Permanent trouble with developing

[Arvay]

Third film comes out semi-developed. The more the film closer to the center of the spiral the less it is developed.

Different types of cameras, different films and different tanks (Jobo 1510 and 1520)

Changed the developer. No difference. Still semi-developed. What can it be?

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Agitate more.

Shake it, invert it, tip it.

 

[Pherdinand]

sounds like you mess up the loading...
If you push it in and it jumps the grooves and overlaps with the inner threads, you get undeveloped parts in the center...

Is it gradual effect or the underdeveloped region begins abruptly on the roll?

 

[Ronald M]

insufficient agitation for manual inversion. Unless the rebate frame numbers do not taper off also. Then it an exposure or camera problem.

If you are turning horizontally with a motor, there is not enough developer in the tank.

I think you need 4 oz for each 35 mm reel space in the tank whether or not a reel is in place. One reel tank is 4 oz. Two reel is 8 oz.

Be sure the developer is making it to the tank. Pour 4 oz water in, then open the tank and measure what made it. Find and repair leak or obstruction.

 

[Arvay]

Pherdinand, it's gradual

 

[Al Kaplan]

Maybe 4 oz. will work on a rotation machine but it takes 8 oz per roll in a S.S. tank to cover the reel, maybe more in a plastic tank. You want enough reels in the tank so they don't go sliding all over the place. The tank really should have enough developer to almost fill the tank so it doesn't slosh too much when you agitate. Get yourself some S.S. tanks and reels and learn to use them. Whatever money you might have saved by getting a plastic tank and reels you've already wasted in film, developer and time.

This will work with one, two, and four reel tanks. Used ones are cheap these digital days. Get one of each. If you soup a lot of film the same day have LOTS of reels and tanks so you can use dry ones for each batch.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Maybe 4 oz. will work on a rotation machine but it takes 8 oz per roll in a S.S. tank to cover the reel, maybe more in a plastic tank. You want enough reels in the tank so they don't go sliding all over the place. The tank really should have enough developer to almost fill the tank so it doesn't slosh too much when you agitate. Get yourself some S.S. tanks and reels and learn to use them. Whatever money you might have saved by getting a plastic tank and reels you've already wasted in film, developer and time.

This will work with one, two, and four reel tanks. Used ones are cheap these digital days. Get one of each. If you soup a lot of film the same day have LOTS of reels and tanks so you can use dry ones for each batch.

Dear Al,

I agree with everything else, but what's the problem with sloshing, at least with 1-shot developers? The more slosh, the better the agitation...

Cheers,

R.

 

[titrisol]

I assume you are using a JOBO, thus the tank is horizontal?
if that is the case try adding some more developer to the tank, it seems to me the outside is getting enough exposure to the developer and the center is not.

If you are using the tank manually, try also using a bit more developer and agitating more as suggested.

 

[steverett]

If the outside is more developed than the inside, that sounds like a rotary tank with not enough developer. Arvay, what type of tank are you using (rotary/inversion)? What time/agitation? How much developer?