Please help someone or else diddy will come for me (but seriously please help, i'd greatly appreciate it)

OnDiddy124 · Sep 7, 2024

This is my first attempt at developing my own film at home using a developing tank.
I developed a roll of HP5 in rodinal at 1+50 dillution and used Ilford rapid fixer. Used a Paterson system 4 single reel developing tank.
I've followed the procedure for the devloping and the agitation and used the right chemical times. The roll ended up with a pattern of dense areas spread across the negatives as shown in the photo below.
Idk if it had to do with light leaking while I loaded the roll into the tank, but i went through extensive measures to eliminate that issue by loading the film in the bathroom tub at night, covered the window with a towel (although it was pitch black outside), putting a human changing tent for camping inside the bath tub and closing the curtains. I couldn't see a damn thing the whole time but that could be theory. This could also be issue t o light leaks from the camera I used, a cheap fuji point and shoot, but these dont seem be light leaks in my eye.
If someone has experienced this before or know of the issue causing it please let me know,
thank you.

BrianShaw · Sep 7, 2024

Did you have your eyes closed?

mshchem · Sep 7, 2024

My yes, I suspect that the camera may have a problem with a light leak. That's seriously light struck. You can test your developing procedures by starting with a new cassette of film, go dark and pull maybe 18-20 inches (1/3 of a roll) out cut it off, load that on your reel and develop. It should be blank except for the frame numbers and the Ilford marks.

MFstooges · Sep 7, 2024

Why don't you eliminate the variables? i.e. shoot a film in that camera and send the film to the lab. or shoot film in another camera and develop the same way.
The spacing looks similar so I suspect light leaked from accidental opening of camera back or camera leak.

MattKing · Sep 8, 2024

Welcome to Photrio.
I agree - light leak.
And the fact that we can see at least some spaces between frames probably means that it wasn't while you were loading the reels.
Is the tank a current Paterson Super System IV tank, or the 35+ year old previous version System IV tank?
In either case, did you have the central core column in the tank?
You may have overdone the "room darkening" steps - it shouldn't be impossibly inconvenient to do this stuff - but being too careful isn't a bad idea.
And thanks for showing us the negatives. Seeing them makes it so much easier for us to try to help!

koraks · Sep 8, 2024

OnDiddy124 said:
o light leaks from the camera I used

That's where I'd start to look. Looking at the pattern of your light leaks, I notice two things:
1: It's intermittent. There also seems to be a set frequency (equal distance) between the leaks.
2: There seems to be sprocket hole projection going on, with light shining through sprocket holes, exposing the film underneath.
The combination suggests that this happened when the film was rolled up, somewhat loosely, but not as loosely as in a typical Paterson processing reel. My guess is that this happened on the take-up spool in the camera and that the light leak comes from a very degraded light seal (e.g. damaged/missing foam) along the camera back, specifically on the side of the take-up spool, which is usually the side of the hinge.

Nitroplait · Sep 8, 2024

koraks said:
2: There seems to be sprocket hole projection going on, with light shining through sprocket holes, exposing the film underneath.

I think @koraks observation and conclusion is the most likely. It is camera related.

@OnDiddy124 Other than that, it looks like you succeeded in developing your first film correctly - the parts of the two frames unaffected by the light leak looks like they would have been printable.

Congratulations and welcome to photrio.com!

RalphLambrecht · Sep 8, 2024

OnDiddy124 said:
This is my first attempt at developing my own film at home using a developing tank.
I developed a roll of HP5 in rodinal at 1+50 dillution and used Ilford rapid fixer. Used a Paterson system 4 single reel developing tank.
I've followed the procedure for the devloping and the agitation and used the right chemical times. The roll ended up with a pattern of dense areas spread across the negatives as shown in the photo below.
Idk if it had to do with light leaking while I loaded the roll into the tank, but i went through extensive measures to eliminate that issue by loading the film in the bathroom tub at night, covered the window with a towel (although it was pitch black outside), putting a human changing tent for camping inside the bath tub and closing the curtains. I couldn't see a damn thing the whole time but that could be theory. This could also be issue t o light leaks from the camera I used, a cheap fuji point and shoot, but these dont seem be light leaks in my eye.
If someone has experienced this before or know of the issue causing it please let me know,
thank you.

The film was exposed to light. The patches tell me it happened when it was rolled up; either while on the camera's take-up spool or on the development tank's reel. Also, remember that HP5 is a panchromatic film, so even a red darkroom light will expose it.HP5 must be processed in total darkness!

Don_ih · Sep 8, 2024

I find this spot mysterious:

The frame above is heavily exposed. The frame below is almost as-heavily exposed. So, perhaps there are actually a few issues with the camera. If it has a film-indicator window, check the foam around it (maybe cover it with electrical tape). The hinge may be leaking light. Maybe even the shutter is messed up.

But offhand, I would have said someone opened the camera with the film on the take-up side.

guangong · Sep 8, 2024

How about a changing bag rather than trying to blacken a bathroom? These are daylight developing tanks and darkness is not needed…only need darkness to load tank.
While learning to process film, expect to make a lot of dumb mistakes. We all did/do!

BobUK · Sep 8, 2024

Do you fill your own cassettes from a roll of bulk film? If so that adds the possibility of the cassette lid not being correctly in position also the bulk film loader may have problems.

But I really go for the answers provided by koraks and Ralph .

Try another roll of film in the camera, but this time before winding on and taking a complete roll, after closing tape around all of the joints of the back door with black electrical tape. This will hopefully prove any light leakages from perished door seals.

Fire off half a dozen shots then IN COMPLETE DARKNESS open the back without previously rewinding the film.
Take a pair of scissors and carefully cut the film in two so you have a test length of leader plus a few exposed frames. Develop as per usual.
Then check the results.

When cutting the film in complete darkness be extra careful if the camera has a cloth shutter blind. It's easily damaged in the dark.
Also keep hold of the short length of film sticking out of the cassette. You don't want that slipping back into the cassette out of reach. A spot of sellotape previously cut can be put on the cassette film protruding to stop it vanishing back inside.

Film is expensive these days. So it is well worth using just a small amount on tests like this.

It will be nice to see how you progress.

bdial · Sep 8, 2024

Congratulations on processing your first roll of film, and welcome to the forum.
Lots of good advice in the previous replies. FWIW, to me it does look like in-camera fogging, take it one step at a time and it shouldn’t be too hard to sort out.

Sirius Glass · Sep 8, 2024

Welcome to Photrio!

The hardest part is the first step. Now keep going!

OnDiddy124 · Sep 8, 2024

OnDiddy124 said:
This is my first attempt at developing my own film at home using a developing tank.
I developed a roll of HP5 in rodinal at 1+50 dillution and used Ilford rapid fixer. Used a Paterson system 4 single reel developing tank.
I've followed the procedure for the devloping and the agitation and used the right chemical times. The roll ended up with a pattern of dense areas spread across the negatives as shown in the photo below.
Idk if it had to do with light leaking while I loaded the roll into the tank, but i went through extensive measures to eliminate that issue by loading the film in the bathroom tub at night, covered the window with a towel (although it was pitch black outside), putting a human changing tent for camping inside the bath tub and closing the curtains. I couldn't see a damn thing the whole time but that could be theory. This could also be issue t o light leaks from the camera I used, a cheap fuji point and shoot, but these dont seem be light leaks in my eye.
If someone has experienced this before or know of the issue causing it please let me know,
thank you.

I dont know how to reply to all so i will just reply to my own, thank you guys for all commenting on my post, most of yall thought that the issue derived from the camera itself due to possible light leaks. Mayble ill shoot another roll through it and get it lab devoloped or try to experiment with how i processed it to see if it had to do anything with my development procedure. Either ways thanks for helping me out guys.

koraks · Sep 8, 2024

OnDiddy124 said:
or try to experiment with how i processed it to see if it had to do anything with my development procedure.

If it has anything to do with processing, it would have to be either a light leak in the development tank, or a light leak occurring during handling the film in the (not so) dark. It's not related to the wet stages of processing, that much I can guarantee. However, given the projected sprocket holes, you're really most likely looking at a camera problem.

cliveh · Sep 8, 2024

Did you put the black core through the centre of the spiral before putting it in the tank?

mshchem · Sep 9, 2024

cliveh said:
Did you put the black core through the centre of the spiral before putting it in the tank?

This is an excellent question!

snusmumriken · Sep 9, 2024

koraks said:
However, given the projected sprocket holes, you're really most likely looking at a camera problem.

I assume @koraks means the dark 'shadows' (light exposure) to one side of the sprocket holes? At first I thought they must be in the wrong direction if the camera was a typical one in which the cassette is placed at the left and the back opens from the right: ie the light source would have had to be from the hinge end. Then I remembered that the film is usually wound inside-out on the take-up spool, so the theory does fit. Is it possible that the camera back was opened briefly before the film was wound back into its cassette? (I suspect we've all done this at some stage.)

Also fits (but seems less likely) exposure to light while in the dev tank spiral. I don't think it fits the idea of a missing centre column in the dev tank, because then the 'shadows' should have been towards the image area of the film, surely?

koraks · Sep 9, 2024

snusmumriken said:
Also fits (but seems less likely) exposure to light while in the dev tank spiral.

I considered this, but the light would have to be extremely collimated to project such recognizable sprockets. I just don't really see how this would work in practice, so I'm sticking with the in-camera hypothesis.
Inadvertently opening the camera back is a good one; this may indeed be the culprit!

Please help someone or else diddy will come for me (but seriously please help, i'd greatly appreciate it)

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