Frustrated

[Shan]

But not ready to give up!

Anyway this is only my third roll of film I have developed. The 35mm film is what is giving me problems, the 120 film I developed turned out pretty good. I solved the problem with the first reel, but anyway this roll turned out really good except for a nice light purple streak through most of the film. About 7 frames inrandom locations are fine. Is the that the film could have been touching in the middle? Will this show badly when I print? Should I print? Is there any hope? I used the exact same chemical/temp formula's as my previous two rolls.

I know I'll get the hang of it one day, I'm just a little impatient I guess. I've had no formal training, I am learning this all on my own. I want to take a class and I will when the funds allow.

Any tips or info would be great!

Thanks!

 

[srs5694]

A purple streak sounds like it could be incomplete fixing. Try running the film through your fixer again, perhaps increasing the time. (If you've already cut the film into strips, do it with one strip and the fixer in a bowl or something like that, just to test it.) If this solves the problem, then in future you should increase your fixing time. The usual rule of thumb is to take a snip of your film (such as the leader that you cut off when loading the film onto the spool) and time how long it takes to clear. Double that time (triple for t-grain films) is the appropriate fixing time.

 

[Dracotype]

It would be nice if there were a few more specifics, like type of film, how you are doing your fixer (specifically, whether it is mixed fresh every time, or is reused every time), etc. Until then, I really can't offer any advice.

Drew

 

[Shan]

I use kodak kodafix mixed fresh each time 1:3 for five minutes.

 

[blackmelas]

I learned the same way, Shannon. But with the patience and knowledge of the people here at APUG and several good books I made progress quickly. Keep at it and good luck.
James

 

[Shan]

It worked! Thank you so much!
I left my book at work and didn't know what to do.

Thanks, I'm sure I'll have another brilliant question in a few day. Ha!

 

[Shan]

Thanks James! Aside from a few silly mistakes I am having a blast and kicking myself at the sametime for not trying this sooner!

 

[MMfoto]

Aside from the purple streak, do the frames look OK, or are they uneven and murkey looking? If the streak is the only problem then you should refix the film. In fact refix it either way so at least you will be a little closer to understanding what happened.

 

[MMfoto]

It looks like I type too slow. So did you figure out what happened?

 

[Shan]

Yes they look clear (defined) and even.

 

[Soeren]

Eh allow me a silly question Shannon. How much do you fill in the drum and how do you agitate when you fix ?
Søren

 

[Shan]

I fill it full (two reel tank) and I agitate by spinning the reel.

 

[Soeren]

I had some trouble once because my reel lifted on the spool when developing (agitating) the films. I saw i sitting on top of the spool in the tank and not in the bottom when finished so filling the tank is a good move. I don't agitate much when fixing only two or three times in all and I kip the tank since I don't trust the spinning to be adequate.
Cheers Søren

 

[dancqu]

I use kodak kodafix mixed fresh each
time 1:3 for five minutes.

That's using it one-shot. I and at least a few
others use film fix one-shot. One concern; you
are throwing unnecessarily a lot of good fix down
the drain.

Any one roll of 120 or any one roll of 35mm 36
exposure requires no more than 20ml or 2/3 ounce
of concentrate. Be sure solution volume is adequate
to cover. Agitate constantly the first minute then
a few inversions or spins each minute. Check for
clear after six minutes then give the film three
more. You may find by checking earlier that
less time is needed.

BTW, what is your one roll 120 and one roll
35mm solution volumes ? Dan