Dark specks on negs

[Tori8x10]

First, let me admit to this being part of a double posting (LF forums), mea culpa! I need as much help as I can get with this so I didn't want to have to limit my resource pool.

I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out what may be causing these and what I might do to get rid of them. There is a sort of gritty feeling to the emulsion side and the specks can be scratched off with a fingernail. Sacrilege, I know!

HP5 8x10 film, exposed 2 years ago, processed yesterday o ) with Rollo Pyro in a Jobo drum. 2, 20 second pre-washes with filtered water, developer mixed with distilled water, 2, 30 second filtered water stop baths, 6 minutes with non hardening rapid fix and then 20 minute wash with filtered water and a final rinse with distilled water.

I should mention that the A & B solutions are about 1 1/2 years old and had been in storage most of that time. Also,the solution B is a half full bottle with about a 1/4 inch of sediment at the bottom, which I shook up before adding with solution A and the distilled water. This is likely the problem but even B&S hadn't heard of this one yet. Their suggestion to remove the specks was to try washing again in a solution of distilled water and sodium sulfate, which I tried but it did nothing.

I have ordered new chemicals to see if that is the problem but would love to hear some other ideas and any thoughts on how to get rid of the dark specks.

Thanks, Tori

 

[Trevor Crone]

Tori, I take it its not the emulsion coming off? Just some kind of chemical deposit? From what you have said about the age of the developer and the sedimentation, that it is indeed a chemical deposit partially embedded in the emulsion. I suspect fresh chemistry will solve this problem, let's hope so.

I've not used Rollo pyro so don't know what its keeping qualities are. I use PMK pyro which I mix from formula and that seems to be fine even after a couple years storage.