Beginner question

Shan · Feb 28, 2006

So tonight I developed my first two rolls of film. First I did a roll of 35mm and it turned out pretty good except one small strip along one side is under developed (I can crop the photos and save some of them). When I looked up why this might be, the answer I keep coming up with is that there wasn't enough developer in the tank to cover the film. I filled it up to the top.

My second roll was 120 film (harder than heck to put on plastic reels! ) I used the same amount of chemicals, filled to the top of the tank and it turned out fine.

Perhaps my film was exposed somewhere along the way? Are there other causes for this? I can see the whole picture that was taken it's just very light.

Thanks!

Marco Gilardetti · Feb 28, 2006

Your guess (insufficient developer) is already the best one, supposed you have agitated the tank as suggested by developer's directions.

If you doubt it AND the lighter side of the film faces the sprocket holes AND your 35mm camera has a vertical shutter, it might be that the two shutter curtains move at a different speed. In this case, the effect should be more visible at higher shutter speeds, and negligible at lower ones.

Nige · Feb 28, 2006

I have a scan of a film where I managed this... (35mm film worth of developer for a roll of 120!)

gnashings · Feb 28, 2006

You guys have to know this... I have yet to have a majour film disaster - or even aminor one...
Am I saying this to brag? N O !!! No no no...

I am saying it because I am SCARED... I know its around a corner, somewhere, with my name on it...

Threads like this remind me that I can run... but I can't hide...

Peter.

jeroldharter · Feb 28, 2006

Looks like that part of the film was touching another surface while processed.

Dnl · Feb 28, 2006

Weirdly enough, it could look like a shutter problem if you have a horizontal-travel shutter, but the blobs on the dark side make it look indeed like some of the film sticking to something.

pentaxuser · Feb 28, 2006

Without any mention of anything to the contrary, I'd assume that Shan used the same tank for both the 35mm and 120. If he filled the tank to the top on both occasions, as he say he did, then isn't insufficient developer the one cause we can eliminate?

Pentaxuser

titrisol · Feb 28, 2006

Assuming you filled the tank then 2 things could have happened:
- The film touched something? probably was incorrectly wound in the spiral?
- Was the spiral in the center post? was it secured?
It may have been dancing and floating?

gnashings · Feb 28, 2006

titrisol said:
Assuming you filled the tank then 2 things could have happened:
- The film touched something? probably was incorrectly wound in the spiral?
- Was the spiral in the center post? was it secured?
It may have been dancing and floating?

Thats a good point - sometimes the reels will "float" up the centre post. I am always very careful of that - but I know some people use a rigged clip or rubber band on the centre post to make sure the reel does not creep up the post during agitation.

Nige · Feb 28, 2006

I didn't word my reply earlier very well... what I meant was here is an example of not putting enough developer in the tank. Due to agitation, the bit out of the developer during the resting time (between agitation cycles) gets (under) developed inconsistantly. This was supposed to a reference for Shan to compare to. Re-reading everything posted, including the original post, I'm pretty sure the problem is not insufficient developer due to the tank being full. the reel floating in the tank should cause a problem either if the tank was full. I never put a 2nd reel in as some advise and have never had the reel move on the centre column (Paterson System 4 tank). I usually want my other reels dry to be able to process another film.

A scan of the problem negs would reveal a lot more info to try to make a suggestion to what has actually happened.

srs5694 · Feb 28, 2006

It's conceivable you wouldn't even know if the reel "migrated" up the column -- it could conceivably have "migrated" back down before you opened the tank, in which case you'd never know it had moved. Of course, this is just speculation; I can't say with certainty that it actually happened, and in truth it does seem a bit unlikely. Still, it's a possibility.

To avoid such happenings, I recommend putting a spare reel in above the one that's loaded with film. If you don't have enough reels to do this (as you suggest in your post), buy more. Even junky old used reels that are so worn out that they can't be loaded are perfectly good for this function.

Shan · Mar 1, 2006

Thanks for all your input. I did invert the tank so it is quite possible that my reel moved. I will use both reels (or get a spare) and double check my formulations for developer. It was just a test roll to figure this whole thing out so any lost photos aren't a great loss.

I'm really having fun learning this whole process.

fschifano · Mar 1, 2006

You don't really need a second reel in the tank. Set the reel onto the center core and secure it by wrapping a rubber band around the core a few times. The rubber band has no effect on the chemistry or your film. It's cheap. It works. You still have your extra reel dry and ready for the next roll of film.

Ben Taylor · Mar 1, 2006

fschifano said:
You don't really need a second reel in the tank. Set the reel onto the center core and secure it by wrapping a rubber band around the core a few times. The rubber band has no effect on the chemistry or your film. It's cheap. It works. You still have your extra reel dry and ready for the next roll of film.

I've used paterson reels with the rubber band trick in the past, it works a treat!. I foolishly stored the tank for months with the little plastic clip in place, which stretched it beyond use.

I also found I could get problems similar to what's described here if I miss wound the film so that it was touching in places. This would happen if the reel wasn't absolutely dry and clean before I used it.

It was partly these kind of problems that prompted me to move to stainless steel reels and tanks.

titrisol · Mar 1, 2006

That is the best trick to avoid that movement.
I bought some extra "clips" I found in a closeout once, but rubber bands work perfectly.

fschifano said:
You don't really need a second reel in the tank. Set the reel onto the center core and secure it by wrapping a rubber band around the core a few times. The rubber band has no effect on the chemistry or your film. It's cheap. It works. You still have your extra reel dry and ready for the next roll of film.

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