What has caused this?

[csaunders]

Hi all.

Have been developing my own B+W film at home for a few months now, and I usually get perfect results, except for the last batch I just developed, in which quite a few of the frames looked like this:

I have also noticed that I pretty much always have some sort of darkening along one edge; and streaks which appear to line up with the sprocket holes like this (note the top left edge of the image):

Can anyone please enlighten me as to what is causing this? I don't want to ruin any more shots.

I use a small Paterson tank (2 rolls at a a time), D76, Ilfostop, then Ilford Rapid Fixer, then rinse with tap water for 5 mins and air dry. Agitation constantly for the first 30 secs, then at 1 minute cycles. I have tried agitation at 30sec cycles, but this seems to make it worse.

Thanks everyone!
-Christian

 

[Skeletor]

Maybe you don´t have enough developer in your tank.
Looks like the developer made bubbles.
If both films show this effect, my suggestion is wrong.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Eeww... It seems a developer issue. At least, that's what my limited experience suggests.

Was this Kodak, Fuji or ilford film? Was it near a source of heat at some point? I'm guessing...

Better luck next time! 🙂

 

[csaunders]

It is all Kodak T-MAX 400. The developer was fresh.

I always fill my tank as per the specs on the side; 290mls per roll, but perhaps as I do my inversions some liquid is caught up in all the light baffles or something?

Anyone care to comment about how much liquid they put in their tanks?

-Christian

 

[MikeCassidy]

I agree with Skeletor the first frame does look like bubbles; did you bang the bottom of the tank after you filled it with developer?

The second frame looks like fogging.

Go buy another roll and see if it happens again maybe the film is defecitive.

 

[le vrai rdu]

I had this on a film

2 solution:
- you didn't put enought soup in your tank
- you didn't locked the film loader on it's axle, so it floated on the soup


the pattern on the film are the bubbles of the developper floating on the soup

 

[csaunders]

Yes; I am always careful to bang the tank hard after agitation cycles.

I should mention that although the most recent roll is the one with the bubbles; pretty much every roll I have ever developed over the past few months have some sort of darkened edge.

Perhaps my camera does have a light leak; but would that show the sprocket holes as per the example?

Thanks again for all your responses.

-Christian

 

[dnk512]

The amount of developer depends on the tank your are using. Best way to check this is to measure the water you add in your final rinse and open the lid to inspect it before you drain it.

I agree with the posters above. The top is low developer and maybe some soap from the last cleaning. The fogging along the spoke holes is documented as due to 'violent' inversions though I believe it has to due a lot with low levels of developer, too. (If the levels are low then the developer travels a lot and faster per each inversion, thus the 'violent' inversions)

 

[csaunders]

OK; seems as if it's due to low amount of developer then. I will measure the water as per the suggestion above.

As far as the fogging issue; could others please share their inversion/agitation techniques for a small 2-roll plastic tank such as mine? Using D76. I invert on 1 minute cycles, but perhaps I should use a different technique?

Thanks.

 

[dnk512]

Ahhhh, darkened edge on the film or on the print? Dark on the film is, most likely from a light leak. Darken edge on the print is from no enough developer in your tank.

 

[csaunders]

It's a darkened edge on the print; so it looks like it's all a developer issue. As soon as I get some good tips on agitation techniques I'll be good to go!

Thanks all!

 

[jbf]

The best thing to do... is:


Always fill your film developer almost to the top of your tank. Leave a little bit of space for air during agitation, but the developer should cover the top of the tanks.

Also be sure you tap/rap the bottom of the tank on the side of the tub (or wherever your developer) or tap the bottom on the surface of the sink, etc.

I usually do about two to three taps. Just enough to get off bubbles dislodged.

 

[Pherdinand]

come on, folks. It is obvious. Alien mothership.
You should be lucky you got away without getting, umm, exposed. Or fixed.

 

[Pherdinand]

Also be sure you tap/rap the bottom of the tank on the side of the tub (or wherever your developer) or tap the bottom on the surface of the sink, etc.

I cracked the edge of my paterson tank like this.
Be very careful when it's full of liquid. Don't tap it too hard.

 

[oscroft]

could others please share their inversion/agitation techniques for a small 2-roll plastic tank such as mine?

I don't invert, I use the stick thing to give it a few twirls (all of my tanks actually leak a little if I invert them). I've been doing it this way since I started more than 35 years ago, and it always works fine.

I also agree that the first problem looks like not enough developer - as well as the frothy bubbles, that part is darker on the print, suggesting under-development. I use Paterson tanks and 300ml per film and have never had that problem - I'd possibly suspect the same as someone else suggested, that the spools might be slipping on the spindle when you invert and shifting upwards, so the top film is partly out of the liquid.

 

[MartinP]

I would guess that the effect seen in the first attachment was on the top 135 film, of two in the tank ? It does look as though there wasn't enough developer, OR possibly not enough stop bath was poured in then also not agitated (leaving the remnant developer to give a little 'extra' to the topmost part of the film in the tank).

The tank is a Paterson one, so on the bottom it does indeed say 290ml. Being lazy, I always use 300ml as it makes the arithmetic easier. Two times 300ml is 600ml, which is close to the capacity of the tank. If you overfill the tank it will reduce the effectiveness of agitation-by-inversion.

My agitation is three to start off, then one each thirty seconds. Sloshing the tank around rapidly may lead to the top leaking and/or the solution not fully going from one end to the other during the inversions - slow but steady can be more reliable. With water, do a slow inversion (all of the solution sitting in the funnel end) then turn it back the right way up and pull the top off to watch how long it really takes for 600ml of solution to disappear through the funnel . . . it isn't very quick, so inverting at a shorter time interval is not helpful.

Thousands or millions of people have had success with your setup so be assured, once the bugs are sorted out you will never look back 🙂

 

[crawdiddy]

-Christian

I have no technical comments to offer.

But I really like this shot! It's a shame about the bubbles.

 

[fidget]

Is it possible that the reels have moved up the central tube? My large Paterson System 4 tank can do this, the top reel can be moved up the tank if the agitation is too much. I think they come with a "C" sprung clip to help clamp the reels down.

The second picture seem to show a pettern near the sprocket holes. This shows a higher flow rate near the holes. This can be an indication of over agitation.

I too have cracked a tank when banging it down to dislodge air bubbles. Now i do a light tap and have no probs..

Dave..

 

[drewbarb]

Christian- I will agree with those who have pointed out that the bubbles are caused by not enough soup in the tank. The roll that shows the bubbles was on the top of the tank, yes? You can see the line through the middle of the frame where the liquid stopped, and above this is where you see the bubbles from foam caused by the agitation- with enough dev in the tank, this would be harmlessly above the film. Make sure you know how much liquid you need to fill the tank completely and never use less than this amount.

As for the dark marks along the bottom edge seen in the other shot, it could be a light leak, but I am inclined to suspect over-agitation. In your original post, you point out that you have tried agitating at every 30 seconds, but have reduced it to every minute and this seems to reduce the problem. I'd say you have diagnosed this problem correctly yourself. Does this darkening along the sprocket holes always appear along the edge of the film that is on the bottom of the tank? I suspect your tap at the end of each agitation cycle is too vigorous, and causes developer to swirl through the holes very rapidly, causing increased development there over the course of the entire dev cycle. Try a more gentle rap just to dislodge any air bubbles. It might be a good idea to try a more gentle agitation technique in general. Good luck!

 

[Chris101]

Both photos show typical signs of too little developer in the tank, and too much agitation. Agitate enough to move the developer liquid around in the tank, but not enough to churn it into suds. I typically do 4 inversions in 5 seconds, then bang the can (stainless steel) on a plastic tray I keep under it during development (to catch drips.) Use more than the recommended 290 mL, in fact do not use a half full tank when doing only one roll, use two reels and put your film on the bottom one when developing a single roll.