How do you agitate your Diafine?

[BetterSense]

I use a lot of Diafine and I've had a problem crop up recently where I have surge marks around the 35mm sprocket holes (although this has happened on some pretty overexposed negatives). I'm trying to figure out the best agitation routine for Diafine. I typically only agitate gently right after I pour the developer in, and then let it sit for the 3min. How do you do it, and have you ever had uneven development?

 

[vedmak]

can you post the scan of the negative? could be light leaks, could be not enough developer in the tank. Hard to say without looking at the neg.

 

[mathomas]

I do 10 seconds gentle inversions after filling, then again at 1m and 2m, with both A & B. I fix for 5 minutes (Ilford Rapidfix) with the same schedule. However, I did have a touch of bromide drag (I think that's what it is) on a few frames of one roll myself, but only noticeable in flat-toned sky areas. I'll be processing a lot of sky shots in the next couple days, so I may have more to say then.

 

[Michael W]

When I first used Diafine I followed the box instructions. Agitate first 5 seconds & then 5 seconds each minute. I noticed surge/bromide drag marks so tried more agitation. Agitating the first 15 seconds and then 5 seconds every 30 got rid of those marks. I've been doing it like this for years now, hundreds of rolls & no more marks.

 

[BetterSense]

OK, maybe I just need to agitate more. Basically the marks look like cloudy streaks running from the sprocket holes toward the center of the film strip, sometimes at a slight angle. Areas adjacent to a sprocket hole actually look to have less density than areas between sprocket holes.