Efke 100 Developing Problem

[kingjon]

Just finishing processing a roll of Efke 100 in Rodinal 1:50. It came out completely blank. No frame numbers, lines, names, etc. Used the same camera to shoot a roll of tri-x so I'm not considering mechanical issues with the camera. My rodinal has been expired for 6 years. If it helps, the top of the film canister came off in my hand when I tried to remove it. Bad film? Bad developer? Something else?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ZuYtP2]IMG_0380 by janddking1, on Flickr[/URL]

Thanks,
Jon

 

[Mackinaw]

Any edge markings at all? Could you have poured in fixer before the developer?

Ji mB.

 

[Ronald M]

expired 6 years! Pennywise and pound foolish.

I have kept it ten years in a well stoppered full to 3/4 full glass bottle. Good stopper does not mean cardboard insert in cap. This was a controlled experiment.

Fix needs to be in a distinctly different bottle so you do not screw up.

 

[xayraa33]

Was the film feeding thru the camera properly?

if the rewind knob was not rotating almost every time you operate the wind lever or wind knob, blank 35mm film can happen, I learnt that the hard way in my early greenhorn years with my first 35mm camera, an SLR

 

[sepiareverb]

Fixer first, pictures worst. Nearly all of us have done it. I used to say everyone does it, but have gotten hollered at by folks who are apparently much more capable than the rest of us. 😉

 

[johnf04]

My half empty Rodinal bottle is 8 years old - and it works fine.

 

[Rob-F]

The lack of edge numbers pretty much tells the story. I don't think this roll ever saw the developer.

 

[znapper]

If you opened the canister, the top or bottom part of the film would have been fogged black, so that is not the cause.

Do a clip-test of that Rodinal of yours, no edge-markings says; either you never poured the developer in, or you poured the fixer in first, or the developer is dead and gone.

Clip-test => Cut off a small part of a film-leader that has been exposed to light, place it in a small solution of Rodinal 1:50, agitate for 3-5 minutes. Fix the small bit of film in some fixer.

If the film is now black, the developer is ok, if it i brownish or clear, you need to go to the store 🙂

If you are going to use some developer you haven't used in a while, always make sure you preform a clip-test first, avoids ruining your film.

 

[Steve M.]

Like Rob said. If you have no edge markings, perhaps the film never advanced (although the ever popular use of fixer first and developer later will give you this as well). We've all done it. It's so simple to just give a quick glance at the film rewind knob after first loading film into the camera to make sure it rotates when the film is advanced to the next frame, yet several times I have forgotten to ck this.

I always ck things w/ a clip test too if any chemicals are old, especially with fixer. Not much worse than seeing your negatives sorta fade in the negative sleeves over the course of time from old fixer, or from under fixing, BUT this can usually be resolved by washing the negs well and re fixing them. A PITA when you have them cut to go into the print files, but not so bad. I have been successful at carefully pushing each strip along until they were all in there again, and of course it's much easier to do all this outside of a change bag the second time around.

 

[PRJ]

Fixer first, pictures worst. Nearly all of us have done it. I used to say everyone does it, but have gotten hollered at by folks who are apparently much more capable than the rest of us. 😉

Ain't that the truth!

 

[kingjon]

Thanks for all the responses, I’m leaning toward dead developer but I may have fixed first somehow.
Thanks,
Jon

 

[julio1fer]

If you have no edge markings, perhaps the film never advanced

Edge markings are burned during manufacturing. Not related to film advance or exposure. No edge markings means that no development happened.

Even with well expired Rodinal you should have at least a glimpse of edge markings, and some semblance of pictures in the frames. Rodinal does not die suddenly just with time (I have some 30+ years experience with it).

Just pour the developer (at your usual dilution) on a small film clip in the light, it should turn black in a few minutes if it works.

 

[sepiareverb]

I reuse Fixer, and mix it up a half gallon at a time and pour into the tank from that jug, so it is much more difficult to fix first. I don’t even take the fix or stop off the shelf till I’ve rinsed the developer beaker.

 

[x-ray]

Like Rob said. If you have no edge markings, perhaps the film never advanced.

Think about this, the latent edge information is put on at the factory when the film is spoiled. Advancing through the camera has nothing to do with edge numbers / identification.

Most likely your developer was just water or you fixed it first.

 

[Rob-F]

Like Rob said. If you have no edge markings, perhaps the film never advanced.

That's not what I said. No edge markings has to mean the film was not developed.