some Royal Pan 4x5's on in the tank. Emulsion came off on my finger, but only in the corner.

Interesting reticulation, never been able to duplicate it. ;-)
 
I posted this someplace, so forgive me. Developed a few rolls of MF B&W in HC110 in a Patterson tank and forgot to click the funnel top on tightly. Developed everything as usual but when I poured out the developer (in full light), the funnel top and the reels came out with the chemicals. Opps! I quickly pushed everything back into the tank and debated throwing out the whole load, but didn't. When I finished the processing I was pleasantly surprised to find out that only 1 frame was ruined and only a few others mildly fogged. The rest of the roll and all of the other two rolls were fine. Live and learn.
 
I know I'll make a mistake one day, but it won't be from using some chemical at the wrong moment or in the wrong order because before beginning, I place my bottles, measuring cups and all kinds of things in the order I use them (developer, stop wash, fixer, hypochlorite bath and Photoflo).

However, one time I washed film with hot water. For about a minute. I don't know why, but decided to turn the wrong faucet (probably because I'm the dishwasher at home). Luckily I did notice the water warming up and switched to cold right away. Negs were undamaged and I took a long sigh of relief.
 
Dropped the film on the concrete floor in the dark a couple times - concrete floor is not kind to film. However, I liked the result in a couple of instances:
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My main issue has been forgetting whether the roll was exposed or not, particularly when not immediately retrieving an accidentally wound in roll of unexposed film. Organised people probably don't have this issue; it's stupid I know. I've often had to snip off a few frames and dev them to find out; until I started tearing off the leader of a just-used roll which works well now that I've learned not to wind all the way.
 
Bill Mattock's feat was to drop newly developed film in the cat's litter box shortly before his wife, who was on the phone with the pizza place, asked him what toppings he wanted on his pizza. He thought she was asking where the roll had fallen and said "cat litter!"

From what I remember he wrote, the look on her face was priceless. :)
 
SolaresLarrave said:
I know I'll make a mistake one day, but it won't be from using some chemical at the wrong moment or in the wrong order because before beginning, I place my bottles, measuring cups and all kinds of things in the order I use them (developer, stop wash, fixer, hypochlorite bath and Photoflo).

However, one time I washed film with hot water. For about a minute. I don't know why, but decided to turn the wrong faucet (probably because I'm the dishwasher at home). Luckily I did notice the water warming up and switched to cold right away. Negs were undamaged and I took a long sigh of relief.
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Modern thin emulsions are pretty tough, I have actually tried to duplicate the reticulation since with no luck, but that emulsion was really hammered by the shock-- it was mid 60's era LF film, and I think we used DK 60a plus the fix was used by a lot of people to exhaustion and back, plus it was washing for a while before I noticed it.

Even if swollen and soft, if you don't touch it, it seems to dry out to a usable extent, and a big enlargement in those days was an 8x10, so 4x?

In one school to keep things simple, we used Dektol for paper and sheet film, I think about a minute development? When I was doing pinhole with students, I used paper developer and developed by inspection as the surplus roll of film was orthochromatic and had a yellow antihalation coating, air force stuff?

Regards, John
 
After a hiatus of not doing any of my own developing, I started up again with gusto a couple years ago. On top of that, I had recently acquired a Kiev 88 camera (please hold the jokes for later!) and had run a test roll of Ilford 120 through the beast.

I had never done any medium format before, so I was very excited to see this test roll!

I was in my bathroom, with my developing gear all lined up for inspection. The chemicals were ready, the Paterson tank was ready, everything was organized. I switched off the lights and found myself in the inky blackness of the pitch-black WC.

I removed the seal from the exposed 120 roll, and pulled off the leader. I fumbled in the dark for the plastic reel, found it, and began to wind the film onto the spool.

Various mild curses emanated from my mouth as I struggled to get the plastic reel loaded. Why was it so difficult? My inexperience and frustration were combining to form an epic experience of self-induced hell. I think it took about 15 minutes of wretched fumbling in the dark, but I finally got the plastic spool loaded.

I took the spool, and plopped it with satisfaction into the Paterson tank. I installed the funnel, and firmly applied the lid.

Whew! A labour of love, but I finally did it! Now onto the developing!

I turned to the nearby wall and flicked on the light switch. As I was getting ready to pour the developer, I looked down at my feet. There, resting on the floor, was a lovely serpentine pile of Ilford 120 film.

I had loaded the paper leader into the Paterson tank! ;)

Boy, did I laugh at myself that day.
 
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I am lucky so far, my greatest mishap to this day was that the top of my developing tank (Jobo 1520) came loose once I had it out of the changing bag. Boy did I ever try to tighten it fast!
Turned out that the top film had light streaks in the top third of the negative area... so it was no complete failure :)

Since then I have the habit of making SURE the top sits tightly :)

Gotta love the way analog "fails" when it does, though. It looked quite artsy :)

Greetings, Ljós
 
My biggest goof was just exposed on another thread - for a couple weeks now I was struggling with C41 using the Rollei kit. Had usable negatives, but colors screwed up (too magenta). According to the instructions I was agitating too much , so I tried various schemes with no luck.

Looks like I had the labels on the developer and bleach swapped. ;-(

Randy
 
I was making a contact print and absent-mindedly threw the negatives into the developer along with the paper. Immediately switched on overhead light to fish them out and rediscovered solarization.
 
Melvin said:
I was making a contact print and absent-mindedly threw the negatives into the developer along with the paper. Immediately switched on overhead light to fish them out and rediscovered solarization.
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"And rediscovered solarization"... :) Love it!
 
bobby_novatron said:
I turned to the nearby wall and flicked on the light switch. As I was getting ready to pour the developer, I looked down at my feet. There, resting on the floor, was a lovely serpentine pile of Ilford 120 film.

I had loaded the paper leader into the Paterson tank! ;)

Boy, did I laugh at myself that day.
Click to expand...

Almost spilled my coffee on the laptop keyboard. Thanks a lot! I saw it coming but your ending still took me by surprise.

Have a good one! :)
 
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