Oh, I really did it this time...

I happened to open up a developing canister AND IT WAS LOADED!

I have no memory of loading this and it could have been done at any time since March. It was in my dimly lit basement so only the outer layer or 2 would be damaged. It contained 3 120 reels and I may have double loaded one or more, so there will be from 3 to 6 rolls of film, most likely Fp4 or Hp5+. But then again, there is a chance it is some Delta 100 or 400 I had laying around, but probably not Tmax. I'll use D-76 and the times for Hp5 and Fp4 at full strength are a minute apart, at 1+1 they are 2 minutes apart.

Split the difference?

Or try stand development? I've never done this, but there is no hurry so I have time to read up on it.

I'd go full strength D76 and split the difference and go for it. It's not that much of a difference.

I see no real advantage of stand development; keep it simple...

Hmmmm. What kind of canister and how dim was the room? Offhand I'd say ur screwed no matter what -- remember, film is exposed in the camera in a 1/60th of a second -- , but nothing to lose by trying. I'd develop for the longer time in 1:1 and call it good -- it wouldn't be that much of a push in any event, well within the margin of error introduced by pouring and so forth and so on.

My sympathies. This has prompted a question in my mind. Once a tank has been loaded then short of taking the top off in total darkness, is there any easier way to tell if there is film in it - by a shake for instance and listening for a different sound, assuming a film in a reel makes any sound through movement? Yes, this is clutching at straws I know. You could possibly weigh an empty tank on very accurate scales(nearest gramme accuracy) and then again with film and note in big letters the difference in weight. It means testing each time in case you can't remember loading but on the other hand it might be simpler and as quick to open the lid in darkness

Doesn't help pbromaghin, I know, on this occasion but it might be worth asking the question for the future.

pentaxuser

pentaxuser said:

is there any easier way to tell if there is film in it - by a shake for instance and listening for a different sound

Click to expand...

I just tried that, didn't really work for me, my film doesn't move enough to make much of a sound in the reels
What I would propose for the future is to tape the lid just like people would tape motion picture magazines that have "live" film in them, but maybe not that much.
Just one short piece of black tape over the lid, you put it there as soon as you've loaded your film and you are sure that film is in there even later on.
Once you start to develop, you just remove that short piece and go ahead. It also helps to attach some paper that mentions which film it is.
Don't want to put B&W in C-41 chemicals for example

Funny that you should bring it up. I always put a piece of masking tape crossing from the lid to the body with the film written on it. Except this time.

I should add that the reason I am considering stand development is because there's a chance it might be one of the Delta films, which have much longer development times. It's my impression that stand development is pretty much the same for all films, is that correct?

One of those Oh $#!+! moments.

For 120, If I'm not going to be developing it immediately, I rip off the part of the backing paper that indicates which film it is and tape it to the tank with some masking tape.
For 35mm, I don't load the tank unless I'm going to develop it right away.

In total darkness remove all but one reel. Develop as normal and perhaps it will shock your memory about the other two reels. A two stop difference with those films will still give printable negatives. I would in the future only reel film you are going to develop at the time. I'm not sure of the effect of having the film exposed to air by the separation on the reel has on the film but some form of oxidation might be worse than by slight over or under development might have. What's done is done .... good luck just the same.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

pbromaghin said:

I happened to open up a developing canister AND IT WAS LOADED!

I have no memory of loading this and it could have been done at any time since March. It was in my dimly lit basement so only the outer layer or 2 would be damaged. It contained 3 120 reels and I may have double loaded one or more, so there will be from 3 to 6 rolls of film, most likely Fp4 or Hp5+. But then again, there is a chance it is some Delta 100 or 400 I had laying around, but probably not Tmax. I'll use D-76 and the times for Hp5 and Fp4 at full strength are a minute apart, at 1+1 they are 2 minutes apart.

Split the difference?

Or try stand development? I've never done this, but there is no hurry so I have time to read up on it.

Click to expand...

Assuming it's all the same type of film, you could try a snip test--snip about a frame or two's length from a reel, then tray develop the sample for your best guess of what film is. You'll probably lose a frame, but I think you should be able to see the edge markings.

I store my tanks with the lid on top, but not fastened. Loose lid, no film. It is rare that I load film and not process it immediately - it gives me something to do while the solution temperatures stabilize. Otherwise I label things - my memory was never that reliable, and time is doing nothing to improve it!

Develop the film one reel at a time, from most to least exposed. The first reel is likely ruined, but it may tell you the film type and how bad the fogging is. Then re-evaluate.

Immediately after I load one of my Nikor tanks I use a #84 rubber band to seal the joint between the lid and the can, so I can always tell by sight or feel if a tank is loaded. Other simplifications: (1) I always develop one roll of 120 at a time in a two-reel tank, with an empty reel in the top position to reduce pistoning, and (2) for the last many years I've used only TMY-2 so I never have to worry about what film is inside. If I used multiple film brands or types I'd follow Matt's lead and use a piece of the backing paper as a reminder. I use the same drill when processing 35mm - one loaded reel in a two-reel tank, empty reel on top, and a rubber band, with a post-it note reminder on the fill cap.

I put my exposed film sealed in a ZipLok bag in the refrigerator until I get to it.

pbromaghin said:

I always put a piece of masking tape crossing from the lid to the body with the film written on it. Except this time.

Click to expand...

Murphy's Law of course applies to darkroom work too.

Sirius Glass said:

I put my exposed film sealed in a ZipLok bag in the refrigerator until I get to it.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it seems that loading a roll onto a developing reel and then waiting to process is asking for mistakes to happen. I suppose I could spool a roll and then get called away, but usually I put my chemicals in the refrigerator too cool down to 68f (usually takes at least 30 minutes) then start loading the film onto reels.

pentaxuser said:

My sympathies. This has prompted a question in my mind. Once a tank has been loaded then short of taking the top off in total darkness, is there any easier way to tell if there is film in it - by a shake for instance and listening for a different sound, assuming a film in a reel makes any sound through movement? Yes, this is clutching at straws I know. You could possibly weigh an empty tank on very accurate scales(nearest gramme accuracy) and then again with film and note in big letters the difference in weight. It means testing each time in case you can't remember loading but on the other hand it might be simpler and as quick to open the lid in darkness

Doesn't help pbromaghin, I know, on this occasion but it might be worth asking the question for the future.

pentaxuser

Click to expand...

My memory can be just as bad so I have had to find some reminders to stop accidents happening. I always place the empty 35mm canister in the top of the lid of loaded tanks.
For 120 I put the empty box into the top as a reminder that the film is inside.
My sympathies for your accident though - that would hurt
T

abruzzi said:

Yeah, it seems that loading a roll onto a developing reel and then waiting to process is asking for mistakes to happen.

Click to expand...

With 120 I often load reels at night, when I have better control of extraneous light sources, and develop the next day.
The joys of a temporary darkroom (I detest working in a changing bag).

Nothing is foolproof short of instant developing and even this can breakdown in the event of an emergency arising. What someone else said actually reminded me that with both my kind of tanks, Durst and Jobo, as near a foolproof method as exists, is one I follow but for different reasons. It has always struck me that with the kind of tank tops that Jobo use, you have strain the flexible square teeth that clamp over the rim when you attach the top so after use I always lay the top on the lid and never keep it in a clamped shut position in case that strains the teeth over days/weeks/months. The Durst top are simply a very tight friction-fit but the same reasoning applies. In the event that something serious enough were to happen that prevented me from developing instantly I know that a shut lid is the sign that a film is in the tank.

Now if I used screw tops so that there was no strain( or my perception of strain) on the tops then for neatness I might keep them screwed on..........

I knew there had to be a reason why fate chose Jobos and Dursts when I bought my processing kit secondhand all those years ago

pentaxuser