PMK & Pin Holes & 4X5

[Bruce Osgood]

I've been 'practicing' with my recently acquired Bush and BPF 200 @ 200. I have been tray developing in PMK 1+2+100, N @ 12:00, not using acid in the chain and coming out with pin holes in the emulsion. I fix in TF-4 (1 + 3) for two 2 minute baths with near constant agitation. The pin holes print black as opposed to the Photo-Flo goop that prints white.

I thought pin holes were caused by some form of gas but if this is the case I have no idea how to rid the chemicals of gas. Does anyone have ideas/solutions?

 

[Ole]

There are occasionally pinholes in the emulsion - from bubbles in the gelatin during manufacture. Some of the East European manufacturers seem to be more plagued by this.
So I don't think your chemicals are to blame in this case...

 

[lee]

I've been 'practicing' with my recently acquired Bush and BPF 200 @ 200. I have been tray developing in PMK 1+2+100, N @ 12:00, not using acid in the chain and coming out with pin holes in the emulsion. I fix in TF-4 (1 + 3) for two 2 minute baths with near constant agitation. The pin holes print black as opposed to the Photo-Flo goop that prints white.

I thought pin holes were caused by some form of gas but if this is the case I have no idea how to rid the chemicals of gas. Does anyone have ideas/solutions?

Bruce,

when was the last time you cleaned the inside of your camera? Sometimes if dirt is in the bellows when you insert the film holder and pull the darkslide you can introduce dirt on to the film there also. I would also be temped to get a sheet out of the box and fog it to light and then develop it and see if you have dust spots .

lee\c

 

[Deckled Edge]

Bruce,
I recently ran across a similar problem with some Efke PL100. One sheet was covered at one end with apparent emusion flaws in the form of hundreds of little round pinholes. These are very different from dust ON the emulsion, as the shape is almost exactly round and, while the size varies, the holes are not "dust-shaped" thread-like or specks.
I just got back from a shoot at Zion NP where I exposed 36 sheets of Efke PL100 in 11x14 and 7x17. Two of the 36 sheets had some sort of emusion flaws, while the others, processed identically had none. BTW, there where a few dust spots, but they are few and far between and easily retouched.
I have resigned myself to these emulsion flaws as the price of doing business (though I never have had the problem with Tri-X or Super XX). I take at least one insurance shot for every image, develop carefully, as you have been doing, and hope for the best.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Thank you Ole, Lee & Deckled;

I think it is/was a problem inherent in the emulsion. Today's adventure did not produce the pin hole problem and the processing was the same as it had been.

Lee, I periodically vacuum and blow air thru the bellows so I feel the holes were not dust that stuck to the film.

P.S. Ole. I'm in the process of ordering the chemicals for the prized Ole 1 fixer.