First film developed - two problems

bobiscuit

bobiscuit

Messages
988
Edit My Images
Yes
Finally got my film developing kit today and had a first attempt with a 35mm roll I shot (nothing important on it!)

I made a stupid mistake - got my calculation wrong (don't ask me how :bonk:) and used 1:15 ratio on all chemicals instead of 1:9, but used the time for 1:9.

Another stupid mistake - After hanging up the film, I used some soft clean cotton wool to help dry it. Which was fine at first - but as soon as the film started drying, it became very sticky and sticky+cotton wool=:thumbsdown:
Also there are a couple of scratches - so I won't do that again!

And I have learned that I need at least three measuring jugs/containers - agitating with one hand while mixing the next chemical and getting the temperature right with the other does not work :LOL:

Anyway, surprisingly it appears that all of the pictures are clearly visible on the negative. But there are two problems. I took a photo with the film placed on white paper to show them (not got scanner yet):

DSC01861-Copy.jpg


First problem - what's up with the sprocket holes "leaking"?

Second - the top quarter seems to have some kind of odd light/dark wavy effect.

Any ideas what (else) I did wrong?




On the plus side - I found loading the film into the paterson reel easy. Was a bit worried it was gonna be tough after reading some horror stories! :)
 
Light has got at your film it might have been at any time How did you load your tank? In a dark bag? Might be light getting in your camera?
When wiping your film I used my fingers wet them and then make a squeeze with two fingers one wipe and that is.
 
Actually that reminded me. This was just a test film in a new (to me) camera, and I did slightly butcher the canister at one point to get the leader back out (pressed wrong button and camera rewinded it!)
So that's probably when it happened.

I didn't have a dark bag, but was in a completely dark room and did it under a towel. I could see nothing after a few minutes, so doubt the film got any light under the towel!

I'll just shoot another test roll and be more careful.

Hmmm 1:30am... Plenty of time, right? :LOL:
 
That effect on the top third is caused by insufficient developer or agitation while developing the film. Can also be caused by the film not being loaded onto the spiral correctly so that it touches and developer can't get to the affected area easily.
 
bobiscuit said:
And I have learned that I need at least three measuring jugs/containers - agitating with one hand while mixing the next chemical and getting the temperature right with the other does not work :lol






QUOTE]

i'm trying to work this bit out .why would you be mixing chemicals after having poured the developer into the pot ?

the fixer and stop can be used again ,,,so once you've got the developer at the right temperature ( and ratio ) the next two chemical bottles are there ready to be poured in after the dev,

and i dont touch the negatives at all when they come out of the pot ,,,just hang them up to dry in an as dust free place as possible ( i use a wetting agent as well )
Click to expand...
 
donutagain said:
i'm trying to work this bit out .why would you be mixing chemicals after having poured the developer into the pot ?

the fixer and stop can be used again ,,,so once you've got the developer at the right temperature ( and ratio ) the next two chemical bottles are there ready to be poured in after the dev,

and i dont touch the negatives at all when they come out of the pot ,,,just hang them up to dry in an as dust free place as possible ( i use a wetting agent as well )
Click to expand...

He'd just got his developing kit, so presumably it was a first time mix...

However, I always find it easier to prepare the chem's in advance, then place them in a waterbath a couple of degrees warmer than the desired process temp (say 21-22c for 20c processing) then go away to my darkroom and get the film onto the spiral and into the tank. By the time i've done this, all the chem's are pretty much at spot on temps, and I can just fire away.

Seconded on the not touching the negs after souping them... I hang them in the shower - give the shower 30 seconds on beforehand to pull any dust out of the air, then generally leave them hung overnight to dry, straighten out and firm up.
 
I once made a mistake of thinking my room was in total darkness when I developed my first film, I didn't make that mistake ever again! The most important thing to do is buy a decent changing bag if you haven't a totally blacked out room and be patient. Though it does look like a tiny bit of light must have entered the film canister when you butchered the canister.

The temperature of the developer is most critical, it obviously does help to have the others the same but a tiny variance won't really matter a massive amount. the big yin seems to have the idea. I always used my shower cubicle in my last house and i also just used my fingers to wipe the final wash off the film just make sure that they're fairly soft so they don't scratch your negs.

Practice makes perfect
 
After developer-stop-fix did you wash the film out for a few minutes by running water through it? Because if you don't your film will become sticky.
 
The black bits around the rebate is due to over agitation, be gentle and methodic 3 or 4 gentle turns (every minute or 30 secs depending on your developer) of the tank and then a couple of bangs on the side (to get rid of any air bubbles on the surface of the film) should do it.
Wetting agent in the final wash always worked for me, fingers are OK to run down the film but I found a 2 bladed squeezy worked really well (not the ones like hair crimpers, they were the best way to scratch your negs)
 
You need to make the final rinse a long one.

mix developer and fixer in separate jugs obviously, and at the correct temperature.
follow the guidelines as recommended for developing.
for stop I use water at room temp, constant flow for 5 mins at least.
then fix as recommended, I fix for 5 mins.
final rinse is 15 minutes at least, room temp water, constant flow.

hang the negs up attach a weight to the bottom and let them dry naturally, unless you have a drying cabinet.

you can use photoflow to cut down the final rinse time and the amount of water you use, you can also use a stop instead of water, whetting agent helps the negs to dry without streaks or water marks, I never bother with those but some peeps swear by them, though I have been using a bit of whetting agent just lately.

no I'm not on a water meter, I have a pond, a water bed, 3 square miles of york stone to jet wash and.....film...:LOL:
 
I think I probably did over-agitate. The developer came out very foamy, so I think I need to be more gentle.

Once I've finished, and taken the film out of the canister - is it ok to hang it up somewhere next to a bright light? Or would that affect it somehow?
 
Joxby, just something to consider.

I don't use stop either, but you don't need anywhere near 5 minutes of wash time between developer and fixer. Keep in mind that water doesn't actually "stop" the developer, it just slows it down and keeps the developer from getting into your fixer. If you're rinsing five minutes, you're allowing the film to continue slowly developing for that much time before fixing.

- CJ
 
joxby said:
for stop I use water at room temp, constant flow for 5 mins at least.
Click to expand...

That sounds a bit excessive. I just fill up the tank, invert it a few times and pour it out.

If it's the last time I am going to use the fix, I don't bother with the stop.

EDIT: Yes...... What the young lady above said!


Steve.
 
bobiscuit said:
I made a stupid mistake - got my calculation wrong (don't ask me how :bonk:) and used 1:15 ratio on all chemicals instead of 1:9, but used the time for 1:9.
Click to expand...

Just a small point. It's best to use the + sign instead of the : sign. i.e. 1+9 instead of 1:9.

I know that you know what you mean but the chemists amongst us think 1:9 means 1 part dev and 8 parts water to make up to 9 whereas the rest of us know its 1 part dev to 9 parts of water. 1+9 makes more sense as it's un-ambiguous and is the method the chemistry manufacturers use.


Steve.
 
I might have exaggerated a little @ 5 mins...:D
It depends which tank I'm using, my giant one take 5 mins to fill up..:LOL:
 
Go digi man, saves a lot of grief. I was a film man for 20 years. I have two top line enlargers as ornaments now, one cost me 800 notes. 12 enlarger lens, Two Durst auto developers.
 
Here's a quick tip if you loose the leader again, take an old strip of negatives, fold one end over about 1cm and feed into the canister about 10cm, then tighten the film using the roller on then of the canister and pull out the negative strip you've put in there, the leader should also come out with it. May take a bit of practice at first but I used to be able to do it every time in about 10 seconds flat ;)
 
It's a while since I shot film and did my own developing, but I always wound the film all the way back into the cassette. Avoided any confusion about exposed/unexposed films, and I didn't like pulling the film out through the light traps in case of dust and scratches. I normally used reloadable cassettes - don't know if you can still get them - but I just threw the other ones away.
 
MartynK said:
and I didn't like pulling the film out through the light traps in case of dust and scratches.
Click to expand...

The film has already passed through the slot twice in the camera. One more time isn't going to be a problem.

Another advantage of having the leader sticking out of the cassette is that you can trim the end and even start it in the reeel in the light so you can see what you are doing. Then go to the darkroom or changing bag to finish off the loading.


Steve.
 
bobiscuit said:
Now, Epson 4490 or £50 more for the V500 :help:
Click to expand...


I think for an extra £50, the v500, simply because its a newer model, I don't think there's much to choose between them spec wise, but I had some difficulties with the 4490 so I might be biased.
I would pick the 4990 over the V500 though, but that's going against the V700 really..:)
 
Steve Smith said:
The film has already passed through the slot twice in the camera. One more time isn't going to be a problem.

Another advantage of having the leader sticking out of the cassette is that you can trim the end and even start it in the reeel in the light so you can see what you are doing. Then go to the darkroom or changing bag to finish off the loading.


Steve.
Click to expand...

OK, but a lot of us just shoved the used cassettes into a pocket, and they could pick up more dust - avoiding another run through the light trap was common enough amongst people I knew then. I don't remember ever trimming the leader or having a problem starting it into the reel.
 
MartynK said:
OK, but a lot of us just shoved the used cassettes into a pocket, and they could pick up more dust - avoiding another run through the light trap was common enough amongst people I knew then. I don't remember ever trimming the leader or having a problem starting it into the reel.
Click to expand...

me too , just pull the top off with a bottle opener ,then lob the cassette
 
MartynK said:
OK, but a lot of us just shoved the used cassettes into a pocket, and they could pick up more dust - avoiding another run through the light trap was common enough amongst people I knew then. I don't remember ever trimming the leader or having a problem starting it into the reel.
Click to expand...

Fair enough but I have always done it that way and in thirty years I have not seen scratches caused by pulling the film through the cassette.

Steve.
 
I processed a second roll and it went far more smoothly! :)
I think I took the word "agitate" too literally the first time. All I did this time was invert the dev 4 times within 10 seconds every minute.

Epson 4490 should be arriving at weekend so I'll be able to see some results (y)


Now can someone please explain to me how I ended up with 4 film cameras before I even had the means to develop/scan/print? :thinking:

Far too addictive!
 
bobiscuit said:
Now can someone please explain to me how I ended up with 4 film cameras before I even had the means to develop/scan/print?
Click to expand...

The same way that myself and my father managed to acquire around thirty each in just over a year!


Steve.
 
Bob as regards to agitation,,,,i develope hp5 in id 11 ,,,inversions for the first 30 seconds ,,then a few taps to dislodge any air bubbles ,,,then three inversions at the end of each minute .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top