White spots like rain on negatives

[Derrel]

I this is the very first time I have ever heard of this type of film manufacturing defect or imperfection. The way ilford responded is indeed commendable.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

Firstly, you need to ensure you don't have any contamination. Wash the tank and reels extensively (I hate Patterson reels. The stainless ones work much better...) then, throw away your mixed chemistry and clean the bottles holding the chemicals very well. I am guessing it is an issue with the fixer. I say this because the spots are white, which means they are dark on your negatives. If the fixer isn't getting to the surface of the film, you will get these dark spots. PhotoFlo would not normally do this, but as Derrel mentioned, highly diluted- typically 1:200 is the norm for PhotoFlo. I used to put a cap of PhotoFlo per gallon of water- putting the PhotoFlo into the water and not the other way around. When you develop your film, rap the Patterson tank a few times onto the counter (gently) to ensure no bubbles. Do this with EACH chemical- developer, stop bath and fixer to ensure that there are no bubbles forming and that the proper chemistry is reaching your film. Not sure what the stirring thing that you are referring to is, but I would not recommend you use it. I would pour in the chemistry, rap the tank on your counter 3-4 times gently, then invert and turn with one full cycle (returning back to start position) per second for a total of 5 seconds every 30 seconds. Looking at this again, I still think fixer contamination and would guess it comes from the stirry thingy you mentioned. Let us know how this turns out, OK? And, as a little advice from someone who developed film for 40 years... invest in stainless steel tanks. They eliminate much of these issues and give you better flow of your chemistry throughout the tank itself, plus they clean MUCH better in your wash.

Cordially,

Mark

Hi Mark, thanks for the advices.
All the chemicals are fresh, i've do not reused for this development.
You mentioned "contamination", and this make me thing that i use a syringe to mix the small quantitys of chemicals, i wash it before i use in other chemical but maybe this isn't the best method, and now i can have all my chemicals contaminated.

The "stirring thing" is the Paterson stick to rotate the reel inside the tank.
Yes the spots on the negatives are black and i can see them on "naked eye".

Thank you for your time.

I would not use either the syringe or the stirring thing. You should actually invert your tank and rotate it at the same time, 1 second per inversion, which is a proper agitation technique for 5 seconds every 30 seconds. What you have described will give you some agitation, but not likely enough to develop the film correctly. If I were you, I would dump all of the chemistry, and really wash the chemical containers, reels, development tanks and anything else that you use that touches the chemistry thoroughly. Then, next time you develop, start by rapping the tank gently against the counter a few times, agitate the film properly use a water bath in between the developer and fixer (works as well as stop bath and does not introduce more chemicals into the process), then fill tank with fixer, rap gently but firmly to get rid of bubbles again, and ensure that the fixer is used for twice the amount of time it takes to clear the film. Again, the stainless tanks are MUCH better and I would recommend them.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

I this is the very first time I have ever heard of this type of film manufacturing defect or imperfection. The way ilford responded is indeed commendable.

Same here. I have, in 45 years of darkroom work, only seen one instance of defective materials and that was a batch of Polycontrast paper, and never film. The tolerances for making film are such that it would be amazing that it even got out the door. Still good of them to respond so well. I would still recommend you do a significant cleaning of all your darkroom developing equipment.

 

[Leal]

@Silversnapper

Thank you for your help.

@Pixeldawg1,

Thank you once agan for all the advices.
I will clean all my equipment and use fresh chemicals for the next developement and instead of the "stirring thing" i will invert the tank.
I think this a learning process, i will keep shooting and develop.

@Derrel / compur

Yes, great customer service.
I 've already forwarded the email to the shop where i bought the rolls, and asked them to verify if they have any roll with that serial number.

Thank you all for the help, tips and advices.
I will post here the result of my next development, without issues (i hope).

Thanks.
Ricardo

 

[Peter Fowler]

Remember Kodak having the film number show on the negative ? I had a few rolls replaced for free , tri-x 400 . Peter

 

[asillett]

@Pixeldawg1

Thanks for your suggestions in this thread. I have had similar problems and am still searching for a solution.

This is my process:

Pattison plastic tank using Hewes steel spirals.


I have cleaned the tank before use.


I heat the tank using hot water from the tap. This may cause the emulsion to crack.


I use fresh Tetenal C41 kit chemicals (latest was 2nd batch, 3rd and 4th films).


I will try a rinse after the CD stage.


I suspect the Blix is the issue with the marks but I cannot see bits of silver in it.


I will ensure I tap the tank during the Blix processing phase to dislodge any air bubbles (thought this was not necessary).


I rinse using filtered water for 3mins, then leave the films in deionised water for a at least a minute.


I will try adding Mirasol wetting agent to the stabiliser and not touching the negatives with my fingers, or using a squeegee.


To avoid dust I dry hanging them on a drysoon clothes dryer after cutting the negs into strips.

Here is the problem I'm having:

streaks2

streaks-2

White marks on film

Remember Kodak having the film number show on the negative ? I had a few rolls replaced for free , tri-x 400 . Peter

 

[cliffie]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to film photography and i'm trying to develop my film at home but without good results.
Every time i develop a roll of film i end up with white spots all over the photo.

I've attached an example of my last developement.

Developed a roll of 120 Ilford Delta 100 on a Paterson tank with the turning stick, Ilford DD-X 1:4, 20 ºC 12min | Ilford Stop Bath 1min | Ilford Rapid Fixer 7min | tap water for the final rinse and Kodak photo-flo at the end.

Can anyone give me some ideas on what this can be?

Thanks in advance.

Hi i have the same problem i developed 2 rolls Delta 100 120 in the same tank developed in Pyrocat HD for 14min stopped with tap water fixed with an alkaline fixer one roll is perfect and the other the same showing white blotches on the photos

 

[Silversnapper]

Hi i have the same problem i developed 2 rolls Delta 100 120 in the same tank developed in Pyrocat HD for 14min stopped with tap water fixed with an alkaline fixer one roll is perfect and the other the same showing white blotches on the photos

See my post #7 Contact Ilford on their website here mailto:technical@harmantechnology.com They will need the information from the box the roll was in and any edge numbers on the film itself. Get in touch with them even if you don't have this information to hand. Myself, frends and other photographers have had exemplary service from them but it may take a few days for a response, be patient.