First time Tetenal e6 - something went wrong

Edit: changed title as something went wrong, see posts below

I'll be developing my first E6 soon, and before I do, I have some questions:
- the manual calls for agitation every 15 seconds. On youtube, I see mostly everyone is using agitation stick. For BW I always do inversions. Which one should I use? I assume using agitation stick should be easier (or the only way) to keep the temperature at 38 degrees.

- i bought a new tank specifically for E6, but now I noticed it requires 600ml for 2 films. Since I plan to mix 0.5l solutions I'll need to develop only one film at the time. Do the times for 1st and 2nd (and 3rd, 4th and 5th and 6th) film then stay the same? Or should I prolong the time with each development process?

- pre-wash, yaay or naay? The manual doesn't call for it, but youtube users do it.

- stabiliser in tank or outside of the tank? Taking film out of the reel before it's done seems strange. I understand it's bad for the reels, but soaking film without the reel sounds like a plan for non-uniform processing.

On a side note, I'm having trust issues with (the new) Patterson tank, specially without the black cover and agitation stick... is this thing really light tight!?

jernejk said:

On a side note, I'm having trust issues with (the new) Patterson tank, specially without the black cover and agitation stick... is this thing really light tight!?

Click to expand...

Yes it is light tight.
The black cover is there to keep liquid in, not light out.
It also keeps you from reaching in and accidentally loosening the light-tight lid.

jernejk said:

- the manual calls for agitation every 15 seconds. On youtube, I see mostly everyone is using agitation stick. For BW I always do inversions. Which one should I use? I assume using agitation stick should be easier (or the only way) to keep the temperature at 38 degrees.

Click to expand...

I have always used inversion and there never were any issues related to agitation. The trick with keeping temperature is simple: try to measure how many degrees you lose during the time the liquid stays in the tank, and enter the liquid at half the temperature difference above the recommended temperature.

jernejk said:

- i bought a new tank specifically for E6, but now I noticed it requires 600ml for 2 films. Since I plan to mix 0.5l solutions I'll need to develop only one film at the time. Do the times for 1st and 2nd (and 3rd, 4th and 5th and 6th) film then stay the same? Or should I prolong the time with each development process?

Click to expand...

You could try all kinds of stuff to make these tanks work, but let's face it: neither of them will be ideal. There are tanks out there which can handle two rolls of 135 format film with 450-500 ml, save yourself the trouble and get one of these.

jernejk said:

- pre-wash, yaay or naay? The manual doesn't call for it, but youtube users do it.

Click to expand...

There are all kinds of reasons stated for and against prewash, and I have got decent results with both methods. If you reuse your process liquids many times over, a prewash would dilute your first process liquid, whereas without prewash your first process liquid would just become less and less as you reuse it. I estimate about 10 ml of liquid carryover in a tank holding two 135 rolls, if you drain carefully, and certainly more if you rush it. Take your pick.

jernejk said:

- stabiliser in tank or outside of the tank? Taking film out of the reel before it's done seems strange. I understand it's bad for the reels, but soaking film without the reel sounds like a plan for non-uniform processing.

Click to expand...

I have used Tetenal's STAB for years, and never had a single issue with a reel gumming up or anything alike. I think these warnings against STAB in the tank come from older times where this may have led to issues. It doesn't any more, so don't worry about it.

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I failed :-( :-( :-(

I don't know at which step. Maybe at the very beginning, loading the film into the tank. Of all times, now, first time in 20 years!?
When I was done loading, I noticed a very dim light leak in the room when I usually do it, albeit at night, but today it was after sunset and I didn't notice there was some light coming in until it was too late.

Then during the development I had a short episode when the temperature of the water got too high, but I could use the other bucket and I thought that was ok. And where the film is developed it seems ok.

I'll post photos later... but damn...

On top, I picked a random film and turns out this one was really, really important to me.

Oh got this hurts. Irreversably lost. Oh no. Oh no no no.

OK, I am a bit calmed down as not all is lost.

Towards the end of the film, some images are fully or partially lost. I assume do to some kind of a light leak.
However, towards the beginning of the roll, photos get progressively better. Even on about 1/2 or 2/3 roll there are usable images. What's interesting is there are sprocket marks, as if there was a contact copy made.
However, the last few shots are completely black, I assume I changed the film mid roll (although not sure why I'd to that at this point in time, as we were mid-travel).

The only reasonable explanation seems to be that I opened the camera with the film still in. I don't remember doing it, and this was almost a year ago. Neither very dim leak in the darkroom or tank leak could explain the last unexposed part. Thoughts?

I recently had those weird sprocket hole marks too, it was a light leak caused by using the wrong tube that connects the reels in the tank. It was only slightly shorter but it did let enough light in to ruin half the top roll.

Hmm... I don't think a tank light leak could cause something like this. For start, the unexposed (black) part of the film was at the outside part of the reel. So light would have to leak in the middle of the reel only. That would be quite a defect, wouldn't it?

Fogging of film in the inner section of your reel could well happen if the spindle is too short or not in place at all, as suggested by noeru.

I did another batch today and it turned out fine, which further confirms my guess.

Another question though... I realised I probably should not have washed the film after stabiliser? I washed the first one, should I put it back into stab?

jernejk said:

Another question though... I realised I probably should not have washed the film after stabiliser? I washed the first one, should I put it back into stab?

Click to expand...

Yes, you should redo the STAB step. STAB contains a biocide which keeps bacteria and fungus out of your emulsion. You don't have to do this right away, but it should be dine within the next few months.

PS: glad you got the source of your light leak sorted out!