TMax 100 Persistant Purple Tint

[madNbad]

Lately I have been giving Rollei One Shot R09 a try for developing TMax 100. I like the results but have trying to eliminate a persistent purple tint. I had been processing the film according to the Massive Development Chart, 10 minutes at 68 degrees but after actually reading the instructions on the bottle, the recommended time is 15 minutes. The processes is: pre soak for 5 minutes, develop according to the bottle instructions with 5 seconds of agitation every 30 seconds, stop bath for 30 seconds, Ilford Rapid Fix for 5 minutes then the Ilford wash sequence with an extra 20 inversions for good luck. I think the problem may be with the fixer. I normally do only one roll at a time and mix both the stop bath and the fixer in 250 ml units then store them in a similar size glass bottle to minimize oxidation. Ilfords' information sheet states the Rapid Fixer at a 4-1 dilution is good for 25 36 exposure rolls. The first five or six rolls fixed with this current bottle were TMax 400 developed in HC110 Dilution B and there was no residual antiheliesion backing. When I started with the R09 that was seventh roll fixed with that bottle and that is when the problem arose. I have tried extending both fixing and washing times, both delivered some improvement. Any ideas other than only using a small bottle of 4-1 Rapid Fix for 5 rolls and then start fresh?

 

[Bill Clark]

My use of TMax films exhaust the fixer quicker than other films. You can fix a little longer. I let the wash water stay in the film tank for 5 minutes or so then change it. Tongue in cheek, try using a little warmer wash water as this seems to help. But be careful, too warm, too much of a temp change can cause reticulation.

Letting the water stay in the tank for 5 minutes or so between changes works best for me.

Hope this helps you.

 

[twvancamp]

I think purple tint usually indicates under-fixed. I had this with some Trix and moved to the two step fixing method. 6 minutes with Fixer 1, then 6 minutes with Fixer 2. Eventually when Fixer 1 is exhausted, then 2 --> 1 and you make a new 2.

It has solved my issues, but there may be something else going on here. I haven't used Rollei developer.

 

[retinax]

This has been discussed numerous times, IIRC most people think the purple tint isn't harmful. But if you want it gone, hypo clear is supposed to help. It could also indicate under-fixing though, as it usually clears significantly in the fix.
You need to rethink your fixer capacity. The capacity recommendations are normally for a whole liter, and for traditional grain films. T-grain films use it up faster. You have probably gone over the capacity if you really fixed five for six rolls of TMY-2 in that 250 ml of working solution before that current roll.

 

[Huss]

This is from the instructions for Cinestill D96 Monobath:

It also works well with tabular grain films with color dye technology, like Tmax or Delta films, but require double the processing time to clear the pink/purple dyes in the emulsion.

While obviously it is not the dev you are using, it indicates that there is a difference in how these films behave.

 

[madNbad]

Thanks, everyone. The old adage, when all else fails, read the instructions has been helpful. Limiting the small bottle of fixer to 5 rolls should help and washing a little longer in a bit warmer water. Weather is good, maybe I'll try roll this afternoon.

 

[charjohncarter]

I use my fixer one shot, which means I spend more on fixer than I do on developer. I have to increase my time by 35% to fix Tmax films vs Trix, Arista, or HP5+. And I also use hypo clear; I don't get negatives that are pink/purple but when I return pour hypo, fixer, and even the stop have discoloration.

 

[analoged]

Hypo clear after fix, correct?

 

[Deleted member 65559]

It's a common characteristic of Tmax films to require more fixing time to clear the anti-halation dye. Like charjohncarter, I use the one-shot method for film development. (you know the saying "pennywise, pound foolish," I think that applies to reusing chemistry for film development. & i say that as a choice rather than pointing a finger). I don't use hypo clear, & my films don't come out purple. I also don't change the temperature of my wash for fear of ruining the film from reticulation. Here's a link that explains in detail about fixing Tmax fims: https://stason.org/TULARC/recreatio...Tmax-film-comes-out-purple-what-happened.html

 

[madNbad]

Just did another roll of TMX in Rollei R09. This time with fresh Ilford Rapid Fix and I took Bill Clarks' advice. I did the normal Ilford water saving wash, then added two five minute soaks with occasional agitation. They are hanging to dry now and not a trace of purple. Thanks to all!!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Then I started to bulk load in 2012, Kodak TMAX 100/400 was something like 40$ per bulk.
It was always purple tinted and back then it was norm. It was even called as purple devil.
It was also arching a lot. I was using D-76 and Kodak powder fixer.
Negatives were fine. Looking at scans now and it was best BW film so far I have tried.
In 2019-2020, I used re-introduced TMAX3200, which become 10$ per 36 frames.
I used TMAX developer and Ilford Rapid fixer. No purple tinting, negs are flat, but film is crap.

 

[Borge H]

I have also had problems with tinted Kodak films.

My solution is to check the fixing time with the first part of the film, which you cut away when loading the developing tank. Put it in the fixing solution and time it. When it is clear you have the minimum fixing time. Add some minutes to this time as a margin!

Increase also the rinsing time. A too short water rinse will give tinted films. I rinse in one hour in running cold tap water. But I sometimes also use the Ilford rinsing method when I want to conserve water. It is quick and efficient. Then I use water from a 20 liter large water dunk at room temperature. I never try to mix cold and and warm water to get room temperature. It has sometimes destroyed my films with reticulation, small regular pattern in the emlsion.

A good rinse in water keeps the film safe for the future as it removes all fix solution whch could destroy the film during storage!

 

[Tom R]

I have also had problems with tinted Kodak films.

My solution is to check the fixing time with the first part of the film, which you cut away when loading the developing tank. Put it in the fixing solution and time it. When it is clear you have the minimum fixing time. Add some minutes to this time as a margin!

Increase also the rinsing time. A too short water rinse will give tinted films. I rinse in one hour in running cold tap water. But I sometimes also use the Ilford rinsing method when I want to conserve water. It is quick and efficient. Then I use water from a 20 liter large water dunk at room temperature. I never try to mix cold and and warm water to get room temperature. It has sometimes destroyed my films with reticulation, small regular pattern in the emlsion.

A good rinse in water keeps the film safe for the future as it removes all fix solution whch could destroy the film during storage!

Does the "Ilford rinsing method" include a hypo-eliminator? I ask because these used to be weak sodium sulfite solutions (maybe 25g/litre?) and I wonder if the addition of such rinse aids might also mitigate some of the purple cast?

 

[Borge H]

Does the "Ilford rinsing method" include a hypo-eliminator? I ask because these used to be weak sodium sulfite solutions (maybe 25g/litre?) and I wonder if the addition of such rinse aids might also mitigate some of the purple cast?

No, the Ilford method uses water at the same temperature as the rest of the chemicals. It also has many inversions compared to standard rinsing. It conserves water which is important in some places, but where I live at the west coast in Sweden it rains about 1500 mm per year and we have our own drilled deep well. So it not so important here. That is why I wash in one hour in running cold water.

Here is the text from Ilford:

Now the film is fixed you can remove the tank lid. Wash the film in running water (20C/68F) for about 5-10 minutes. Alternatively fill the tank with water at the same temperature as the processing solution and invert it 5 times. Drain the water away and refill then invert the tank 10 times. Finally, drain and refill the tank again then invert it twenty times before draining. Finally do a last rinse adding a few drops of ILFOTOL wetting agent added to the water. This is not essential but does help the film dries quickly and evenly.

(source:https://www.ilfordphoto.com/beginners-guide-processing-film/)

The use of wetting agent or some drops of mild liquid hand wash in the last wash is a good advice. It removes the drying stains.

BUT NEVER TRY TO WASH IN RUNNING MIX OF HOT AND COLD WATER. If you are unlucky it will destroy your film.

 

[madNbad]

When I first return to developing film at home, there was a five minute pre wash, a five minute stop wash then a rinse that would run ten or fifteen minutes. Then the water bill arrived. Changed from a pre wash to a pre soak, bought some stop bath and changed to the Ilford wash method. Adding the two five minute soaks after the initial wash plus insuring the fixer is fairly fresh has eliminated the purple problem.