Black specks in developer after developing film

[What About Bob]

@What About Bob, I was wondering, could the problem be related to the 120 film/backing paper tape?

Do you tear the film from the backing paper or cut the film leaving the tape attached to the backing paper?

Or am I barking up the wrong tree???

For as long as I can remember I have always torn the backing off when I get to the end. The film end part shows a fractional inch of the tape that is at the end but it has no stickiness beyond the film end.

 

[What About Bob]

If you're using a black plastic tank, check for abrasion marks around the inside of the tank, lid, and center column. Maybe something is rubbing and abrading the plastic somewhere.

Interesting thing is I recently bought an AP compact tank but I haven't used it yet. I have always been a stainless steel user. I have never used a plastic tank and reel before. Kind of wish I had a junked roll of film to test it out with but I don't. Don't want to waste a roll either just for that purpose. I will just have to take it slow.

When I start to use the AP tank I will keep aware for the things that you have mentioned. I'm taking it that plastic tanks can show signs of scuffing over time?

 

[What About Bob]

On the film backing there is a full width tape strip that is about 1/2 an inch, just like on the end of the film.

 

[drpsilver]

07 Jan 2024

What About Bob:

I would suggest Photographer's Formulary for photo chemicals. They are located in Montana and also cater to B&W photography and Alternate Processes chemistry. Their selection of chemistry is vast, and one can purchase in wide variety of quantities.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[What About Bob]

07 Jan 2024

What About Bob:

I would suggest Photographer's Formulary for photo chemicals. They are located in Montana and also cater to B&W photography and Alternate Processes chemistry. Their selection of chemistry is vast, and one can purchase in wide variety of quantities.

Regards,
Darwin

I tried to order from them not too long ago for two items and the shipping charge was extraordinarily high. It was so much that I had to cancel the order and order from Freestyle instead. I don't recall shipping charges being as high four years ago when I did order from them.

 

[What About Bob]

I did contact sheets and two prints tonight from the Kentmere negatives, one print from the 50 speed negative and the other from the 100 speed negative, and I must say the two prints and contact sheet previews look really good. The shadow details are very nice at 50 speed. At 100 speed the shadows are still good. It is a very close call on this one, almost indistinguishable from the FP4 plus prints that I have made..

I was reading that the grain was slightly more evident with Kentmere. To my eyes the grain from both Kentmere and FP4 plus look identical to me. Grain looks very tight and muted. In my own tests I feel that these two films are definitely good together. Now I am going to have to put a roll of Kentmere through Rodinal to check out its grain. I was using Rodinal before D23. Four years ago I was using Pyrocat-HD and Rodinal. Each developer has its place. D23 has caught my attention.

 

[What About Bob]

To add: What ever those black flecks were they didn't do anything negative to the film.

That clear tiny section I mentioned that was on the flower pot looks like something that might have been on the flower part. I will go back to the greenhouse and check back with the pot.

The Pan F plus results were half and half. I was all over the place and forgot to set the camera correctly on some of the shots. I guess falling into that snow bank did something to me.

The last two frames on the Pan F roll I did a handheld time exposure of 1/4 of a second at F:8. It actually didn't look too bad when I viewed the frame through a magnifier. There was some sharpness there. I will do up more prints later on.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

As they say there is always a first time for everything. This is what I witnessed while pouring my developer back into its graduate after developing. Anybody have an idea what those black specks are all about?

I mixed up some D23 four days ago. The D23 looked fine before it entered the tank. I shot a roll of Kentmere 100 in 120 format for the first time today. The film is now being hung to dry. I will not know if the specks could have done any harm. The exposures look good, at least.

There wasn't an entry at the MDC for Kentmere using D23 so I used the D76 times, like I did in the last session with the FP4 plus, and gave a 9 minute developing time instead of 11.5 because I exposed Kentmere at 50.

I suspect, it's silver!

 

[Sharktooth]

Interesting thing is I recently bought an AP compact tank but I haven't used it yet. I have always been a stainless steel user. I have never used a plastic tank and reel before. Kind of wish I had a junked roll of film to test it out with but I don't. Don't want to waste a roll either just for that purpose. I will just have to take it slow.

When I start to use the AP tank I will keep aware for the things that you have mentioned. I'm taking it that plastic tanks can show signs of scuffing over time?

No, I wasn't implying that plastic tanks have scuffing issues, it's just that there seems to be no other obvious explanation. When the usual explanations don't apply, then start looking at the unusual. If your film looks good, it seems to indicate the film and processing chemicals are O.K., so something weird is definitely going on.

Some stainless steel tanks have a black plastic light baffle on the underside of the lid. Maybe something is deteriorating there. If your tank lid has one of those plastic baffles, then try pouring some water through the lid into a jar, and see if there are any black specs.

 

[MattKing]

That clear tiny section I mentioned that was on the flower pot looks like something that might have been on the flower part. I will go back to the greenhouse and check back with the pot.

In my area, this sort of thing usually results from high flying eagles or hawks .

 

[What About Bob]

No, I wasn't implying that plastic tanks have scuffing issues, it's just that there seems to be no other obvious explanation. When the usual explanations don't apply, then start looking at the unusual. If your film looks good, it seems to indicate the film and processing chemicals are O.K., so something weird is definitely going on.

Some stainless steel tanks have a black plastic light baffle on the underside of the lid. Maybe something is deteriorating there. If your tank lid has one of those plastic baffles, then try pouring some water through the lid into a jar, and see if there are any black specs.

Yeah it's a plastic/rubber material, connected by 5 nubbies under the lid. I ran some water through the lid and into a graduate. I did this many times and at different temperatures and the water came back clear. I also did a 5 minute fake processing run with agitation and then a dump into a graduate. Water came back clear. I did this three times.

 

[What About Bob]

In my area, this sort of thing usually results from high flying eagles or hawks .

Best time during the hot summer when the tourists come by the greenhouse, lol.

 

[Sharktooth]

Yeah it's a plastic/rubber material, connected by 5 nubbies under the lid. I ran some water through the lid and into a graduate. I did this many times and at different temperatures and the water came back clear. I also did a 5 minute fake processing run with agitation and then a dump into a graduate. Water came back clear. I did this three times.

It's a real head-scratcher, this one. I've go no other ideas at the moment.

 

[What About Bob]

It's a real head-scratcher, this one. I've go no other ideas at the moment.

I keep going back to the chemistry but I didn't get the specks on the very first developing run. I'm using distilled water and I can't see that causing any issues.

Some time soon I might be lessening my use of distilled water because it looks like I have almost bought out the store where I get it from. I don't know when they will be getting more of it.

I walk to where I need to go and Walmart might be a cheaper alternative to get the stuff but it is some miles out of the way to be walking and carrying jugs. I am currently paying close to $3 per jug of the stuff where I am getting it now. I am thinking of resorting to either boiling the water or using some kind of filtering system. I will research more into this one. I am not sure if I would trust direct tap water where I live. Appears to be slightly more on the alkaline side and is milky at times. Even when I was a kid I remember people used to make jokes about the local water supply.

 

[koraks]

I suspect, it's silver!

It's conceivable. Silver tends to clump, too, and maybe in a solvent developer like D23 this sort of thing is exacerbated.

I've suggested close examination of the particles before, in order to trace the issue, and I stand by that suggestion.

 

[What About Bob]

It's conceivable. Silver tends to clump, too, and maybe in a solvent developer like D23 this sort of thing is exacerbated.

I've suggested close examination of the particles before, in order to trace the issue, and I stand by that suggestion.

I will be mixing up more D23 soon. I want to get back to shooting something. When I get the specks again I will try to strain them out and let them dry. I didn't think of this before because I wasn't sure how to go about testing.