35mm film development density line error

Tom Kershaw

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Although I've not developed a huge amount of 35mm film recently, as I'm predominantly a medium format user, I haven't come across the following film development fault before:



This line continues for approximately two strips (12 exposures) and then starts to fade away. I've not yet printed the negatives, but I suspect this line will be visible. A possible light leak through the felt entrance of the canister?...

Film: ILFORD Delta 400 (June 2007 use by date)
Developed in Pyrocat-HD 1+1+100, 10 minutes @ 26ºC with a Jobo ATL-2300.

The film batch code is: '96BTH1C01/03'

Tom.
 
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Ian Grant

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I've only seen this once, back in the 70's with FP4 and it was caused by dirt in the light trap, it will print, I think it causes stress to the emulsion, it's not a light leak. The dirt eventually dislodges and the line stops.

Ian
 

kozesluk

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looks like it is not a line in the emulsion but a line on the film surface actually.

are you sure it is not a water scale mark or any wetting agent residue? I've got something simillar recently and it was caused by a hard water wash...
 

gainer

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Anything that causes pressure on the film will cause the points of pressure to develop just as if light-struck. This effect was used in bygone days in the Kodak Autographic cameras. A bit of grit between film and pressure plate will cause such pressure marks. A nick in the plate will also, but one would expect that to be continuous.
 

Ian Grant

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I had lines on a roll of Fomapan 200 a few weeks ago on that occasion it was a manufacturing fault, but thes lines are exactly waht you get from grit.

gainer said:
This effect was used in bygone days in the Kodak Autographic cameras.
Click to expand...

Actually that's not correct, I assumed that too in a post a few weeks ago and someone posted a link which showed clearly that the camera's needed the dedicated Autographic film with it's unique backing paper. I think may still be a weak stress related image from the stylus with conventional film.

Ian
 

Kirk Keyes

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Autographic - I'd never heard of them. Eastman/Kodak paid $300,000 (1914 dollars at that) for the system according to the wiki page. I bet Kodak lost a bit of money over that deal...
 

Ian Grant

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Kirk Keyes said:
Autographic - I'd never heard of them. Eastman/Kodak paid $300,000 (1914 dollars at that) for the system according to the wiki page. I bet Kodak lost a bit of money over that deal...
Click to expand...

Don't be so sure Kirk, the Autographics were sold world-wide, remember that in the UK Camera Bellows, in Birmingham mad over a million sets of bellows for Kodak consumer cameras. Kodak made cameras in the US, Canada, the UK & Germany pre WWII, they also had a factory in Australia but I don't know what that made.

So when you realise the sheer volume of Kodak cameras and the associated films $300,000 pales into insignificance. I have a very nice Autographic camera, and it would appear looking at some of my fathers pre-WWII photographs he used one at some stage.

Ian
 

Mark Layne

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Ian Grant said:
I've only seen this once, back in the 70's with FP4 and it was caused by dirt in the light trap, it will print, I think it causes stress to the emulsion, it's not a light leak. The dirt eventually dislodges and the line stops.

Ian
Click to expand...
Oddly enough I bought several bricks of Orwopan from J&C a few years ago.
One brick had this line on many of the rolls in almost the same location. The scratch was easily seen on the leader and must have occured before the cassettes were loaded from the master roll.
If the image is important painting the entire surface with Edwal No Scratch might help

Mark
 

Ian Grant

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No scratch remover can remove the OP's scratch as it's stressed emulsion, but sure scratches on the film-base can be lessened or hiddened with care.

Ian
 

gainer

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Actually, any paper backing should have done for the common film of the day which could be developed under red light. There is a window in the back, as Ian knows, that can be opened so that a message can be written by pressure from a furnished stylus through the backing paper.

The OP's problem could also be from grit in the cartridge lip.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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If the dark streak was caused by grit I would expect there would be a scratch or indentation along the streak.

I take it the streak is developed silver in the emulsion, and does not reside in the base or anti-halation backing. Sometimes dye particles used to color plastics don't dissolve completely and leave trails as the plastic is extruded.
 
OP
OP

Tom Kershaw

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Nicholas,

The doesn't appear to be a scratch or indentation. On closer inspection, the strip looks like an area of significantly reduced density, or less emulsion.

Tom.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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Tom Kershaw said:
On closer inspection, the strip looks like an area of significantly reduced density, or less emulsion.
Click to expand...

It might have been caused by a bit of crud getting caught in the coating blade when the emulsion was being applied.
 
OP
OP

Tom Kershaw

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Two rolls of Delta 100 processed on Saturday also show these apparent stress marks, both in Paterson Super System 4 tanks, one roll in FX-37 1+3, and the other Pyrocat-HD 1+1+100. Interestingly one of these rolls also shows a wave pattern of similar type in the film designation area. Perhaps double checking for grit in the film take-up spool mechanism is in order.

Tom
 
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