Blank film on processing

[wilfbiffherb]

ive just done my first ever try at c41 developing. ive pulled the negative of the spiral and its totally blank. see through with not a thing on it. do you think this is a chemical problem or maybe the film was exposed too much before development? i ended up loading the film onto the spiral in an almost dark room but it took about 7 minutes to do it-do you think this just mega exposed my film?

 

[hpulley]

Nothing even on the margins, no product or frame numbers? Why didn't you use a changing bag?

 

[mopar_guy]

Completely blank sounds like fixed before developed. (Processing error).

 

[bdial]

If you can see through it, and it's blank especially the edge markings too, you have a processing error. If can't see through it, then you likely fogged it.
Either way, an "almost" dark room isn't good enough.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Is the film clear with no color or is it orange in color?

PE

 

[wilfbiffherb]

its absolutely clear. no markings or images of any kind. ill be using my bag next time for sure! im pretty sure i followed all the processing instructions though. i prewashed, developed, bleached, fixed then stabilised and left to dry

 

[Ian Grant]

If it's absolutely clear it sounds as if it was a B&W film

Ian

 

[Ronald Moravec]

I have never herd of prewashing C41. It is bad practice even with B&W film as it slows absorbtion of developer. Considering it is a short developing time, your longer absorbtion shortened the time in developer by a considerable percentage.

Other possibabilities are bad developer or wrong chemical order, ie fixed first.

But get rid of prewash unless the direction call for it.

 

[wilfbiffherb]

it is black and white film but its c41 process. in the instructions with the chemicals it said to do a prewash but maybe next time ill just skip it out and see how it goes. hoping to do it this afternoon if i can get out and reshoot my last roll. nightmare.

 

[Ian Grant]

Drop the film leader (assuming it's 35mm) into the developer first and see if it develops, in daylight will be fine. Colour developers do go off and collapse so it's worth running a check first.

Ian

 

[wilfbiffherb]

its 120mm. i may trim a bit off and drop it in, see if it does anything. its brand new chemicals so id like to think it would work!

 

[pentaxuser]

If it is completely clear then your darkroom is "safe". I wouldn't rely on skipping a pre-wash as a solution while simply doing the same things over again. It is more fundamental than that.

Try Ian Grant's suggestion. There is a fundamental chemical or process problem here.

pentaxuser

 

[wilfbiffherb]

i guess ill just have to see how the next roll turns out. ive definitely mixed the chemicals ok and definitely put them in the right order. hmmmm. not a clue-ill just try again and see what happens

 

[Photo Engineer]

If the film is totally clear with no orange color, then it was B&W in a color process. This is what you get!

As for a prewet, this is a very good practice with color in order that the temperature can be gotten up to the operational value of 100F. There was a long thread here about this and one person went to the trouble of proving that it works and that it helps!

Robert, you may want to check out that thread.

PE

 

[mopar_guy]

Is it possible that you Pre-washed with Fixer?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Guys;

He says it is "clear", but has not told us if it is colorless. If it is colorless, it does not matter. It is either B&W film or maybe the Ilford B&W XP-2, a C-41 processed product. If it is B&W film, then it willl be clear and colorless.

If it is XP-2 we can work from there.

PE

 

[wilfbiffherb]

sorry for wasting your times everyone but ive done a cosmic error and tried processing ilford hp5+. well, im an idiot!!! really sorry but thatnks for all the help. ive since processed some kodak portra 160vc and its come out fine. thanks again.

 

[Removed Account2]

Thats OK buddy! You have the guts to come forward and acknowledge your error, taking this out of the internet-myth realm! That takes COURAGE and I applaud you.

Some of us have done worse than that, far worse, and lack the guts to come clean. Keep on going don't look back, jot it down as EXPERIENCE!!


However, I'm still interested : did the film come out totally blank when processed in C41 chemicals? not even the little letters stating it was HP5+ and the frame numbers?
I'm asking because I like to play around with all kinds of film/developer combinations.

Erik

 

[wilfbiffherb]

yeah totally blank, not a mark on it. i cannot recommend this process haha! the roll of negative film i did yesterday came out top notch though so im chuffed so easy to process at home i dont know why everyone doesnt do it!!!!

 

[Photo Engineer]

B&W film through any color process will come out totally blank! Nothing! Nada!

The bleach and fix, or blix is intended to remove all silver!

PE

 

[Removed Account2]

<hitting my forehead> finally a SENSIBLE guy set things straight here!
muttering-unto-oneself.....who in **** would knowingly develop B/W in expensive color chemistry anayway......

well this was fun!

 

[Cromlech]

Color at home?!
Sounds like a dream!

 

[Removed Account2]

I did that back in the 1970's, both color reversal (slides) and negative. Worked like a charm back then already, but was expensive still, and getting those negatives printed was a workload.....

Today with scanners that step is eliminated, I'll start mixing my own chemistry, since I don't have to meet some print house's standards, scanning and photoshopping allows anyone to twaek & correct colors just as they want.