Overdeveloped film?

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

Hi everyone,
it's my first post here - so i hope I am in the right section .
I am developing a standard HP5+, pushed at 800, with Ilfosol 3, diluted 1+9, as I have been doing for the last year or so. Now it comes to the strage bit, which happened to me twice already in the last month. Quite difficult to describe so I will include pictures, but basically the back of the negative came out very contrasty (with, strangely, amazing results) but with a grey/beige area around the whole of it, while the front is very hazy, seems (and I guess it is) very overdeveloped.
I would have so many questions on it, so I will wait for someone if they have a clear idea of what is going on, and to follow-up from there. I also include a couple of picturse of negative which came out fine (or did it? - the border of the negative is blueish rather than transparent and the frames are not very contrasty either..). Now, since this weird back is actually the result I would expect, I am wondering what ma I doing wrong in the whole development process.

Thank you in advance

Sirius Glass · Dec 3, 2020

Thank you for directly showing us what the negatives look like, that saves time and posts. I do not know but I would like to say:

Welcome to ~~APUG~~ Photrio!!

toyoboyo · Dec 3, 2020

What fixer are you using? Maybe it's related to that?

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

Using the standard Ilfosol Fixer - someone else also suggested that it might be related to it. I don't think it s expired but been having it for a while and carried it around across countries, might be not optimal. Tomorrow I will buy a new one and try to re do the fixing with the negatives

grain elevator · Dec 3, 2020

Not overdevelopment. By back and front you mean the beginning and end of the roll, right? Not the two sides of the film? So the unexposed parts, the margins and the areas between frames of the film look different between both ends of the roll? That's strange. Could the film have been exposed to light while it was in the camera or in the developing tank? Was the center tube in the tank if it's a Paterson type?
The milky appearance points to underfixing, a separate issue from the density gradient you describe if I understand you correctly.

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

Thank you! Yes I actually meant the two sides of the film.
I don't think light entered in the camera nor while developing - never happened to me and, I guess that would affect the whole film, botb front and back?
I am using a Patterson, but I think the tube was not in while developing

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

But out of curiosity - why would the fixer make this weird effect of very contrasy and beige effect in the back of the film and almost destroying the image in the front part?
I am quite intrigued tbh

toyoboyo · Dec 3, 2020

I'm just taking a guess. I haven't seen anything like that from developer issue, and usually the fixer is the only other possible reason.

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

I see. I will try to give them another round of a brand new fixer tomorrow, we'll ser what comes out. Thank you again

MattKing · Dec 3, 2020

Welcome to Photrio.
It looks like incompletely fixed film to me.
The fixer actually only works on one side - the emulsion side. So if it doesn't finish its job, that side can look as if there is a haze on it. Then if you look through the film from the other side - the substrate. - the haze serves as kind of a backdrop to the clearly visible image between the haze and the substrate.
An opened bottle of fixer concentrate will slowly deteriorate. If you move that opened bottle from place to place over a long time, deterioration will speed up.

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

Amazing description, thanks. Was thinking of soaking the film for a couple of minute and go for another fixing process - would that have any impact whatsover or it's too late?

Sirius Glass · Dec 3, 2020

No it is not too late.

dadelutz95 · Dec 3, 2020

Thanks - will update on the results.

MattKing · Dec 3, 2020

dadelutz95 said:
Amazing description, thanks. Was thinking of soaking the film for a couple of minute and go for another fixing process - would that have any impact whatsover or it's too late?

There is a good chance that that will work perfectly.
Make sure you agitate the film regularly in both the water and the new fixer.
Partially fixed film is film that won't keep for years and years without deteriorating. But partially fixed film that has just been fixed is relatively easy to make good.

Craig75 · Dec 3, 2020

you can test your fixer. use an exposed but undeveloped piece of film. stick it straight in the fixer and you should be able to watch it clear.

DeletedAcct1 · Dec 3, 2020

dadelutz95 said:
Hi everyone,
it's my first post here - so i hope I am in the right section .
I am developing a standard HP5+, pushed at 800, with Ilfosol 3, diluted 1+9, as I have been doing for the last year or so. Now it comes to the strage bit, which happened to me twice already in the last month. Quite difficult to describe so I will include pictures, but basically the back of the negative came out very contrasty (with, strangely, amazing results) but with a grey/beige area around the whole of it, while the front is very hazy, seems (and I guess it is) very overdeveloped.
I would have so many questions on it, so I will wait for someone if they have a clear idea of what is going on, and to follow-up from there. I also include a couple of picturse of negative which came out fine (or did it? - the border of the negative is blueish rather than transparent and the frames are not very contrasty either..). Now, since this weird back is actually the result I would expect, I am wondering what ma I doing wrong in the whole development process.

Thank you in advance

You're not fixing the film at all!

DeletedAcct1 · Dec 3, 2020

dadelutz95 said:
Using the standard Ilfosol Fixer - someone else also suggested that it might be related to it. I don't think it s expired but been having it for a while and carried it around across countries, might be not optimal. Tomorrow I will buy a new one and try to re do the fixing with the negatives

Wait a minute: Ilfosol Fixer?

MattKing · Dec 3, 2020

Alessandro Serrao said:
Wait a minute: Ilfosol Fixer?

Good point!

koraks · Dec 4, 2020

dadelutz95 said:
I think the tube was

If the center colum was not in the tank (so just a loose reel inside the tank), you don't have a light trap and will get fogging unless you work in the dark.

dadelutz95 · Dec 4, 2020

Alessandro Serrao said:
Wait a minute: Ilfosol Fixer?

Sorry I meant to say Ilford Rapid Fixer - way too tired yesterday

dadelutz95 · Dec 4, 2020

koraks said:
If the center colum was not in the tank (so just a loose reel inside the tank), you don't have a light trap and will get fogging unless you work in the dark.

By center column I meant the little cylinderish you insert at tge end to shake - not the structure keeping the reels

koraks · Dec 4, 2020

Ok, thanks for clearing that up!
Any chance of showing the area where the excess density starts to occur? Is it really gradual or is there a clear intermediate zone visible?

dadelutz95 · Dec 4, 2020

Very much seems to be the fixer... Doing it now with a new one and works perfectly.. Oh boy if I have to learn still...
Thanks everyone

MattKing · Dec 4, 2020

dadelutz95 said:
Very much seems to be the fixer... Doing it now with a new one and works perfectly.. Oh boy if I have to learn still...
Thanks everyone

Great - it is always satisfying when we can help.

toyoboyo · Dec 4, 2020

Glad that fixed it up

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