Odd lines on film using Diafine

[ndlshootsfilm]

Hello all,

Glad to see the site is still strong, been quite some time since I was a member

I'm hoping to obtain some info on a problem I have been having in regards to developing film in diafine. My initial thought is that I am getting uneven development, but after searching high and low on just about every forum online, I can find no examples of the problem that come close to mine. On my negs, I get long, wavy lines that seem to have no pattern or consistency, some frames have the lines while others on the same roll do not. I'm experiencing this problem with several different types of film and I see this happen regardless of what camera I'm using (holga, pinhole, hasselbad, yashica mat) The only consistancy is that all these films were developed in diafine.

I use stainless steel tanks and reels, all my chemistry is fresh and mixed with distilled water (including the diafine) My development method using other developers results in even development, so this leads me to believe the culprit is the diafine - what boggles my mind is these lines, I've never seen it before and can't seem to find anyone else who has this problem. I have attached a neg scan to show what these lines look like. The neg was developed in diafine. I have increased the contrast to better show the problem I am referring to. Any help would be deeply appreciated.

Mike

 

[fschifano]

I've never seen anything like that. It's very odd. You're not using an acid stop bath, correct? Normally, I do but never with Diafine. The manufacturer specifically recommends against it. Agitataion? It's possible that you're not agitating enough, but again, I've never seen bad agitation technique result in such an oddly regular looking pattern.

 

[ndlshootsfilm]

No acid stop bath, just water as per the instructions. I've tried less agitation, more agitation, and in between, yet it still shows up. One thought I had is that I've had this film x-rayed on a few trips, but only through security, never checked baggage. But it doesn't explain why the same batch of film souped in d-76 or hc 110 comes out fine.

 

[Anscojohn]

The fact that the lines are curved, and about the same radius makes me suspect the metal winding of the ss reel are somehow part of the problem: Too much agitation? Development cointinuing on in Bath two in the water rinse? Bath A being retained by the metal windings and being accelerated by Bath Two more than that in the emulsion between them? Or not.

 

[fschifano]

Now I'm thinking x-ray. You say several passes. One or two may not be a problem. After more than a few, who knows. The exposure is cumulative. The first few passes through may have brought the film to the threshold and the final pass did the visible damage. The pattern does resemble something that a scanner might do. It's only this film and of all the others you've developed none have gone through multiple x-ray exposures? Faster films are more sensitive to x-ray than slower films. Are the other films that passed through the same number of scans of the same speed? The other films that have passed through the scanner may also be exhibiting the same artifact, but to a lesser degree that you haven't noticed. Check them carefully on a lightbox with a loupe. You might see something there. Diafine is pretty good at boosting mid-range densities, in effect making the film more sensitive.

 

[waynecrider]

It's easy enough to replace the developer. The extra negative density causing the white lines could be a light problem. Your not developing in a room with fluorescent lighting are you? Those bulbs take a long time to die when turned off so you have to watch when loading the reels. Also, is the/a developer cap your using light proof for a daylight tank? I'm sure you know, but I'll say it anyways, no presoak and very light agitation. Also extend the developing time by a minute or two, especially in the first bath.

 

[drazak]

It sort of looks like a fingerprint to me, were you careful loading the SS reels not to touch the middle of the emulsion? It might just be a coincidence or a fact that the development was two bath that brought out the fingerprints in the film developed in diafine. Is it on every negative on the roll or just on a few?

Ben

 

[brianmquinn]

Can you post another photo, zoomed in on the edge of the apple where the skin meets a light colored line.
This may give us a better idea on what we are dealing with.
IE are there edge effects?

 

[ndlshootsfilm]

I'll post a few more photos in the morning. Just developed two rolls from the same batch of film in fa-1027 - no problems. Looked over some chromes that had been through airport security a few times as well, these lines dont show up there either. This has to be a problem with the diafine. I'm always careful when I load the reels, the lines do not show up on every frame, it seems to appear randomly. My tank is light tight, so is where i load the film. I've even tried a pre-wet just for kicks and it made no difference. I'll soup a roll this weekend and take notes. Thank you all for the replies so far.

Mike

 

[frotog]

I've seen stains like this before with film that's been souped in divided developers. I believe it results from residual 'A' solution continuing to act on the emulsion after 'A' is drained. Try speeding up your transition time between emptying solution 'A' and introducing solution 'B'. Oh yeah, what's your temp. on the developer solutions? Even though these developers are panthermic, this problem can be exacerbated by higher (above 70 degrees f.) developer temps due to increased activity making transition times even more critical.