Processed my film..what the hell did I do wrong?

[Tim Gray]

Once it's dried and sleeved, put some heavy books on it overnight.

My 120 has always dried perfectly flat - I get mild piping (the curl you describe) with 35mm, same film stocks. I think it partially has to do with humidity and the length of time it takes the film to dry.

 

[Beemermark]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7030288/m6_plusx1382_web.jpg[/IMG]

The more you fix it the more washing is required to remove the fixer. If your not saving the negatives for posterity (I no longer do) then fix until the negatives are clear (about 4 minutes for new fixer) and wash for minimum time.

 

[PatrickT]

Once it's dried and sleeved, put some heavy books on it overnight.

My 120 has always dried perfectly flat - I get mild piping (the curl you describe) with 35mm, same film stocks. I think it partially has to do with humidity and the length of time it takes the film to dry.

Thanks. Currently, I'm hanging the negatives up after washing with a binder clip on each end. I suppose I need to get some heavier clips...when the film is dried (20 minutes or so) it's already curling like crazy. Will adding weight help this?

I'm also the impatient kind (part of the reason I've started doing my own developing..don't want to wait for the lab to get them back to me). I would ideally like to scan the negatives after developing, so I'd prefer not to let them sit under a book all night.

For example...when I get film developed at Walgreens, it comes back perfectly flat...and that's giving them 20 minutes to do the processing AND let it dry. I notice that they do hang them up...

 

[Beemermark]

My negatives are usually the flattest as soon as they dry. The longer I let them hang (days or weeks) the more curl they get.

 

[Tim Gray]

I haven't really experimented much with different weights or times while drying. What little I did didn't make much difference. I wouldn't let them hang *too* long. However, I'd be shocked if your negs are dry after 20 minutes without using forced/heated air. While my 120 negs dry, they do curl like crazy, but after they are fully dry (2 hours or so) they are pretty dang flat.

For what I do, I just put them under books. I usually develop in the evening after getting home from work, the gym, and eating dinner, so I don't usually start until 8 or 9ish. After giving them 2-3 hours to dry, it's already midnight or 1 am. I cut them up, sleeve them, put them under books, and remove them the next day after work, where I can scan them.

A lab probably is not letting the negatives air dry. You could do some kind of forced air arrangement for faster drying, which probably helps flatness.

 

[PatrickT]

Did another roll tonight and I let it dry for longer (approx 1.5 hours) and what do you know...they flattened out 🙂

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Just curious: don't you people doing it at home etc, use a wetting agent? Are they still made or what? Not done any for a while and so was wondering...

It's getting hard to find, but yes, as far as I know. Or there's still stock out there. Wetting agent is a must (well, that and using filtered water) if you want clean negatives. Negatives will always have something, due to static, but having the least amount of stuff on them when you're drying them saves you a lot of time later.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

My negatives are usually the flattest as soon as they dry. The longer I let them hang (days or weeks) the more curl they get.

I find that if you "rotate" the negatives while drying it minimizes curling. I turn them 180 (meaning top-bottom) once I see dry streaks, then I turn them around. Then again a few minutes before cutting them. I cut them while they're hanging.

 

[calebk]

...
Photo Flo (arista flo) 1:200 for 30 seconds agitating by spinning spindle.
...

Don't know if anyone else spotted this but I generally don't agitate when using photoflo. Just let it sit for about a minute in the tank.

Just curious: don't you people doing it at home etc, use a wetting agent? Are they still made or what? Not done any for a while and so was wondering...

Regards, David

Hi David, Photoflo and Ilfotol (or other similar equivalents) are all wetting agents.

 

[David Hughes]

It's getting hard to find, but yes, as far as I know. Or there's still stock out there. Wetting agent is a must (well, that and using filtered water) if you want clean negatives. Negatives will always have something, due to static, but having the least amount of stuff on them when you're drying them saves you a lot of time later.

And "Hi David, Photoflo and Ilfotol (or other similar equivalents) are all wetting agents."

Many thanks; I was wondering.

I did all my own films for about 20 or more years from the mid fifties and that included B&W prints and slides and then colour but, reading these threads, I wondered if everything has changed.

For example, there's few mentions of water baths, data sheets etc which are free and best followed to the letter by beginners. And some things I've read have worried me a lot.

Thanks again,

Regards, David

 

[dfoo]

For example, there's few mentions of water baths, data sheets etc which are free and best followed to the letter by beginners. And some things I've read have worried me a lot.

Its not hard at all. D76 1+1 for 10-11 minutes @ 20C, wash with water for 30 seconds, fix for 5-10 minutes. Done.

 

[PatrickT]

If I understand correctly (and from what I've read around the net in other places as well), I can completely forgo the stop bath? That would be great since it stinks to high heaven and seems fairly caustic...I'd prefer just to not use it.

If I were to replace the stop bath with a water wash, sould I agitate the whole 30 seconds? Inversions?

 

[daninjc]

Yep, that's pretty much what I do. 1 minute in water, inverting here and there.

If I were to replace the stop bath with a water wash, sould I agitate the whole 30 seconds? Inversions?

 

[PatrickT]

Yep, that's pretty much what I do. 1 minute in water, inverting here and there.

Perfect. The less chemicals I can use, the better 🙂

 

[Tim Gray]

I've never used a stop bath with my negs. I fill with water and agitate continuously for 30 seconds before my fix.

With shorter development times, you might want to use a stop bath. Since some development will continue in a water 'stop', if that goes on for 15-30 seconds at a reduced rate and your development time was only 4 mins, there's a chance it could over develop your negative. If your development time is 12 mins, then that extra 15 seconds of development you might get is such a small percentage of the total time, it most likely doesn't make a difference.

Actually, I think for hand development, longer development times are better for other reasons. If you are a little sloppy in your time keeping, then minor timing variations introduced again are a smaller percentage of the total development time. This is why Kodak recommends using times that are longer than 5 mins for hand processing.

 

[David Hughes]

Its not hard at all. D76 1+1 for 10-11 minutes @ 20C, wash with water for 30 seconds, fix for 5-10 minutes. Done.

No final wash? Things have changed: OK, I can't get FP3 any more but...

Regards, David

 

[Landshark]

I prefer Rodinal and HC110 for the hi dilutions used and long term storage. D76 is fine, but you make up a stock solution of 1/2 gallon and need to store it. No big thing but stored life is far shorter than either of the two liquid developers. Just started to use stand development(lazy) with Rodinal.
My standard fix is Sodium Thiosulfate.
Standard white vinegar for stop bath, wash and a drop or two of photo flo, unagitated, hang to dry

 

[dfoo]

No final wash? Things have changed: OK, I can't get FP3 any more but...

Regards, David

Right... final wash is still needed 🙂

 

[dfoo]

If I understand correctly (and from what I've read around the net in other places as well), I can completely forgo the stop bath? That would be great since it stinks to high heaven and seems fairly caustic...I'd prefer just to not use it.

If I were to replace the stop bath with a water wash, sould I agitate the whole 30 seconds? Inversions?

I never use stop bath when developing film. I give the film a good shake during the stop for 30 seconds.

 

[Denverdad]

I am in the no stop bath camp too - just a water bath before fixing has worked well for me.