Failed negatives. What happened?

[cerber0s]

Harder to explain the repeated fog pattern from the M3 back door. Repeat pattern easy to explain if that is how the film stacked up on the spool inside the cassette - light penetrated the layers of film on one side. But difficult to explain how first two frames were not affected!!!

Edit - they are not the first two frames - looked at the frame numbers more closely with my reading glasses on! It would be helpful if the strips were in order and all same side up so as not to be backwards. One should be able to read the numbers correctly.

A possible solution is to just take more blanks at the beginning wasting a bit of film, maybe close to a foot!

Yeah, sorry about that. I should have paid more attention when I snapped that photo.

I bit the bullet and ordered another bulk loader, I’m not about to risk 100ft of HP5+. If the HP5 comes out clean using the same camera and the same cassettes I’ll know it’s the old bulk loader that’s faulty. Almost anyway, I won’t know if it’s a problem with the loader, or if something happened when I put the film in it.

Since the fogging is quite strong, but limited to smaller patches, and considering I’m now at the very last of the film; I’d say that it probably didn’t happened as I put the film in the loader.

 

[Don_ih]

I think the overlap of fog here rules out the bulk loader. These two patterns are identical, so both fogged at the same time (darker on top of fainter), not spaced far enough for in the bulk loader, so while spooled in a cassette or in the film back. Looks like in the cassette, since 14A was taken before 16A.

 

[cerber0s]

I think the overlap of fog here rules out the bulk loader. These two patterns are identical, so both fogged at the same time (darker on top of fainter), not spaced far enough for in the bulk loader, so while spooled in a cassette or in the film back. Looks like in the cassette, since 14A was taken before 16A.

View attachment 348822

You’re right. Everyone who guessed cassette is right. I shone a light into the cassette with the spool out, there is a very noticeable hole at the bottom where they felt isn’t properly attached.

I then did the same thing with the other four cassettes, they all have the same defect. It must be a bad batch, I only ordered them a few weeks ago, and I’ve only used two this far. Back to using the old ones that I’ve had for 15 years.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions, I appreciate it!

 

[Don_ih]

all have the same defect

That's really unfortunate - and maybe something for other people to watch out for. If you got them, others did, too.

 

[Huub]

Glad you found the issue and i hope it doesn't happen again, using new cassettes.