Problem developing Ilford Delta 400

[Dshambli]

I developed a roll of Ilford Delta 400 the other day according to the directions, but my negatives are yellow and foggy. I haven't had this problem with other rolls I've developed. What could cause this?

 

[SMBooth]

Bad fixer?

 

[tkamiya]

Insufficient fix maybe? What fixer did you use and for how long? Maybe your fixer is dying?

If you look at your film and part where sprocket holes are aren't totally clear but opaque, it's a sign of insufficient fixing.

 

[Dshambli]

I used Kodak Professional Fixer. It was the powder, so I might not have mixed it enough (oops). If it helps at all, here's a scan of the negatives:

I'm just getting back into it, I haven't developed my own film in about two years, so I made some other mistakes, like not getting bubbles off of the developing negatives. My digital SLR broke about a month ago, but after the initial withdrawal, I've never been happier using my film cameras.

 

[tkamiya]

Looks like under fixed negs to me. Did you fix it for 10 minutes or so? If this is indeed a bad fixer, you can just wash the film and dry it for now, then refix it later with fresh fixer. It should be save-able.

 

[hoffy]

I developed a roll of Ilford Delta 400 the other day according to the directions......

If you followed the Ilford Directions, this could indeed be your problem. On the Ilford data sheets, it recommends 2 to 5 minutes fixing. I have found that clip test clearing times in fresh fixer is around 2 minutes (compared to HP5 at around 30 secs), but can vary wildly. I never get a consistent clearing time when testing Delta films, even when doing consecutive tests.

I fix for a minimum of 8 minutes.

 

[Dshambli]

I fixed for three minutes. Can you over fix? Also, could this be caused by temperatures being too high? I think I read that elsewhere, but I've never had a problem with it before.

 

[hpulley]

Delta 400 clears fine in 2-5 minutes with Ilford Rapid Fixer. Not sure about that Kodak fixer, is it rapid or hardening?

Yellow foggy negs mean under fixing. If you re-fix them with good fixer and re-wash them (could try a washaid too) hopefully they'll turn out OK.

 

[Ian Grant]

Can you over fix?

Yes but with films it's not as critical as with papers and particularly warm tone papers.

With film's you'll be OK to 4 or 5 times the clearing time but the rule of thumb is fix for twice the clearing time.

Kodak Powder fixers need considerably longer times than Rapid liquid fixers such as Ilford Rapid Fixer or Hypam.

Try re fixing you may be lucky and save the negatives

Ian

 

[Dshambli]

I did the refixing thing, and they came out perfect. I'm so excited. I was really banking on one or two of these shots, so I'm glad my negatives can be used now. Thanks everyone.