# Uniform scratch lines on negatives?



## Alex_Holland (Jun 5, 2011)

So I'm getting these scratch like lines on my negs straight out of the tank. I can see them as soon as I hang them up before I even squeegee. My dev. process is:

12 min of D67 
:30 of Kodak Stop Bath
5 min of Ilford Rapid Fix

20 min run under water. 

Just totally at a loss as to what these lines are from.


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## Tiberius47 (Jun 5, 2011)

it may be scratches caused in your camera.  If you have an old roll, you can sacrifice it to the film gods and run it through your camera.  Then just take it out and see if there are scratches on it.  You'll lose the film, yeah, but you'd know for sure if the scratches are happening in camera or during dev.


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## Paul Ron (Jun 5, 2011)

They can also be scratches caused while loading your developing tank reels. 

Clean th efilm gate buides n rollers with some denatured alcohol and examine them for smoothness, feeling em with a finger run over them to see if there are any nicks or bumps in em.

.


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## bogeyguy (Jun 5, 2011)

a particle in the casette?? Try anothe roll. If it perists look at the camera film travel surfaces.


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## compur (Jun 5, 2011)

If this is 120/220 film check the rollers and all other surfaces that the film passes
over in the camera for rough spots.

There is no need to squeegee film and it's a sure way to scratch it.


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## Alex_Holland (Jun 5, 2011)

It's not the camera guys, I assure you.

I think... it's my water. When I run the tap over the negatives on the reel I think the minerals in my water might be the cause. Bout to do another roll and find out. This time, no turning the negs in the water. Just going to let them sit.

I have always squugee'd. Keeps the water spots off of my negs and has never scratched them before.


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## compur (Jun 5, 2011)

Scratchy water ... 

Must be some big minerals.


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## Alex_Holland (Jun 5, 2011)

Hey! No joke, I'm in a total conundrum here. I tried my other tank and reel set. Still scratches. Tried 35mm film this time in the different tank, still got scratches. I have no idea what's going on here. Tomorrow I'm gonna run to the store and get new chemicals, start over on this.


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## Paul Ron (Jun 5, 2011)

You'd have to have gravel in the water to that kind of damage. 

BTW what brand film is it, and what size... 35mm cassete or 120? 

Do you bulk load 35mm? 

.


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## Derrel (Jun 5, 2011)

So, these are WHITE streaks on B&W negative film...meaning that the "scratches" are darker than the surrounding film areas, because a dark, almost-black spot on a negative leaves>>>>a WHITE spot on the resulting positive print.

How did this image we are looking at make it to the web in digitized form??? Is this a flatbed scan of a 120 rollfilm negative? Is this a dedicated film scanner image, reversed in PS? Is it possible that your film scanner's glass is dirty? Is this a flatbed scan made from a B&W print?

These short, white lines do NOT look like "scratches" at all. Not one bit. Scratches tend to be longer, and more-regular; like a scratch caused by a piece of grit wedged into the light trap lips of a reloadable film cartridge, or a scratch caused by a burr on the film gate, or some type of grit stuck to a roller,etc,etc. A scratch often goes a long,long ways, crossing many frames. I thought about this issue last night, and it made me wonder...we have WHITE defects, which means DARK streaks on the negative...dark = light activation of the sensitive silver in the emulsion...and then I wondered if you are getting small bits of light pollution from STATIC discharge in the darkroom. Are you cutting the tape at the end of the roll??? If you just grab it and rip the tape, you'll often see a fairly bright, green-hued static electricity flash. Are your clothes perhaps discharging static as you move your arms while loading the rolls with the film? Are you using plastic "easy-load" reels?

Any thought from other old-time darkroom workers?


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## Alex_Holland (Jun 5, 2011)

Derrel said:


> STATIC discharge in the darkroom. Are you cutting the tape at the end of the roll??? If you just grab it and rip the tape, you'll often see a fairly bright, green-hued static electricity flash. Are your clothes perhaps discharging static as you move your arms while loading the rolls with the film? Are you using plastic "easy-load" reels?


 
No giant green spark, but this is definitely something to think about. I do use plastic reels, the kinda that ratchet back and forth to pull the film on... should I switch to metal reels..?


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## compur (Jun 6, 2011)

Another thing to check if you are using chemistry in powder form 
is if the powder is completely dissolved before use and that you
are using the correct dilution (i.e., correct amount of water).


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