The trouble with Delta 100...

[sanmich]

I am having lots of trouble getting a clean frame with delta 100. Lots of scratches, dust and defects.
I've had trouble with other films, but the delta is consistently worse.
Am I doing something wrong? Is this a specially delicate film?

 

[telenous]

Odd. Maybe it's the batch? I used a fair bit of Delta 100 last summer (around fourty rolls?), the film base was typically robust like all Ilford films, without any scratch/defect problems whatsoever. I found it demanding in exposure but not in handling.

.

 

[Steve M.]

That's a good film. I've never had any issues w/ it what so ever. I was having similar issues when I switched from D76 to TD-16. Finally put a funnel into my developer gradient, stuck a coffee filter in it, put some marble chips from the yard (washed) to help out w/ the pouring, and that did the trick. Negs look great now.

 

[Johnmcd]

No problem at all. It's my default 35mm film. Do you squeegee the film before drying? I never touch the film at all, just some photoflo and hang to dry in the bathroom. No dust and no scratches.

 

[sanmich]

OK, thanks gents!
No squeege here, and I was experimenting a new drying solution.
The heat may have messed things up.
Now that I think I got things sorted out (last delta 400 rolls were good), I'll give delta 100 another shot.

 

[lawrence]

Be careful! Do not besmirch the name of Ilford without proper cause or you'll get a ticking off from Roger 😛

 

[tsiklonaut]

Ditto here - in my experience the Delta 100/400 can be a little fragile, also more than average to prone for uneven development (at least the 120 rolls that I've used a lot), albeit the Delta 3200 version seems to be different since I've had zero issues with the D3200 rolls.

If I understand correctly then the Delta series are more of a "modern" type films in Ilford product line (using less silver and special type grain and materials to compensate varios issues coming along with cutting back silver content?) to make more profit for the company without much compromising the image quality (in fact enhancing it in other fields - such as sharpness) thanks to the modern technologies used. I'm guessing they're more sensitive to the development process and handling than the simpler oldschool-type films as well? I may stand corrected here.

Probably if you want robust and simple thicker silver emulsion layer, allround ability and strenght then the FP4+ and HP5+ could be better choice than the 100/400 Deltas. (That being said I am biased as well since FP4/HP5/D3200 are my favourite from the Ilford line 😉 )

 

[Ronald M]

Practice loading and unloading. Watch to see the tail does not snap back and scratch.

Clean is next to God.

Tanks, reels, glass bottles, never plastic, and all must be spotless. Dedicate bottles to each chemical.

Silver precipitates out from used fix. It sticks to the next film like glue. There is no way to filter it at home.

All water is filtered with 3 micron wter filter in line. Air in darkroom is with a HEPA filter.

Drying room or cabinet needs to be dust free, walls, ceiling, floor, and do not go inside with street clothes.


Clean the inside of camera. Store everything so as it stays clean. Plastic bags or boxes.

If you can not do this, never look at sheet film where there are all the same issues plus film holders.

Everything clean. Dust lurks everywhere.

 

[Ronald M]

Oh forgot.

Don`t be wiping down wet film with squegees, fingers, cloths, nothing. Even if the debatable device is clean, if you pick up something, and you will sooner or later, you risk running a scratch down full.

Use a lab flush bottle or squirt bottle filled with distilled water and a bit of wetting agent. Keep rinsing the hanging film and any crud will eventually drip down. Except for precipitated silver from fix. Any attempt to remove it will make matters worse.

 

[BW400CN]

I ried Delta 100 only once and the results in rodinal where realy nice - may be I give it an other run in the near future - no problems like you told us!


Zeiss Ikon Mess Ikonta 524/2 - Ilford Delta 100 von Michael Relguag auf Flickr


Zeiss Ikon Mess Ikonta 524/2 - Ilford Delta 100 von Michael Relguag auf Flickr

 

[sanmich]

Except for precipitated silver from fix. Any attempt to remove it will make matters worse.

lots of good advises here, thanks!

would you know a way to get rid of contamination?
I had dirty films that I tried to clean and now, just as you say, I have pretty unusable films..:bang:

 

[KM-25]

Any time I have film that has significant dirt issues, I re-wash it...

As for Delta 100, when I was establishing a standard low speed black and white film for use in 4x5, I tried both Delta 100 and TMX 100. For months, I had issues with pin holes or apparent coating defects with Delta that I have never seen with any of their other films and certainly not TMX for that matter. Needless to say, I have standardized 4x5 with both TMX and TMY and aside from getting occasional Newton Rings with AN glass carriers, I have no regrets about this choice.

So for Delta 100 I finally went with mixing my developer with distilled water and using a water stop bath. That seems to have helped greatly as the film seems to need the same care as Ekfe films which were very finicky and subject to damage easily. While I am glad to have Delta 100 as an option and might need to depend on it more later, it is not my first choice due to these issues...

 

[Roger Hicks]

Do not neglect a water "filter" (more accurately "strainer"): http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/mt paterson water filter.html

Cheers,

R.