Film Fogging - Learn from my mistakes

[Ara Ghajanian]

I'll make this quick.

Patterson tanks are not completely light tight. I loaded up 2 rolls of Tri-X rated at 1600 with a film changing bag. I left the Patterson tank on my kitchen counter for a couple of hours (just lazy). Today is a pretty warm day, I'd say inside temperature was around 75 degrees indoors. The counter top is in a fairly bright area of the kitchen. The roll on top fogged around the top edges and the roll on the bottom had a little bit of fogging on the top edge. These rolls were shot at an event for a client and could not be replaced. I may be able to salvage some shots through PS work, but it will never have the clarity that I intended. Luckily, through a stroke of genius, I didn't develop all 4 rolls I shot at the same time. The second two rolls were fine because I loaded them and I developed them right away.

BE CAREFUL OF HEAT! That is my lesson to you all. I sort of knew that before, but didn't realize just how sensitive film really was. I've only been developing film for 19 years (sarcasm), but this is the first time this has happened. Beware and take care, that is all I can say.
Ara

 

[MartinP]

Did you have the lid securely on the tank whilst it was in the brightly lit area ? And did you develop (obviously involving removing the lid) in that same brightly lit area ?

As you know, there is no 100% light-trap at the top of a dev tank - just a zig-zag path for the liquids and air to move around. In my experience the tanks are light-tight when closed, but it is possible to get a tiny amount of glare past the "funnel" part of the tank if you move it around near bright light while open.

 

[payasam]

Used a Paterson tank for long years without trouble. Was very careful indeed about the Indian heat in the 1960s and 1970s, but today's film is remarkably stable. Cannot understand if you are blaming tank or heat.

 

[stuken]

Sorry to hear about that, but it doesn't sound like a tank problem to me. I've never had any problems with loaded patterson tanks. Plus, the fogging pattern sounds like it was on the same area of both films, which would probably be the camera. It seems very unlikely that the fogging would effect the top of the film, travel past the rest of the roll without effecting it, and then fog the top of the bottom roll as well.

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

Did you have the lid securely on the tank whilst it was in the brightly lit area ? And did you develop (obviously involving removing the lid) in that same brightly lit area ?

As you know, there is no 100% light-trap at the top of a dev tank - just a zig-zag path for the liquids and air to move around. In my experience the tanks are light-tight when closed, but it is possible to get a tiny amount of glare past the "funnel" part of the tank if you move it around near bright light while open.

I think this is the case.

It's definitely not the camera because the other 3 rolls are perfect. And it's a Leica M6. There's no way light could have gotten in there with that type of pattern.

 

[mich8261]

when I took a photography class last year, the instructor told us to buy Patterson tanks at our peril. He did not feel that the way the cover goes on was secure enough.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Sorry to hear about that, but it doesn't sound like a tank problem to me. I've never had any problems with loaded patterson tanks. Plus, the fogging pattern sounds like it was on the same area of both films, which would probably be the camera. It seems very unlikely that the fogging would effect the top of the film, travel past the rest of the roll without effecting it, and then fog the top of the bottom roll as well.

Thia puzzled me too. The fact that you and I (and countless others) have never had any problems doesn't signify. The fogging pattern does. The only way I can see this happening is:

Load first spool, put in tank. Replace lid, not locking properly; turn on light. Turn off light, load second spool. Replace lid, not locking properly...

Cheers,

Roger